Clever Crow by Chris Butterworth illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill

I am awarding this book first prize for cover design and oh my goodness you will love the end papers in this book - eggs of all colours and patterns at the front with little scientific old fashioned typed labels and at the back you can see the adult birds - all the different types of crows! 

This book combines a brief lyrical text with smaller font facts about this fascinating bird - the crow. Here are a few interesting facts:

• There are over 100 types of birds in the crow family
• Ravens are the biggest crows
• Scientists think crows might be the smartest of all birds - their skull holds a very big brain

Crows are incredibly smart and adaptable birds, capable of problem-solving, mimicking sounds, and forming lifelong bonds with their mates. They have a diverse diet and are known for their mischievous behavior. Crows have a complex social structure, with large groups called “murders” and a unique flying style. They are associated with folklore and mythology,and are highly protective of their territory. Fifteen facts about Crows

Read here about crows in Australia.

Look at these names - they are all from the crow (Corvid) family: Blue Jay; Rook; Jackdaw; Nutcracker; Chough; Magpie; Eurasian Jay and Rufous Treepie. 

Here are some quotes from the lyrical text:

"Wherever you are right now, there's sure to be a crow to two not far away."

"Crows are easy to spot, but they're also easy to miss, too."

"And crows are not fantastic fliers - they don't zoom like arrows or soar like kites. Crows just flap steadily on."

"Crows croak or caw instead of singing. They sound like birds with very soar throats!"

This is not mentioned in this book, but I thought about the way in many cultures, crows are seen as symbols of death or bad omens, while in others they are seen as symbols of intelligence or good luck. In Greek mythology, the crow is associated with Apollo, the god of prophecy and divination. The crow was believed to be a messenger of the gods and was often depicted carrying messages between the mortal and spiritual realms. In Native American mythology, crows are often seen as tricksters and are revered for their intelligence and resourcefulness. In many cultures, the crow is also seen as a symbol of death and is often associated with the aftermath of battle or with cemeteries. From birdsadvice

Gill’s standout mixed-media illustrations feature individual and group portraits of numerous crows and crow cousins, stylishly rendered in fine, exact detail. These visuals, along with a gallery of eggs, will draw the eye first, but young audiences will find Butterworth’s rapturous observations, delivered in multiple sizes of type, likewise worth lingering over. Kirkus

There is one important thing missing from this book - which is odd. I read that is part of the wonderful series Nature Storybooks (every school library should aim to collect ALL of these) but nowhere on this book does that label appear - I wonder why. This series used to be called Read and Wonder.

Chris Butterworth is the author of over seventy books, mostly non-fiction, and has written on subjects as diverse as disasters, hiccoughs, basketball and snakes. She has written a number of non-fiction titles for Walker, including The Things that I LOVE about TREES, illustrated by Charlotte Voake, Where Do Clothes Come From? and the winner of the American Farm Bureau's Book of the Year, Lunchbox: The Story of Your Food, both illustrated Lucia Gaggiotti.

Olivia Lomenech Gill is a fine artist and illustrator. She worked with Michael and Clare Morpurgo on Where My Wellies Take Me, shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway medal, illustrated the new edition of J. K. Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and, most recently, Medusa, written by Jessie Burton.

Mo and Crow by Jo Kasch illustrated by Jonathan Bentley

Curmudgeonly Mo lives alone in a tiny wooden shack behind a huge stone wall. 

The wall "was stronger than wind. It was stronger than rain. It kept everything out he wanted kept out."

BUT of course we need a complication. Mo hears someone tapping on his wall. It is a huge black crow and he is trying to demolish Mo's wall. Mo is furious. He yells at the crow. He even throws a rock at the crow but the crow does not fly away. Mo retreats inside his home. When he steps outside, some time later, the crow is gone. Mo begins to rebuild his wall but as he steps up to the gap he finally sees the world outside his wall. He thinks about the crow. Mo calls out and crow returns. Perhaps Mo doesn't need his wall any more. 

