Only Opal: The Diary of a Young Girl

by Barbara Cooney, Opal Whiteley, Jane Boulton (Editor)

Beginning when she is five years old, in the early 1900s, Opal keeps a diary, recording her dreams and chronicling her life with her adopted family as they move from one lumber camp to another.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Biography, History, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography Memoir

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Barbara Cooney was an American writer and illustrator of 110 children's books, published over sixty years. She received two Caldecott Medals for her work on Chanticleer and the Fox and Ox-Cart Man, and a National Book Award for Miss Rumphius. Her books have been translated into 10 languages.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Opal Whitely tells her own story in this book. Born around 1900, Opal is taken in by a disinterested family after her parents died. The family moved nineteen times to various lumber camps, and Opal kept writing in her diary. When she was twenty, her diaries were published in book form.

This is a rather sad book, giving us a glimpse of Opal's life as she visits with her human and animal friends, then again as she says goodbye to them before her adoptive family moves again.

Cooney's artwork captures the Oregon forests beautifully, and works well with this melancholy tale.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane Boulton (a poet herself) selected (and, I think, somewhat adapted) excerpts from Opal Whiteley's childhood diary to create the narrative for this story. Perfectly paired with Barbara Cooney's illustrations, this makes a poignant and beautiful story about a young girl's affection and appreciation for nature and animals, her yearning for kindness, and her tenacious spirit. According to the author's note, Opal's parents died when she was young and the logging family she was "adopted" into moved nineteen times in her young life so it was difficult for her to put down roots anywhere. This story focuses on one of the places she lived and the animals she loved, and the places she loved, and the neighbors she loved. It is absolutely heartwrenching when those things are taken away from her, yet she is somehow such an indomitable spirit that you feel she will be okay and find new things to love wherever she goes. Her writing style is so unique, sparse and yet absolutely captivating and it just grabs on to my emotions. I can't say more without spoilers, but a scene with a mouse and another with a tree really touched me. Also, she names things after people she reads about (or authors) in books; she was a very learned little girl but also wise in ways that can never be taught. I think fans of Anne of Green Gables and similar heroines will appreciate Opal and I certainly am curious to read her actual diary after reading this book. "Only Opal" is one of my mom's favorite picture books and I loved it, too.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This book is so depressing, made somewhat less depressing by Opal’s connections to various animals and plants, the fact that she was writing, the fact that she seemed to feel some comfort in the presence of her dead parents.

Orphaned, living with a family that makes her work hard and seems to show her no affection, this is presented as a portion of her diary covering her 5th-6th year, a time when she was supposedly just learning to write, and missing many days of school due to her servitude.

Opal’s reaction to the death of “Michael Raphael” was so painful.

I almost laughed at the end when the author’s note painted an even grimmer picture of Opal’s life than did Opal’s own words, and how it ended with “And now you might want to start a diary of your own.” It struck me as funny because hopefully most child readers, after being saddened (devastated?) by Opal’s diary, hopefully their lives are better and their diary contents are less disturbing. However, this would make a good book to read with orphans, foster kids, kids who have to move, kids with otherwise difficult lives, and anyone who loves nature and its animals and plants.

The illustrations are charming!

Not for preschoolers.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is based off of a diary of a young girl at the turn of the century. It's quite sad actually and doesn't end happily either.

Ages: 4 - 8

Cleanliness: the little girl believes her dead parents are guardian angels, watching over her.

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!

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[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations. I know it's from a real child's diary but wow it's SO SAD.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written, and tragically sad story - but well worth the read if you are doing a memoir study with older children (and none of whom have been abandoned...)

[Nancy]

A terribly sad book. My mother used to use it for her 2nd graders when they started journal writing...

[Annie]

The story was okay (though it’s origins are interesting). The pictures, however, are beautiful. They’re of Oregon forests, so it’s hard not to love them.

[Lisa Mcbroom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rereading a book is like revisiting an old friend. I was so glad to visit with Opal out of Only Opal. Opal Whitely kept a diary as a child. Born about 1900, Opal lived a hard life. Her parents both died and she was sent to live with unfeeling people. Opal always kept a positive attitude and her spirituality was beautiful. When she is 20, she meets a publisher who wants to publish her diaires. Torn to pieces by a :wicked stepsister" Opal kept the torn pieces and at age 20, painstakingly pieces them together. Beautifully illustrated by Barbara Cooney an inspiring read!

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is actually excerpts from a controversial diary of a young girl in the early 1900's. Controversial because there are questions about the truth...I almost hope this isn't true...a five-year-old is orphaned and taken in by completely unsympathetic folks whom she calls 'the father' and 'the mother.' The mother keeps Opal home on laundry days and makes the little girl do way more than a child's share of the chores. One wonders, but Opal never realizes, whether they adopted the girl as a servant.

Opal's birth parents were readers and writers -- they kept journals, and according to the story, so does she. She is extremely close to the animals and plants in her world, naming them all wonderfully classic names: the calf Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the tree, Michael Raphael, and the mouse, Felix Mendelssohn.

Opal does make human friends too, Dear Love and the blind girl give her a feel for human love until she's moved away by the father and the mother.

The illustrations in this edition are beautiful companions to the lyricism of the words...Sharing this will open lots of conversations with students.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the recent books found in a collection purchased from a retired teacher is this lovely book with diary parts selected by Jane Boulton, and beautiful illustrations by Barbara Cooney. The back matter tells that Opal Whiteley did live with a couple after her parents died when she was seven. It is a true kind of Cinderella story. The family didn't treat her well but she kept a secret diary and this book shares parts of it. We learn that she takes solace in the what she has of nature, a mouse named Felix Mendelssohn, a calf called Elizabeth Barrett Browning and a tree who is Michael Raphael. A stepsister found the diary and tore up the pieces, but Opal kept them, and later a publisher asked about the diary. Opal pieced it all back together and it was published. Isn't that a wonderful story! An inspiring book to inspire young students to keep their journals.

