Clever Crow - Hardcover

De Felice, Cynthia

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 068980671X ISBN 13: 9780689806711

Publisher: Atheneum, 1998

Synopsis

Surveying the land for something shiny that will make a perfect addition to his nest, Clever Crow flies off with Emma's mother's keys, prompting Emma's attempt to outwit the wily crow, in a story told with rhymes and mischievous art.

About this title

From Publishers Weekly

A pestering crow meets his match in this sprightly takeoff on Aesop's fable "The Fox and the Grapes." Outside Emma Wetherby's house, a black crow fond of shiny things "watches from his hidden limb,/ Laughs 'cause folks can't fly like him./ 'Haw! Haw! Haw!' " When Emma's mom leaves her car keys on the porch, Crow swoops down and nabs them, laughing all the while. Then Emma reasons, "Crow is smart, but I am smarterA/ Gonna teach that bird to barter./ 'How? How? How?' " Emma finds the answer in her box of treasuresAan alluring, shiny gum-wrapper ball which she offers to Crow. He drops the keys, but while Emma and her mom drive away triumphantly, the crow flies through an open window and snatches a prize from Emma's dresser, her mirror. DeFelice's (The Dancing Skeleton) rhyming verse crackles with a jaunty tone well matched by Schindler's (Don't Fidget a Feather) colored-pencil-on-parchment illustrations. The alternating perspectives in these scenes deftly move from Crow's aerial view, to Emma's or her mom's earthbound vantage points, accentuating the actions and counteractions in this game of wits. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3AWhen Clever Crow steals Mama's car keys, it's up to Emma to out-trick the trickster. This simple plot (whose denouement suggests a sequel) is told in rhythmic verse with a "Haw! Haw! Haw!" refrain. The text is pleasingly catchy with perfect rhyme (and even works as rap, which some readers will be bound to try); but the story often seems sacrificed to the rhythm. Tension is lost in the unflagging meter, and articles and initial pronouns are often (but not systematically) left out if they don't fit the beat. While the color-pencil drawings exhibit excellent perspective and layout, their subjects are a bit stiff. Yet, Crow's postures and the beat of the text have an undeniable "oh so clever" energy that a strong reader might carry off aloud. Perhaps not a first purchase, this book will still find its fans.ANina Lindsay, Vista School, Albany, CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Atheneum
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 068980671X
• ISBN 13: 9780689806711
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Schindler S.D.