Lowry, L., &
Ibatoulline, B. (2009). Crow call. New York: Scholastic Press.
Reading level: AD750L
Interest level: Grades K
Lowry of “The Giver” fame recalls a
trip hunting she took with her father to craft a similar story, featuring a
young girl named Liz and her father, who has just returned from “the war.” The
artist Ibatoulline renders a perfect sepia-toned memory, slightly fuzzy, and
just sweeter and sadder than the event actually was. During Liz’s hunting trip,
she wonders aloud about the crows they came to murder (get it, murder of crows,
hyuk, hyuk), saying “They might have babies to take care of. Baby crows.” This
moment feels authentic, especially to someone like me who isn’t a fan of
hunting, and it’s nice to see Liz’s character reveal this worry in the face of
all the effort she’s gone through to be a tomboy with her father. Even though
Liz and her father come to an understanding about the problems presented by the
crows and their grown babies that eat at their crops, Liz’s father ultimately
shows mercy to the pests. As Lowry explains in the Afterward, “But parents and
children groping towards understanding each other – that happens to everyone.
And so this story is not really just my story, but everyone’s.” In the
classroom, you could read this book and then students could write about their
own favorite memories with their families.