Now "Mo lives with Crow and they like it this way."

The slightly absurdist plot of this book makes this story funny but there is also a deeper theme. Young readers are sure to wonder why the crow doesn’t just fly over the wall if he/she simply wants to make friends with Mo but perhaps Crow has a different motivation. Is the wall symbolic? Is Mo really happy living alone in his closed environment? Do hermits need company? The open ending where we see Mo looking out to the world beyond his little wooden house gives a sense of optimism and the possibility of further adventures with his new companion and this idea is reinforced by the end papers filled with stones at the beginning and blue skies at the end. 

Mo has such a huge beard but the illustrator has used this to great effect as a way to show the frustration of Mo as he tries to oust the pesky crow. The illustrations extend the text for example when Mo is in bed asleep, we can see a painting of his wife on the wall and she is carrying a backpack. In the past Mo must have led a more adventurous and hopefully happy life. The bright colours enhance the tone of this story especially the colour of the sky which becomes brighter as each page is turned symbolising hope for their shared future.

Hopefully you now have lots of questions - many of which can be answered by a very close examination of the illustrations in this book.

• Why does Mo live alone?
• Why does he shun any form of company?
• Is he afraid of meeting others?
• Is the wall keeping strangers out or locking Mo away?
• Why does crow persevere to make friends with Mo?
• What does this wall represent?
• How and why did Mo change over the course of the story?

More ideas can be found in the teachers notes on the publisher web site - Allen and Unwin. 

Mo and Crow is one of those perfect picture books that you can share with a young child and then explore in a much deeper way with a group of older students. Here is an interview with the author and Paperbark words.  You can see Jonathan Bentley's books here. 

Mo and Crow is a CBCA 2022 Notable book.

My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has a terrific Pinterest of picture books which feature walls - they could be used for a very interesting mini unit or theme in a classroom or library.

Here are some to use with Mo and Crow:

Littlelight

Little Mouse and the Red Wall

Use this one with older students - Upper Primary and High School

The way the crow helps Mo overcome his bad temper, helps him find a friend and helps him welcome someone into his life reminded me of the Bear and Mouse books by Bonnie Becker and the Badger book series by Moritz Petz and the Bear and Duck series by Suzanne Bloom and also the books about Bear and Duck by Jory John.

The Heart and Mind of Frances Pauley by April Stevens

Frances is a very special girl. She thinks deeply about things. She adores being outside even in very cold weather. She loves to observe nature. She has lots of questions about the world and she loves to learn new things. Her discovery of the World Book Encyclopedia is just perfect.

"They were impossible to put down. The color photos, the short paragraphs, about absolutely everything.While she could have sat at her family's big computer in the living room and probably found all this stuff, having the books to hold while she was up on the rocks made them especially perfect. Plus when she looked on line, there was too much information for her to sort through. In a book it was more pared down and not so overwhelming."

You might imagine Frances would enjoy school.  She does love her teacher Mr Stanley but the reactions of the other kids to her intelligence can be harsh.  Then things become more complicated when a new boy arrives. He seems to be even brighter than Frances and worse, the teacher is giving this boy all of his attention.

I guess you could say Frances 'dances to her own beat'.  She adores people like Margaret Mead and needs to be outside on her rocks not stuck inside where things are also hard, especially with Christinia.  Her relationship with her sister has become so difficult. They don't speak to one another at all. Her sister says she hates Frances. I found this aspect of the story heartbreaking. Frances does not understand why her sister is unkind and so different. Luckily Frances does have one very special friend - the bus driver Alvin. He is a keen reader and library user and he loves to discuss facts and philosophy with Frances. Every day she sits behind him on the bus.

"Alvin was different from any other grown-up, and at times she didn't even view him as one. He was just her friend. The only person who Figgrotten felt really understood her. The truth was, he was like that with all the kids, respectful of their true natures."

Did you read the name 'Figgrotten' in this quote.  Frances has decided to rename herself - Figgrotten.