[Meghan Brigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only Opal consists of excerpts from Opal Whiteley's real diary. Opal was born around 1900 and was adopted after her parents died. Opal learns to adapt to her new surroundings by connecting with nature.I would recommend this book for children ranging from six years old to ten years old. This book classifies as a biography. Opal shows that nature can be comforting when life makes her sad. Opal's outlook on life even after the death of her family and the treatment of her foster family is very positive. The readers will be able to connect Opal's situation with their own and it will help them remember that even if people die they are still watching over them. This book may inspire children to keep their own diary's.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book told in verse, is an interesting look at the thoughts and feelings of a young girl who has lost her parents and while living with "the mother" and the father" writes in her diary about her sadness without her parents and her friendship with animals. It is haunting to think about children who feel and endure these hardships. I loved the names Opal chose for her animal friends-and laughed out loud at the pig named Peter Paul Reubens, but was this part of the adaption by Jane Boulton? I don't know, but perhaps reading the full diary will shed more insight on this interesting young woman in Oregon history.

[Christian Houseworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book uses the craft of creating a character using a certain dialect, in this book particularly a southern dialect. This makes the text more real and students can envision themselves in this book right beside Opal. This is a great book to use when teaching writers craft, specifically diary/journal written because this book is written like a diary. Also, this would be a great book for picture walks because the pictures are very detailed.

[Tim Vandenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, Barbara Cooney's art shines (and I like her art in this book even more than her work found in Miss Rumphius or Ox-Cart Man!)

What makes this book super special is that its text is from an actual little orphan girl's diary. It's really quite heart braking at points (e.g., her foster mom really doesn't love her), but that's what makes the book so real & therefore so effective.

Recommended.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was about a young girl who's parents passed away. The new mother that she lives with makes her do many chores. She would miss school so she could wash the laundry. I enjoyed reading the diary of opal. She often struggled and had hard times but still remained as positive as good be.

[Carly Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite children's books. Shares the diary entries of a young girl who was orphaned and taken in by a traveling family from Oregon. Her determination to keep the diary after everything is heartwarming.

[Toryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only Opal is a beautifully written and illustrated book and plus its true! As you can read in the back of book, Opal's stepsister tore up her diary and hid it under a log. Someone found it ,put it together and Ms.Cooney wrote it down and made this book!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that has stayed with me for years. Haunting and beautiful. I think of it often.

[Bookwyrmgyrl]

This book is based on actual journal entries made by Opal, which were written and preserved in a nearly miraculous way.

[Andrea Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is from the diary of a woman who was born in 1900. After her parents passed away she decided to keep a diary of her "fifth and sixth year" where she chronicles her daily experiences.

[Robyn Obermeyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy enjoyable book!

[Alice Mott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I look forward to reading Opal's Whitley's entire diary: Opal the Journal of an Understanding Heart. Published in 1920.

[Andrea Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful words and pictures. Very moving in a simple and poignant way.

[Amber (Her Home and Hearts) Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This illustrated diary is adapted from the real Opal Whiteley’s diary and is a heart-wrenching glimpse into her lonely world. Set in 1900s Oregon lumber camps, young Opal, an orphan, faces neglect and cruelty yet finds solace in nature—befriending a crow, mouse, cow, pig, and even a tree she names Michael Raphael. Her poetic voice, both innocent and wise, broke my heart: “The world is so beautiful and sometimes so sad.”
This isn’t a light read—it’s raw, tender, and devastating as it shows a young child’s resilient spirit against harsh realities. If you don’t mind tears and like to feel deeply, this is for you. Adapted for children, but it hits adults hard too.
5/5 ⭐️ for its emotional depth and gorgeous illustrations. A true living book.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

As always, Barbara Cooney is brilliant. The story of Opal Whiteley is fascinating, but I don’t think there’s any way that the diary is legitimate. The language strikes me as overly precious and false—a fantasy of innocent genius rather than the voice of an actual child of precocious intelligence. Add to that the fact that the details of the diary don’t align with the known facts of her childhood... The whole thing starts to seem a little maudlin to me. Very sad, more for what the text conceals than the story it tells.

[Georgina Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been searching for this book for a long time! At first it was hard to remember the title only that the little girl had a diary, and a tree friend called Michael Raphael, a very distinguished name.

This story recounts Opal's life growing up in a tree cutting labor camp. Adopted at birth, Opal describes all the aspects of her daily life, school and her animal friends. The illustrations are endearing and packed with humor and emotion. The girl's life is filled with loss and disappointments, but also beauty and hope.

[Trent Clegg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sourcing its text from the disputed diary of an eccentric genius, Only Opal is a beautifully troubling meditation on the inner life of a young orphan in the early 1900's. The young Opal's descriptions of animals and nature are enchanting as is the artwork rendered by Barbara Cooney. Some stilted and possibly artificial syntax and grammar aside, this is a lovely book for children, especially those who are often lost in daydreams and other meditations.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every once in a while one needs to read a children’s book. This one was in my mother’s collection. Based on a real diary of a orphaned girl in 1900. All you need to know is her mouse is named Felix Mendelssohn and Michael Raphael is her trusted tree. Warning: enneagram 4: read with caution. You will feel it all

[Danielle Palmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sad and simplistic, an odd little girl who is an orphan lives with a family who doesn’t seem to like her much. She makes friends with the local flora and fauna and describes events in her diary in a strange yet touching mix up of words.