Thy Friend, Obadiah

by Brinton Turkle

Obadiah, a young Quaker boy living in colonial Nantucket, is constantly followed by a sea gull that he wishes would leave him alone. When it does leave, he wants it back.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Historical Fiction, Animals, Fiction, School, Friendship

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story about a seagull that befriends or follows around a little boy, Obadiah. Everyone notices and teases him and the boy doesn’t like it, but when the bird is not there, Obadiah misses him.

I didn’t think the artwork was especially Caldecott worthy. The story is simple and sweet. As an adult, I do wonder if people really spoke that way back when, using thee and thou. As I child, I believed they spoke that way, and as an adult, I assumed that it was how people wrote in that time, but they didn’t really speak that way. Now, I am curious.

The nephew wanted a bird to follow him around. His sister said ‘you fart too much, you would scare them all away.’ Well, that lead to a squabble. The nephew thought it was a ‘weird’ story and he gave it 4 stars. The niece thought this story didn’t have a point or a real ending and she gave it 2 stars.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little Quaker boy in late 1700s/early 1800s Nantucket is followed around by a friendly seagull. Obadiah dislikes the seagull's attention and scares it off, but when it is hurt he decides to help it and realizes maybe it is ok to have a friendly seagull.

Some Caldecott Honor books show their age in their illustration styles, but the illustration style of Turkle in this one is timeless. They are still charming and in a style that will appeal to modern readers. The book provides a little glimpse into historic, everyday Quaker life by focusing on the relationship of a boy and wild bird. A good book to introduce the speech habits of historic Quakers or typical life in historic Nantucket.

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 4 out of 5]

5* art
5* story

I like this one more than Squirt does at the moment, but he'll come round. There is something magical in this book, reading it out loud is awesome - using " thee" and "thou" is a rare thing these days, and it's surprisingly fun. I wondered if Squirt would be puzzled by it, but he took it all in without blinking. The Illustrations are wonderful. Will be reading this many many times.

As an aside - I am reading In the Heart of the Sea by Philbrick - also about Nantucket and the Quaker whalers - and it seems ironic that Obadiah's last name is Starbuck. The books back each other up, you'll be glad to know.

[Josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story of a little Quaker boy, aggravated by a seagull which follows him EVERYWHERE. In the end, he does accept the bird's presence when he has the chance to do it a favor by untangling a fish hook and line from the seagull's beak.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book taught me to not throw rocks at birds, and about how awesome it is to say "thy friend"

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet old fashioned story that encourages animal friendships with people.

[Rachael Mack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Briton Turkles takes his readers on a simplistic journey through the story Thy Friend, Obadiah. This story is about a young boy, Obadiah, who has a seagull following him around everywhere he goes. At first, Obadiah is annoyed by the seagulls stalking and presence. Obadiah’s family thinks that it is “very nice that one of God’s creatures favors thee”, but still Obadiah tries to rid himself of the bird. He yells and the bird and even throws a rock, but still the bird is there. Eventually, the seagull decides it is time to leave Obadiah and the two part ways. As soon as the seagull is gone Obadiah portrays a sense of remorse by always looking for the bird while he is out. One day while Obadiah is out he does see the bird and it is stuck in a sticky situation, so Obadiah decides to help. By helping the bird Obadiah learns that sometimes friends come from the most unlikely of places.
The first thing that caught my eye in this story was the use of old time words such as “Thy” (as seen in the title) and “thee”. I thought that this was a very interesting stylistic approach since this type of language had faded out by the time this book was originally published in 1969. I think that the use of this language along with some illustrative elements do a wonderful job portraying the characters and setting. The illustrations do a fantastic job portraying the characters because as described by the text, the family seems to be very religious. The use of this language takes the time setting much further back which can also explain why religion was so highly reflected. I think that the illustrations utilize neutral tones and pencil to reflect the modesty that is assumed to accompany religion. Overall, I think Turkles did a phenomenal job representing a dynamic family and their values through a very simplistic approach.
My favorite part about this story was how I did not connect to any of the people, but rather I connected with the seagull. The aspect that I connect with was the part that Obadiah initially viewed the seagull as bothersome, but ended up realizing that they could be friends. This makes me think of how my older brother and I were growing up. As the younger sibling, I always wanted to follow him around and he would become so angry that I never left. Then as we grew up, we became friends and now we both enjoy each other’s company and friendship. So as simple as this story was, I really enjoyed and connected to it. I did not give too high of a rating though because as a reader I tend to enjoy books that are more silly and colorful.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankly when I first saw this book, the first things I thought was “Man, this sounds really old-fashioned,” and “Who names their kid Brinton Turkle?”. However, this book has taken me by surprise, in a good way. I had never heard it before I picked it up as part of the Caldecott Challenge, as it is 1970 Caldecott Honor award winner.

The story is about a young Quaker boy named Obadiah, who lives with his family in Colonial Nantucket. He is befriended by a seagull he follows him around everywhere, and Obadiah is quite frustrated by the bird and wishes he would go away. The bird is eventually driven off by the boy, only to have the boy wish he was there to help guide him out of a snowstorm. He searches for his friend the seagull and is unable to find him until one day he is down by the docks and sees the seagull caught by some fishing lines. He frees the bird and they become friends again. Finding friendship in new and different places is the theme of the book. I love the illustrations. The author has created a couple more Obadiah books and I would love to read those as well. Recommended for ages 4-8, 4 stars.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something very pleasurable in both the illustrations and the use of the words "thee" and "thy" in the course of this book. Like sitting down to a meal of comfort food, I enjoyed reading about Obadiah and his strange friend who follows him wherever he goes. The glimpses of colonial life make this a book that would fit well with a unit on early American history, and the story itself is engaging and kept me wanting to read long after the last page was turned. I will certainly seek out other books about Obadiah in the future.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book won a Caldecott Award. It's story is one of friendship between a boy and a bird. The bird knows he likes the boy but the boy doesn't like the bird hanging around him. He gets teased about it and doesn't like it. But later he misses the bird and goes in search of him. Realizing true friendship. This story is a little hard for 'modern' children since it does use 'thy' and 'thee' quite a bit. The speech is different than children are used to; but nice story to expose them to the language of the past while teaching them about friendship.

