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57th out of 104 books
—
454 voters
Crow Call
Two-time Newbery medalist Lois Lowry has crafted a beautiful picture book about the power of longing and the importance of reconnection between a girl and her father in post-WWII America.
This is the story of young Liz, her father, and their strained relationship. Dad has been away at WWII for longer than she can remember, and they begin their journey of reconnection throug...more
This is the story of young Liz, her father, and their strained relationship. Dad has been away at WWII for longer than she can remember, and they begin their journey of reconnection throug...more
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
October 1st 2009
by Scholastic Press
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I loved this one. It made me feel very nostalgic for one of those perfect childhood days that you know you will always remember. The relationship shown between Lizzie (Lois!) and her father who has just returned from the war also adds a tender touch to this wonderful picture book. This reminded me a bit of Jane Yolen's Owl Moon.
I'm not sure if younger children would really appreciate this. It's one of those picture books I believe would work best with older children. This is definitely a picture...more
I'm not sure if younger children would really appreciate this. It's one of those picture books I believe would work best with older children. This is definitely a picture...more
“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. Finally I look over at him timidly and speak aloud.”
Crow Call by Lois Lowry was published in 2009 and won the Newberry Medal Award. The story follows a little girl who is going hunting with her father for the first time. She is nervous because she hasn’t seen her father in a very long time. The book doesn’t mention a definitive amount of time bu...more
Crow Call by Lois Lowry was published in 2009 and won the Newberry Medal Award. The story follows a little girl who is going hunting with her father for the first time. She is nervous because she hasn’t seen her father in a very long time. The book doesn’t mention a definitive amount of time bu...more
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Synopsis: "This is the story of young Liz, her father, and their strained relationship. Dad has been away at WWII for longer than she can remember, and they begin their journey of reconnection through a hunting shirt, cherry pie, tender conversation, and the crow call. This allegorical story shows how, like the birds gathering above, the relationship between the girl and her father is graced with the chance to fly."
My Review: I bought this book on a complete whim without even looking at the syno...more
My Review: I bought this book on a complete whim without even looking at the syno...more
Crow Call by Lois Lowry was a great read. A young girl heads out to hunt with her father shortly after he returns from the war. He puts her in charge of the crow call. Timid at first, the young girl was skeptical of her father hunting the crows.
The language in the book is detailed, but not overwhelming. The style of the writing brings the story to life with sentences such as "they scream with harsh voices and I respond, blowing again and again as they fly from the hillside in circles, dipping a...more
The language in the book is detailed, but not overwhelming. The style of the writing brings the story to life with sentences such as "they scream with harsh voices and I respond, blowing again and again as they fly from the hillside in circles, dipping a...more
Crow Call is a wonderful, thoughtful picture book that will appeal especially to children in rural parts of the country.
The wonderful illustrations are a standout feature--they shine with realism and a definite sense of time and place.
Young Liz’s father has just returned from the war. She is happy to see him, but more than a little shy, too. On their first outing together, Liz’s father takes her crow hunting. The little girl is honored to be in charge of using the crow call, but has more than a...more
The wonderful illustrations are a standout feature--they shine with realism and a definite sense of time and place.
Young Liz’s father has just returned from the war. She is happy to see him, but more than a little shy, too. On their first outing together, Liz’s father takes her crow hunting. The little girl is honored to be in charge of using the crow call, but has more than a...more
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i chanced upon this picture book in my local book store was was surprised to see that i was by lois lowry, who i know for writing thought provoking young adult novels such as the giver and gathering blue. this book was like neither of those, but was still a wonderful story.
this book is an auto-biography of lowry’s childhood with her father. her father went to war when she was young, so when he came back she didn’t really know him. this story is about her father taking her on a hunting trip of so...more
this book is an auto-biography of lowry’s childhood with her father. her father went to war when she was young, so when he came back she didn’t really know him. this story is about her father taking her on a hunting trip of so...more
This is a beautiful story, both from a narrative and from an artistic point of view, based on an incident in Lois Lowry's own life, when she goes hunting with her father, who has recently returned from service in World War II. Because he's been gone for so many years, she feels shy with him, and has to practice saying his name, whispering it in the car. "Daddy, Daddy. Saying it feels new." They leave in the gray light of early morning, stopping to eat at a lovingly depicted neighborhood diner, w...more
This is Lois Lowry's debut picture book, and as with all of her previous juvenile novels, I think that she has done a very good job.