"Her real name was Frances Pauley, which she felt didn't suit her, so she put all sorts of words together, backward and forward. Once "fig" and "rotten" rolled off he tongue together that first time, it stuck. And from then on she thought of herself not as Frances but as Figgrotten, adding the extra g because that's the growly way it sounded to her."

Frances spends hours each day up on some rocks near her house. "Some people hate being alone. Some people like it. I like it a lot' ... It was when she was around people that the feeling of being alone was a problem. The feeling of not being quite part of a group was not the best."

I love the words of wisdom from Alvin:

"Alvin do you like to be alone or do you like to be around people? 
Both. Everyone needs both. Solitude and friendship."

"Never forget that everyone needs plenty of understanding. Just as you do. Just as I do. People are very different, but they are very, very similar too."

"An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind."

One day Alvin is not on the bus. The world that Frances knows, and relies on, starts to spin out of control.

You can read chapter one on the publisher web site where you will also find an audio sample. This book moved me to tears. In fact I cried and cried. I would pair The Heart and Mind of Frances Pauley with Junonia by Kevin Henkes and Jubilee by Patricia Reilly Giff.

If you read this book with a class there are some excellent character descriptions you could explore:

James - "Everything seemed to hang from him a bit: his dark brown hair and his jacket and even his jeans. He wore black-rimmed glasses that looked a bit big for him... "

Frances - "Figgrotten did not even try to manage her own hair, as it was not that kind of hair. It felt like dry grass, and after a bad experience with a burr once, she kept it shorter and most often wore a hat. It was one of those hats with the earflaps that hung down. She wore it not only to cover her hair but also because when she wore it she felt snappier."

Mr Stanley - "came into the room that morning dressed in his usual snappy outfit. Purple vest, grey tied, button-down shirt. And his shiny brown shoes that made a wonderful clean clicking noise as he walked."

Author April Stevens’ carefully crafted, beautiful prose imbues this tightly plotted, engrossing tale with weighty themes that neverfeel heavy-handed or preachy. The Heart and Mind of Frances Pauley sings outheartfelt truths about Stevens’ quirky and genuine characters, who will resonate deeply with lucky readers. BookPage

A moving depiction of unique characters, grief, and the benevolent power of forgiveness.

 Kirkus Star review

FRANCES PAULEY is an exceptional book. Stevens has created the sweetest and most compelling heroine and has told her tale with such grace and beauty. Figgrotten is full of wonder and tenderness but her sadness and anger feels so very real. Grief, friendship, family, self-acceptance, and the joy of nature; FRANCES PAULEY packs it all into a short, thoughtful, emotional, and splendid novel. KidsReads

The Crow's Tale by Naomi Howarth

The Crow's tale is a pourquoi story. It could have the title Why the Crow has black feathers? or Why Crows croak? This story of the crow was inspired by a Native American legend called The Rainbow Crow. For the Lenni Lenape Indians and for readers today it contains messages of perseverance, bravery, truth and friendship.

It is winter. It is freezing cold. The land is covered in a thick blanket of snow. The animals are tired, starving and frozen. The wise owl asks for someone brave to visit the Sun. The only one with the ability to do this is Rainbow Crow. The Sun, grumbles, but gives the crow a long branch of fire. As crow flies home he becomes:

sooty and croaky
scorched, singed and blackened,
Crow was unrecognisable from his beak to his backend.

Crow is so sad about this change in his appearance and voice. But the animals, who are now warm from the fire, remind him of something important.

"Pretty or ugly, slim, thin or fatter, your beauty inside is the heart of the matter."  

Is this a message for everyone? Perhaps this is a story with a moral as well as the story of how the crow became a bird with black feathers.

Image source: https://animals.net/crow/

The library I visit each week like to attach labels to their books. They have one special set of labels for books loved by the staff called "our picks".  I can see why this beautifully illustrated picture book has this accolade. Take a look at Playing by the Book where Zoe shares so ideas for using this book with young children and you can also see some of the wonderful illustrations. Here is the web site for UK illustrator Naomi Howarth.