[createitlibrarian (Amanda) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a silly and cute book. It has wonderful illustrations. I love how the author really gets into the mind of a child. The child in this book is completely believable as a youngster. A seagull follows Obadiah around through out the story and his family teases him and calls the bird his friend. Obadiah doesn't want this bird as his friend. See what happens, read this book!

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

The narrative is the gold of this book; the pictures are simple illustrations, but not especially imaginative. I think a young reader's experience of the book would, however, be imaginative. This doesn't feel like it was written in the last hundred years, which helps with its simplicity and endearing storyline.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young Quaker boy is annoyed by a seagull that follows him around until a fateful event brings them together.

This is a nice story about friendship and helping others. It also has great illustrations.

[SamZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

1970 Caldecott Honor. Favorite Illustraion: I love the page that shows the whole family lined up tall to small on their way to church on Sunday.
This is a sweet little tale about a young boy who at first is annoyed by the attention of a pesky sea gull, but eventually learns to care for him.

[Rayni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caldecott Honor Book - A great book about friendship. One my children & I enjoyed.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should probably give this 5 stars because this is the kind of kids book I think is about the best kind. And I like this style of artwork. And you can never really expect everyone (anyone) to get the Quaker dialect right. Usually it's way more horrendous than this. I think there were only 3 or 4 places where I did my little cringe...no one knows "thou" and how to use it. But I feel pretty sure I can promise that the Quakers of early America used all that language correctly. Sigh. But it gets four stars, because of those cringes.

[Two Hearts Homeschool · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot of picture books about kids who love animals, but not too many like this one, where a child does not want an animal to be his friend. This conflict is set up instantly on the title page spread where Obadiah walks ahead of the seagull, looking over his shoulder in annoyance. The only things appearing on that page are the two characters and yet the reader already understands the type of relationship they have. I had some trouble with the language - “thee” and “thy” sounded out of place to me, even though they evoke the time period and location quite well. I appreciate that this story shows us a slice of life in a community with which we might not be familiar, but that it tells an additional story about the meaning of friendship.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Obadiah is followed around by a seagull and wants nothing more than for the bird to leave him alone. When the bird finally does leave him alone he finds that he misses him and wants him back. Eventually their paths meet again and Obadiah helps the bird free himself from some fishing wire around his beak solidifying their friendship. Obadiah is from a Quaker family living in the colonial era so the language includes words like thy and thee. The artwork looks like watercolor. There are some nice angles on the illustrations making the reader feel as if they are at the dinner table or sitting on the bed etc.

[Sydney Hall]

I would not have expected "Thy Friend, Obadiah" to have been picked for a Caldecott. It is about a young boy who has a sea gull friend follow him around everyday. While most children might enjoy having a friend like this, Obadiah does not. When eventually the bird leaves, Obadiah wishes it was back. The idea of wanting something back after we lost it popped into my head after reading this. I think this would be a good book to expose children for the moral lesson of appreciating what we have in the moment rather than wishing it away.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet, old fashioned story about a seagull who befriends a young boy. The narrative is very simple and is used as a tool to help depict the life of Quakers on Nantucket in Colonial times. The illustrations are very expressive and complement the story nicely. We enjoyed reading this story together.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Quaker boy is followed by a sea gull but the boy throws rocks at the sea gull until it leaves, then returns with a fish hook in its beak, which the boy removes then acknowledges that now are both friends. A Caldicott Honor Book (not sure which year), 1st published in 1969, republished many years. uncounted # of pgs.; read in Morgan’s 1st NC home, Sept. ‘13/#52.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant little Caldecott Honor picture book. Kind of a simple view of a moment in time in what appears to be Colonial Nantucket. The story is all about a gull that follows a boy around until it needs something from him and they become friends. But it captures what it means to be a boy in that time and place as well. Not great but a good feel to it. 3.5 of 5.

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Caldecotts focus on illustrations and not story which is good because this one is a bit slow. And Unclear. I was confused as to the orientation of the family until I read it was Quaker.
Caldecott honor.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this story of the little Quaker boy first resisting, then accepting, the friendship of a sea gull. The paintings expertly capture the very early years of Nantucket Island, including buildings, costumes, ships, and the Quaker family's home.

[Carrie Mushitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute book. The little boy Obadiah has a seagull that follows him every where. At first he hates the seagull and wants it to go away, but by the end of the book he has changed his mine and they become friends.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Caldecott honor book from 1970, this is a sweet story set in colonial massachusetts? I loved the old fashioned charm of the illustrations and the gentle story of a Quaker boy and a sea gull that befriends him. A subtle message of kindness prevails. I'll fit this into our colonial America study.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet story of a young boy, Obadiah, and the seagull that follows him around. Obadiah is annoyed by the seagull...but when the gull needs help, Obadiah assists the bird...and decides he is glad to have such a friend. Very gentle story that makes me feel a bit nostalgic.

[Maria Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

• 1970 Caldecott Honor Book •

Very simple, sweet story of a Quaker boy and a seagull that befriends him. I like the artwork but don’t love the colors, although maybe they go well with the subdued tone of the story.

Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: unlisted

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the story. A seagull starts to follow a little boy around, much to the boy's dismay. But the way the story is worded harkens back to the days of "thee" and "thy." Very weird for a little one.