Crow Call conveys the true story of a girl first really coming to know her father who has spent years overseas fighting in World War II. Lois Lowry's graceful use of language is supplemented adroitly by the illustrations from Bagram Ibatoulline, who has with wonderful ability faced the task of illustrating this personally meaningful story. The pictures are panorami...more
Crow Call conveys the true story of a girl first really coming to know her father who has spent years overseas fighting in World War II. Lois Lowry's graceful use of language is supplemented adroitly by the illustrations from Bagram Ibatoulline, who has with wonderful ability faced the task of illustrating this personally meaningful story. The pictures are panorami...more
This is Newbery Award winner (and author of my favourite book) Lois Lowry's first picture book. She couldn't have done a better job.
Lois Lowry is the author of The Giver along with many other young adult and children's books. I'd like to share what Lois Lowry says on her website about the book:
"This is my first-ever picture book, a true story about a day I spent with my father after he returned from World War II. The illustrations were beautifully done by artist Bagram Ibatoulline. He had a phot...more
Lois Lowry is the author of The Giver along with many other young adult and children's books. I'd like to share what Lois Lowry says on her website about the book:
"This is my first-ever picture book, a true story about a day I spent with my father after he returned from World War II. The illustrations were beautifully done by artist Bagram Ibatoulline. He had a phot...more
Crow Call is a children’s story filled with nostalgia and longing, inspired by true events from the author’s own life—a young girl getting to know the father she missed during the war. From its beautiful sepia 1940’s illustrations to its post-WWII setting, this book is the perfect grandparent / child read. It will stir memories and allow for discussions of an era when children had fathers who went away at war for a long time, sometimes years.
It’s a story that’s worth reading more than once for b...more
It’s a story that’s worth reading more than once for b...more
Liz's dad has been away at war for a long time. "I practice his name to myself, whispering it under my breath. Daddy. Daddy. Saying it feels new. The war has lasted so long." Liz is glad he is returning, but she is unsure how to act, how to talk to him.
On a morning soon after his return, her father takes her out for a daddy-daughter getting-to-know-you time, including cherry pie for breakfast at a rural diner. Dad must ask his young daughter what her favorite food is. He doesn't know, but he wan...more
On a morning soon after his return, her father takes her out for a daddy-daughter getting-to-know-you time, including cherry pie for breakfast at a rural diner. Dad must ask his young daughter what her favorite food is. He doesn't know, but he wan...more
This book is a story about a young girl bonding with her father. He takes her to a diner for breakfast and then takes her to the fields where they will work together to scare off the crows that are demolishing their crop fields. The girl doesn't want her father to shoot the crows, but understands why he must. Her father understands her feelings without her even saying and word and watches her as she calls the crows with the call that her dad has given her.
Ibatoulline is the illustrator of this...more
Ibatoulline is the illustrator of this...more
With poetic writing and a sweetly magical plot, Lois Lowry's Crow Call is filled with poignancy about what it means for family (in this case a father and daughter) when war seperates people. Reconnection is possible, and as Lowry writes at the end: "The details of this story are true. They happened in 1945, to me and my father. But parents and children groping toward understanding each other - that happens to everyone. And so this story is not really just my story, but everyone's." Ibatoulline p...more
The marvelous illustrations of Bagram Ibatouline and the delightful writing of Lois Lowry combine to make this a delightful journey of a father and daughter's re-acquaintance.
When a child, Lowry missed her father who was away from his family and in the service during WWII. When he returned, he resumed loving, caring relationships with his children.
This beautiful picture/story book captures a special moment of quiet joy as father and daughter walked in the autumn woods to hunt crows. The crows we...more
When a child, Lowry missed her father who was away from his family and in the service during WWII. When he returned, he resumed loving, caring relationships with his children.
