Only a Little While Here Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Preventing Urban Bird Strikes and our BookBrowse Review of Only a Little While Here.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Only a Little While Here centers on a tanager, a porcupine, a beetle, and two dogs. Why do you think the author chose these animals specifically?
2. Pay attention to the language the narrator uses to present the perspectives of the animal characters. What does this language do? How does it capture the experience of the animals? When does the narrator eschew conditional language, and why?
3. The animals' characters' paths intersect with those of several humans. Consider the range of humans represented in this book. What conclusions did you draw about them? What conclusions are we meant to draw? Which humans are depicted in the most favorable light?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Scribner. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.