Customer Reviews

Thy Friend, Obadiah (Picture Puffins)

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Thy Friend Obadiah is a simple but beautiful story about a six-year-old Quaker boy on Nantucket Island who is followed around by a seagull. At first the bird annoys him, especially when his brothers and sisters tease him about his "friend." But when the bird disappears for a time, Obadiah begins to realize how much he misses its company, and when it returns, injured, he takes car of it, and appreciates the friendship it has given him.

IÕve always thought of this as a deeply religious book, although looking it over now I realize there is only one religious reference in the whole book Ñ when ObadiahÕs mother tells him, "I think it is very nice that one of GodÕs creatures favors thee." But the tone of the book is deeply spiritual. It is about love, friendship, and respect for creation. I especially like the fact that ObadiahÕs parents both seem wise, patient and kind. Old-fashioned, maybe, but itÕs a nice contrast to a lot of more current childrenÕs books IÕve looked at.

Although this is the most popular of the series, there are three more books about Obadiah: The Adventures of Obadiah, Rachel and Obadiah, and Obadiah the Bold. All of them are excellent.

I remember some winter evenings by the fire while my mom and I sipped tea and she read Thy Friend, Obadiah to me. Recently, while I was babysitting, I read this to the kids, and they were quite calm and content by the time I was done. A great way to end the evening. I think this book was the start of my interest in the Quakers. Such a lovely story about true friendship and loyalty between man and nature. Great for all ages.

As a child, I remember walking down Main Street to New Dollar Lane, holding tight to my mother's hand. Upon reaching the fabled street, I would eagerly search up and down the lane, until I was sure that I had found the right house. "That's the one, mom!" I would shout. I was sure that was the house occupied by none other than Obadiah, the Quaker boy from Nantucket. Of course, there was no real Obadiah, and he didn't actually live on New Dollar Lane, but my mother always agreed with me that the house that I had chosen was Obadiaha's house without a doubt. This particular story chronicles a slice of life for the young Quaker boy Obadiah, who lives on Nantucket. A sea gull befriends Obadiah, much to his consternation, and will not leave him alone. Much like Mary's little lamb, the sea gull follows Obadiah everywhere: to school, to the store, and all over town. Obadiah learns an important lesson about friendship in this book that can be enjoyed by "children" of all ages. It holds a special poignancy for anyone who has spent time on Nantucket, but teaches truths that are universal in their scope, and are not geographically limited. I spent many a rainy afternoon on Nantucket reading "Thy Friend Obadiah", as well as other books about Obadiah. I absolutely loved those books then, and love them just as much now, as I pass on to my own son the tradition of love for the Obadiah books. I can't wait until next summer, when we can go look for Obadiah's house on New Dollar Lane. I just hope it's still there... -Andrew Spencer

This was my daughter's favorite book when she was young. Now she is expecting a child of her own and has requested a new copy, since the book she had as a child is tattered and worn. So happy that Amazon had it in stock!