This beautiful picture/story book captures a special moment of quiet joy as father and daughter walked in the autumn woods to hunt crows. The crows we...more
LOVED this gorgeous picture book about re-establishing the bond between a young girl and her father, newly home from WWII. Illustrated in the spirit and honor of painter Andrew Wyeth, "Crow Call" captures the essence of a calm, crisp autumn in post-war, rural America. This is a true tale, based on Lois Lowry's recollections when her father returned from war in 1945. A little girl tentatively explores the word "Daddy" as she begins to adjust to his presence back home. Father and daughter begin th...more
This book was a good book. I actually saw it in a scholastic book order form and wondered what it was about. So I went to the library and I checked it out. This book is a good book to talk about how the children who have had parents gone off to war feel when they come back and they don't know them. For some children, they are not born before their parents have left for war and then their parents come back and they do not reconigze the face that is in front of them. Also, for other students, they...more
A gorgeous picture book about a father and daughter learning to understand one another.
Lizzie's father has been away at war for so long that, now that he's back, she feels as if he is a complete stranger. When they go out hunting one day, he gives her the job of sounding the crow call. That day of hunting teaches each of them a great deal about the other.
This is a beautiful story accompanied by lovely illustrations. The story is sweet, sensitive, moving... a feel-good story without being sappy....more
Lizzie's father has been away at war for so long that, now that he's back, she feels as if he is a complete stranger. When they go out hunting one day, he gives her the job of sounding the crow call. That day of hunting teaches each of them a great deal about the other.
This is a beautiful story accompanied by lovely illustrations. The story is sweet, sensitive, moving... a feel-good story without being sappy....more
The language and imagery is enough reason to want to read this book, but this is a memory from Lowry's childhood. The relationship between the father and daughter is very tentative upon his return from the war, and in this one memorable moment, he proves his love to an impressionable young girl. This book would be great to use to teach figurative language and personal biographical story. I am amazed at the range of age levels recommendations in the professional review sources. It is not appropri...more
Crow Call is not your usual children's book. This is why I love the book. From the realistic and detailed illustrations to the complex text that will really make children think, I love this book. Lizzy goes hunting with her father who has just recently returned him from war. She feels like she is with a stranger and doesn’t know exactly how to spend time with him. Not all children’s books should be about animals and cute stories. It is important that we present our students with books that will...more
Jul 05, 2010
Eva Leger
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
only people who want to read it because of Lowry
Recommended to Eva by:
library
Shelves:
julias-books,
didn-t-finish
We only were a few pages into this when we looked at each other and just knew the other wasn't enjoying the time spent reading it. So, we stopped. Therefore I can't really say too much besides the fact that the beginning is super boring.
Dad's awat at war, comes home and takes the kid hunting. Neither Julia or I agree with hunting so that threw us right there. I know it's a time honored tradition in some paces (in the town I live and went to high school in, which used to be quite small, kids (na...more
Dad's awat at war, comes home and takes the kid hunting. Neither Julia or I agree with hunting so that threw us right there. I know it's a time honored tradition in some paces (in the town I live and went to high school in, which used to be quite small, kids (na...more
Dec 08, 2009
Destinee Sutton
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
8-12
Shelves:
picture-books,
middle-grade
The story is about a father and daughter spending a special morning together. The father has been off fighting WWII for most of the daughter's life, so they're getting to know each other. Liz seems to be nine or ten years old. It's based on Lois Lowry's own life; there's even a picture of her as a child on the final page.
Lowry's writing is great as always, there are excellent details like the shirt and the pie, but the brown- and gray-toned illustrations didn't thrill me.
Add this to the list o...more
Lowry's writing is great as always, there are excellent details like the shirt and the pie, but the brown- and gray-toned illustrations didn't thrill me.
