Crow Call Book

The prolific Lois Lowry, two-time winner of the Caldecott Medal for her children's fiction - Number the Stars was chosen in 1990, and The Giver in 1994 - made her picture-book debut with this lovely story from her own childhood, and the result is a distinct triumph! Lizzie, shy at first, spends the day with her father, who has recently returned home from fighting in World War II, and has become a stranger to her. Slowly, over the course of the day - cherry-pie breakfast at the diner, the gentle give-and-take of conversation during their drive, and then their crow hunt - they become acquainted once again. In a poignant moment made all the more moving for its quiet, understated presentation, they share their common experience of fear: the father during his wartime experience, Lizzie as she confronts this beloved stranger, with his quiet, and his gun. The gift that Lizzie's father gives her, in the end, is a powerful one, symbolizing his understanding of her needs, and commitment to provide for them. And so none of the crows that she calls into flight, that day, are killed...

A beautiful book that brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion, Crow Call boasts both a skilfully written text - one that captures each nuance of meaning, each shade of emotion, in the give and take between Lizzie and her father - and gorgeously realized artwork. Bagram Ibatoulline is an illustrator whose work on various fairy-tale adaptations was already well known to me, and I was pleased to see that he handled this realistic story with the same aplomb. The scenes depicted here were gorgeous! The story itself addressed so many important topics - the absence and return of a parent, the reconnection sometimes necessary, even between loved ones, the healing that soldiers and their families need, when returning to civilian life - without ever abandoning its quiet narrative. There's even an old photo of a young Lois Lowry, in the very over-sized men's hunting shirt worn by Lizzie in the story, at the end of the book! Highly, highly recommended, to young readers who appreciate family stories, and for those, young and old, looking for narratives about soldiers returning home.