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The Crows of Pearblossom
Written in 1944 by Aldous Huxley as a Christmas gift for his niece, The Crows of Pearblossom tells the story of Mr. and Mrs. Crow, who live in a cottonwood tree. The hungry Rattlesnake that lives at the bottom of the tree has a nasty habit of stealing Mrs. Crow's eggs before they can hatch, so Mr. Crow and his wise friend, Old Man Owl, devise a sneaky plan to trick him.
Thi
...moreHardcover, 32 pages
Published
January 1st 2001
by Amereon Limited
(first published 1944)
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This book was handed in as a donation for a book drive. I threw it away. No child should read shit like this, and here's why:
Mr. Crow is a dick who treats his wife like shit. He finds her in distress and asks her if she's forgotten not to eat too much, y'know, like a fucking child that's had too much ice cream. When she has a good idea, he tells her it's a bad idea, then goes to his buddy's house to see how he can use his wife's idea and claim it as his own, but not before telling her to shut up...more
Mr. Crow is a dick who treats his wife like shit. He finds her in distress and asks her if she's forgotten not to eat too much, y'know, like a fucking child that's had too much ice cream. When she has a good idea, he tells her it's a bad idea, then goes to his buddy's house to see how he can use his wife's idea and claim it as his own, but not before telling her to shut up...more
This version of "The Crows of Pearblossom" has wonderful and bright illustrations and I like the overall moral message of cleverness triumphing over greed, dishonesty and poor manners, but, like many classic nursery rhymes we tell our children, it is a bit grim at the same time. Furthermore, I think the attitude exhibited toward the wife (accusing her of overeating, being over emotional and not being creative or intelligent), while probably reflective and consistent with the time it was written...more
This children's story caught my attention, since the author is Aldous Huxley and I had no idea he'd ever written such a work. This was written for his niece, Olivia, as a Christmas gift to her, and has long been out of print. Olivia brought the book to life again through the illustrations of Sophie Blackall, and a new generation of readers can read this book. It's also interesting to note that Pearblossom is the real-life location near where the Huxleys lived in California. The Yosts, mentioned...more
This is such an odd review. I have before me a children's book that I enjoy but I can't recommend it for young kids. My version of THE CROWS OF PEARBLOSSOM is the 1967 copyright hardback with Barbara Cooney as the illustrator. The pictures are done in shades of black, white, gray and green. The crows and owl inspire me when I look at them. Invigorating, I would recommend this older version to any mixed media artists who need motivation with this theme.
Gardeners will enjoy it as a reminder of th...more
Gardeners will enjoy it as a reminder of th...more
It always fascinates me to hear about a literary or artistic treasure from the past being rediscovered. It also takes me out of my comfort zone to realize that authors known for particular works wrote other lesser known pieces for children, as is the case in this tale about a rattlesnake who gets his comeuppance. When Mrs. Crow catches the snake red-handed as he is swallowing another one of her eggs, she calls on her husband to solve the problem. He, in turn, turns to his friend, Old Man Owl, wh...more
Jun 11, 2011
Mark
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-youngadults,
classics
The Crows of Pearlblossom is the only children's story written Aldous Huxley, world-known author of Brave New World. After he and his wife moved to Llano, a desolate location in California's Mojave Desert, they like to spend time walking in the desert with their two nephews, Olivia and Siggy, while visiting them in nearby town called Pearblossom.
Aldous wrote The Crows of Pearlblossom in Christmas 1944 as a gift to Olivia, mentioning their neighbors Mr. & Mrs. Yost's house as the site of the...more
Aldous wrote The Crows of Pearlblossom in Christmas 1944 as a gift to Olivia, mentioning their neighbors Mr. & Mrs. Yost's house as the site of the...more
The version I read was from the year 1967 and I cherish the story, in no small part to my father's reading of it and the voices he gave the characters. I still remember how we would sing the snake's song,
"I cannot fly, I have no wings; I cannot run, I have no legs; But I can creep where the black bird sings, and eat her speckled eggs, ha, ha; And eat her speckled eggs."
