Black Crow, Black Crow

From Publishers Weekly Guy makes her picture book debut with this modest yet engaging tale, presented as a conversation with a crow. "Black crow, black crow, / what do you caw about? / What do you jaw about / high in your tree?" ask the book's opening lines. To this and subsequent questions, the mother crow responds that she awakens, feeds and plays with her two children throughout the day. Parker ( Paul Revere's Ride ; Bugs ) anthropomorphizes the crow family with inventive details: " high in the leaves, " the little ones sleep under quilts in twin beds and eat cereal from decorative pottery bowls on a tablecloth-covered table. Kerchief on head, mother hangs on to the straps of one child's overalls as they fly. The simplicity and repetition of Guy's text--and its large print--makes this a prime pick for beginning readers. Ages 4-up. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From School Library Journal PreSchool-- "Black crow, Black crow, what do you caw about? What do you jaw about . . . ?" asks a little girl from her bed; the crow answers with a chants such as "I wake up my children,/ my small sleeping children." Parker's illustrations are somewhat static, and the girl looks more like a posed doll than a real person, but the spreads of the crows--mother in a kerchief and children in overalls--add interest and mild humor. Not much happens, but the repetitive call-and-response text and simple, flat pictures will appeal to the younger picture book audience. An acceptable, but not necessary, purchase. --Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KYCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.