Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Assonant, rhythmic prose from Barnard Booth (One Day This Tree Will Fall) and gothic paintings by Finkelday (On a Mushroom Day) work hand-in-hand to create a hypnotic group portrait of crows. First-person singular opening lines ("I am not I at all") drive home the book's emphasis on collectivity via a rapid shift to first-person plural ("one set of eyes/ isn't nearly enough.// We feel it/ we all feel it,/ when the sun starts to set"). There's an air of enchantment as text suggests, "We must sound like witches to you./ The ones from your tales./ The ones that cackle and cast evil spells," before revealing the actual mechanics at play: "A spell that binds one to many/ and turns I to we." Dramatic, smudgy renderings of the charcoal-colored subjects contrasted against twilit skies echo high-stakes descriptions of nighttime dangers and communal roosting ("We might stay alive/ if we cuddle,/ if we huddle"). Remarkably effective in transforming a murder of crows from a fearsome- to fearful-seeming grouping, the creators also underscore the uniquely effective manner in which the birds work collectively to endure. Back matter includes further information and an author's note. Ages 5--8. (Sept.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
"I follow him, / and he follows she, / and they follow me, / and me turns to we -- " In rhythmic text, Booth explores the many ways in which crows work together for the benefit of the collective flock, focusing on how this behavior comes into play during the winter months, when "one set of eyes isn't nearly enough." By living together in large groups, crows are better able to protect themselves from predators such as owls and cats. At times, thousands will roost simultaneously in the same area, which also helps keep them warm. As the art shows cars whizzing by on a highway, we understand that people can inevitably pose a threat. But the text also acknowledges that cities are warmer and provide light that makes it easier for the birds to stay safe. Several of Finkeldey's atmospheric illustrations feature the black birds against the night sky with their orange eyes gleaming in the darkness looking out at viewers. Others show them spreading their magnificently depicted wings and flying away. Additional information about crows is appended, including the fact that they are increasingly roosting in urban areas. Marva Anne HintonNovember/December 2025 p.83 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
What's it like to be a crow? Many regard corvids as harbingers of doom--a stereotype that belies their rich sense of community. As this fascinating and edifying work notes, crows look out for each other by traveling in groups and are intensely aware of their surroundings; indeed, they have more going on than your average bird. Narrated in the collective first person by a murder of crows ("I am notI at all"), Barnard Booth's verse flows beautifully, slinking across the page with a determination that mirrors the intentionality of her feathered subjects: "I spill across the sky like ink-- / fill the night with jagged cries. / I have one thousand eyes. / I see all. / Know all. / Am all." Finkeldey's inky art depicts landscapes both urban and rural, set against backdrops of deep grays, blues, blacks, and orangey pinks, providing close-ups of individual animals, along with breathtaking aerial shots of the crows resting on a sturdy tree. On a particularly inspired and entirely unexpected spread, several crows dissolve into a cape worn by a cackling figure in a pointed hat: "Caw-caaaaw! / We must sound like witches to you." Both text and art set an intriguingly ominous tone even as the book establishes crows' commitment to cooperation and communal living; readers will eagerly dive into the generous backmatter. A moody, poetic study of a brilliant yet oft-misunderstood creature. (further information on crows, author's note, sources)(Informational picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