Add this to the list o...more
I liked this book not only for the beautiful illustrations from Bagram Ibatoulline, but for the insight to one of my favorite author’s life. This is an autobiographical story taken from Lois Lowry’s life as a little girl. This book is about a day spent hunting crows in the early morning with her father who has just returned from the war. It is about her renewing her relationship with her father whom she barely remembers and about her love of nature. Because the illustrations accurately depict a...more
Oct 15, 2009
Yuki
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
B&N says: 4 - 8; Publisher's Weekly says 9 - 12
Shelves:
children
A touching story of a child reconnecting with the father she doesn't remember, who's back from the war. The serene & somber watercolors are a lovely backdrop.I love Lois Lowry's text -- it's beautiful and real. The illustrator's dedication is to Andrew Wyeth and the opening page instantly brings to mind "Master Bedroom". Some parents may object that father & daughter are out hunting together, but it is a way of life for many Americans; and Liz's father never fires his gun, much to her re...more
It was funny that I picked up this new addition to our local library the day I got the message from Julie and Shannon about wanting to read this book.
I enjoyed the way Lowry created a warm yet mysterious relationship between a young girl and her father, newly returned from the war. The story, about bonding over some innocuous event, is powerful, especially learning that this was a story about Lois herself.
She's a great author, of children's and YA books. I had the pleasure of meeting her at a...more
I enjoyed the way Lowry created a warm yet mysterious relationship between a young girl and her father, newly returned from the war. The story, about bonding over some innocuous event, is powerful, especially learning that this was a story about Lois herself.
She's a great author, of children's and YA books. I had the pleasure of meeting her at a...more
I liked this book, the pictures are beautiful, but a little monochromatic and not sure it would appeal to children. the language is beautiful and Like the descriptions "Grass frozen after it's summer softness crunches under our feet, the air sharp and supremely clear free from the floating pollen of summer, and our words seemed etched and breakable on the brittle stillness." makes you fell cold. This could have been a 4 for me if the pictures were more color, but as a co-worker and I discussed i...more
Lois Lowry has a new book published frequently enough that many of her online bibliographies aren't up to date. Wikipedia lists the most current books (that I am aware of) but I'm not saying it's a comprehensive list either.
Lately it seems that Lowry has been drawing more and more from her own life for her books. It could be that she has always done this but I am most familiar with the books she's written in the last decade.
Lowry's first picture book, Crow Call, draws from her experience as chil...more
Lately it seems that Lowry has been drawing more and more from her own life for her books. It could be that she has always done this but I am most familiar with the books she's written in the last decade.
Lowry's first picture book, Crow Call, draws from her experience as chil...more
Lowry's first picture book is semi-autobiographical and based on her relationship with her father, who served overseas for most of her early childhood. By chance, I happened to have read Lowry's photo essay memoir Looking Back: A Book of Memories right before Crow Call and therefore recognized many details that inspired this story. I recommend Looking Back if you're interested in learning more about this book's backstory or Lowry's life in general.
As Lowry states in the concluding author's note,...more
As Lowry states in the concluding author's note,...more
Crow Call is a well written, powerfully crafted picture book. I will use this book in my classroom. It tells the story of a young girl getting to know her father after he returns from war. He takes her to a diner for breakfast, and then hunting crows. She calls them and they all come around following her like the Pied Piper. Dad chooses not to shoot them. The story is a true story taken from the author's life. I love the details, the flannel shirt, the images, truly great. Buy this book and read...more
This was an incredibly beautiful book, both in terms of the illustrations and the narrative. I am a fan of Lowry's _Number the Stars_, and this book has that same profound sensitivity. It's an autobiographical tale of a young girl rebuilding her relationship with her father after WWII. It's a quiet story with great depth, and it brought tears to my eyes. The sepia-toned illustrations evoke the 1940s. My particular favorite was of the father who is making a silly face to amuse his daughter. It's...more
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Taken from Lowry's website:
"I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to have been born the middle child of three. My older sister, Helen, was very much like our mother: gentle, family-oriented, eager to please. Little brother Jon was the only boy and had interests that he shared with Dad; together they were always working on electric trains and erector sets; and later, when Jon was older, they always...more
More about Lois Lowry...
"I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to have been born the middle child of three. My older sister, Helen, was very much like our mother: gentle, family-oriented, eager to please. Little brother Jon was the only boy and had interests that he shared with Dad; together they were always working on electric trains and erector sets; and later, when Jon was older, they always...more
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