Review: Crow Call by Lois Lowry. Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

Posted in Review on October 14th, 2009

Crow Call by Lois Lawry; Illustrated by Bagram IbatoullineBibliographic Info:
Crow Call by Lois Lowry.
Illustrator: Bagram Ibatoulline.
ISBN: 978-0-545-03035-9
Scholastic Press.
$16.99 US/$21.99 Canada.
Published: October 2009.
Hardcover.

The cover was so stunning that I just stared at it for a while before I bothered to open the book. The front flap said the story was based on the author’s personal experience. I flipped through the pages before reading and the art is all of that wonderful muted colors that, while not really old, gives the impression of time past and long ago. The scenes are all realistic and, for this reader, made me remember my own childhood in Maine. The town. The cars. The restaurant/diner. The countryside. Perhaps I don’t really remember but only think I do from photos, but nonetheless the images evoke that feeling of long ago but almost now. A magical time.

The story is a simple one. A young daughter is trying to connect to the father than has been gone for so long, fighting a war in a far off land. He’s back now. Her father. A stranger. This quote from the book, which was also on the flap makes the young girl’s feelings clear:

I sit shyly in the front seat of the car next to the stranger who is my father, my legs pulled up under the too-large wool shirt I am wearing.

I practice his name to myself, whispering it under my breath. Daddy. Daddy.

Saying it feels new. The war has lasted so long. He has been gone so long.

It’s the next page when she finally talks to him to say, “I’ve never gone hunting before….” that caused me to hesitate. At this point the story could go many different ways. Lowry has often taken me where I didn’t want to go in her books. So, I took a deep breath to calm myself and continued. Yes, they’re off to go hunting — crows not deer. The crows are eating crops and need to be culled.

But first there are a few incidents that are great opportunities to talk with children. They stop for breakfast at a diner. Obviously they are going hunting and girls don’t hunt. Liz has her braids tucked into her shirt and the waitress calls her “son”. Neither Liz nor her father correct the mistake and later they joke about it. I had to laugh because nowadays girls are allowed to do so much more than they were when I was a child and children on farms were often taught to do the same chores no matter what their gender. But, it’s more than that — it’s a nice bonding moment for Liz and her dad.

Once they arrive at the field where they will hunt the crows. Liz takes out her Crow Call. It’s her job to call the crows to them so her father can shoot them. They discuss this a bit and Liz is determined to go through with it because she wants to show her dad that she can be strong — but it’s fairly obvious that she doesn’t feel right about this.

Once she blows the call, the crows rise into the air and respond. The moment in story and illustration becomes almost magical. Have you every watched birds just fly for the fun of it. Circle on the air. Chase each other. Ride thermals. Can you imagine hundreds of crows answering a call of another crow in the distance.

It’s a simple story but one with many opportunities to talk with your child(ren) about what life was like, about activities that you or your grandparents used to play. Does anyone play kick the can or one-two-three-red light anymore? Or just spin and spin until you fall over and then watch the stars and fireflies until the world settles down? The world before Nintendo and Wii.

On the other hand, even though the world has changed since Lois Lowry was a child (there’s a photo at the end of the book of her in her big woolen shirt), this is still a story that children of today can relate to and enjoy. The fact that it’s also beautifully presented and is a bit of nostalgia for adults doesn’t hurt either when you’re looking for a good book for a gift.

In the world of PC and “won’t someone think of the children”, there’s nothing here that should upset children — or adults.