Crow Call

I bought this book solely for the illustrations ......and the illustrations are lovely. I noticed that the Illustrator has dedicated his part of the book to Andrew Wyeth, his favourite American Artist.And there is a touch of Andrew Wyaeth about the illustrations too. Maybe it's the soft muted colours and the woodlands.
But having now read the book, I found myself captivated by the story as well as by the illustrations. It's the story (apparently true) of the author going hunting with her father. And father is recently returned from the war ....it's 1945. And the daughter does not know him...he's a stranger. And some lovely "getting to know you" moments in this little story about going hunting together to kill the crows that eat the show more crops. And summoning up the crows with the wooden "crow-caller"...such power to draw the crows out. But they eventually decline to shoot any crows which is a good outcome for the little girl..the narrator.
Really, a charming book in all ways. And great illustrations ...basically in watercolour with some gouache. Happy to give this little book five stars. show less

The prolific Lois Lowry, two-time winner of the Caldecott Medal for her children's fiction - Number the Stars was chosen in 1990, and The Giver in 1994 - made her picture-book debut with this lovely story from her own childhood, and the result is a distinct triumph! Lizzie, shy at first, spends the day with her father, who has recently returned home from fighting in World War II, and has become a stranger to her. Slowly, over the course of the day - cherry-pie breakfast at the diner, the gentle give-and-take of conversation during their drive, and then their crow hunt - they become acquainted once again. In a poignant moment made all the more moving for its quiet, understated presentation, they share their common experience of fear: the show more father during his wartime experience, Lizzie as she confronts this beloved stranger, with his quiet, and his gun. The gift that Lizzie's father gives her, in the end, is a powerful one, symbolizing his understanding of her needs, and commitment to provide for them. And so none of the crows that she calls into flight, that day, are killed...

A beautiful book that brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion, Crow Call boasts both a skilfully written text - one that captures each nuance of meaning, each shade of emotion, in the give and take between Lizzie and her father - and gorgeously realized artwork. Bagram Ibatoulline is an illustrator whose work on various fairy-tale adaptations was already well known to me, and I was pleased to see that he handled this realistic story with the same aplomb. The scenes depicted here were gorgeous! The story itself addressed so many important topics - the absence and return of a parent, the reconnection sometimes necessary, even between loved ones, the healing that soldiers and their families need, when returning to civilian life - without ever abandoning its quiet narrative. There's even an old photo of a young Lois Lowry, in the very over-sized men's hunting shirt worn by Lizzie in the story, at the end of the book! Highly, highly recommended, to young readers who appreciate family stories, and for those, young and old, looking for narratives about soldiers returning home. show less

Occasionally there are children's books that just hit a sweet spot. This one was such a treat and it's hard to even explain why. There are gorgeous illustrations, and a story that's based a the author's real life experiences, but there's no overarching lesson to be learned.

A young girl heads out one morning with her father who has recently returned from World War II. Clad in a big flannel shirt with blonde pigtails,the girl is going crow hunting with her Dad. They stop at a diner for some breakfast and each scene gives us a little more insight into their dynamic.

There's something about the girl that just reminded me of myself when I was little. That tomboyish streak, the desire to be out in nature, I just loved it. Each illustration show more gave an added layer of depth to the story. They represent the budding relationship between the father and daughter, the understanding the find with few words, etc.

I had the opportunity to hear the author, Lois Lowry, speak in 2010. I grew up adoring her books, The Giver and Number the Stars. She spoke about her life and this was one of the books she discussed. She said this happened to her and she'd always wanted to tell the story in some way. I think she certainly did it justice. show less

I was originally drawn to this book because Lois Lowry wrote it. I love The Giver and thought anything else by her had to be great. The details from the story come from her own life. It is the story of a young girl and her dad who has just returned from WWII. They are strangers but family at the same time. They go crow hunting one morning. The little girl works up the courage to ask her dad if he was afraid during the war. They discuss fears and hunting and life. According to Lowry, we are all trying to understand one another and so this story is a story of all of us.

I think the fact that it isn’t a standard parent child relationship makes this story great. Her dad loves her and that’s clear, but he’s been gone and doesn’t show more really know her. I would love to see the conversations my students would have after this book. I think you could use it to bring up topics surrounding varying family dynamics and relationships with parents show less

This is another currently relevant book that would be a great resource in a classroom today. It’s about the readjustment of a child to her father who has been away to long at war. The book leads the child from feeling uneasy about a father she really didn’t know to feeling the bond of love that was still lying underneath. I liked how the father stopped for breakfast with her and asked her what her favorite thing to eat was. Her reply was cheery pie, so he let her have cherry pie for breakfast. I liked the symbolism of cheery pie being an all American thing and that he was more interested in building a relationship than proper nutrition. The theme of the book was about the love between a father and his child and developing that show more special bond. I liked this book because I've been in this exact situation so the book really speaks to me. show less

I really enjoyed this book for the way it was written and the relationship between the father and daughter. This book used a lot of descriptive language and I felt like I was in the story. When they were walking through the woods the author describes the air, the feeling of the ground, and the silence around her. The reader can paint a picture in their mind of what is going on without looking at the pictures. The book also compared the characters to crows. Just like the crows cannot recognize their babies when they have grown up, the father does not fully know his daughter because he was away at war. Another aspect I liked was the father-daughter relationship. The main character and her father have a difficult and rather forced show more relationship at first. Eventually the father comes to understand his daughter and they have a great day bonding together. This story had an unexpected ending that develops a good message about family relationships. Instead of the father shooting the crows on the hunt, he understands his daughter’s feelings about killing animals and let’s them go. I think this is a great message for all family members to be more understanding of each other. On the last page, Lois Lowry states that this book was based on true events from her life. show less

I really enjoyed this 1st person narrative by Lois Lowry. "Crow Call," which is a true story describing events from her childhood shows that children and their parents are always searching for a sense of understanding about one another. Lowry uses detailed descriptions and graphic imagery expertly throughout to really make the reader feel like they're there next to her. Her longing for a relationship with her father, who has been off at war, is one that many can relate to. "I sit shyly in the front seat of the car next to the stranger who is my father," this sentence in the beginning really drew me in as I just wanted to know more. Another aspect of this story that I really liked was the quality of the illustrations. They were all very show more life like and accurately portrayed a father and daughter spending quality time together, bonding and getting to know one another. show less