Because of the popularity of the book, every other review will include facts like, "the only children's book written by Aldo...more
Nov 04, 2011
Beth Wood
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children,
picture-book
I had a version of this book as a kid, the Weekly Reader Children's Book Club edition. The illustrations were by a different artist. I think the illustrations in this new version, which just came out, are delightful. I especially like Mrs. Crow's shopping list and the pink curlers in her hair.
This book was written by Aldous Huxley, which I didn't know as a kid, of course. I love that the crows trick the snake, although it is the owl who helps them to do so. I like the ending, where the snake ge...more
This book was written by Aldous Huxley, which I didn't know as a kid, of course. I love that the crows trick the snake, although it is the owl who helps them to do so. I like the ending, where the snake ge...more
There are lots of inventive details here--I liked how the birds baked the eggs in the chimney and how the snake tied itself not just into knots but into a running bowline and a clove hitch. I love the illustrations, too--the curlers on Mrs Crow's head and the big black shiny eyes for the crows.
But the almost 70-year old (!) text has some offhand misogyny I can't quite get comfortable with. (Mr Crow to Mrs Crow: "You haven't been overeating again, have you?" "Your ideas are seldom good, I may ad...more
But the almost 70-year old (!) text has some offhand misogyny I can't quite get comfortable with. (Mr Crow to Mrs Crow: "You haven't been overeating again, have you?" "Your ideas are seldom good, I may ad...more
This is the kind of story I grew up reading, although I don't think I ever read this one. Apparently, it is the only children's story Huxley ever wrote. Good wholesome fun in this book.
A snake dines on Mrs. Crow's eggs daily. This frustrates her. She commands Mr. Crow to go down the snake hole to kill the snake. Yeah, that's not going to happen. So Mr. Crow visits the wise Mr. Owl. They hatch a plan to make clay eggs for the snake to eat. When he does, he gets a tummy ache. That solves him from...more
A snake dines on Mrs. Crow's eggs daily. This frustrates her. She commands Mr. Crow to go down the snake hole to kill the snake. Yeah, that's not going to happen. So Mr. Crow visits the wise Mr. Owl. They hatch a plan to make clay eggs for the snake to eat. When he does, he gets a tummy ache. That solves him from...more
Mar 25, 2011
Margaret
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Margaret by:
Abrams
Although I was familiar with the fact that author Aldous Huxley wrote the well known Brave New World, I had not personally read any of his writing. Then to be introduced by a long out of print children's book that has made it's way back to the market is delightful. This book is witty and fun and the illustrations are vibrant and imaginative. There is a definite humor throughout. I can easily imagine my father chuckling as he reads this to the grandchildren. I'm quite certain it will be loved by...more
I actually read a different version-- with a different illustrator but could not find it on here. I read it to my students. I was soooooo excited for it, but I didn't think my students would share in such anticipation and enthusiasm. I anticipated I would read half in one day, and the second half in the next. Except my students voted and cheered to continue to the end. I was delighted. Thus the five stars
Aug 19, 2008
Pamela Pickering
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Pamela by:
Mom
Shelves:
favorite-books-as-a-child
Another of one of my (as well as my brother's) all time favorite books as a child. My mother still hangs on to it. I remember an assignment in my high school drama class requiring us to read a children's story. I brought this book from home and my teacher and student teacher became quite excited. I didn't quite comprehend their excitement. I guess I am one of those rare people that haven't read much Huxley...er, I guess this my only Huxley.
As much as I enjoyed the story I don't know how parents...more
As much as I enjoyed the story I don't know how parents...more
Lovely artwork, snarky tone, pretty sexist in that the wife is depicted as a fool for being female; don't know if it was intended or I just read him as such, but the husband crow was an insensitive guy, not as smart as he thinks he is. I give it three stars for being a bit of a riveting story about cleverness and greed.
A nice piece of history that can be studied for its historical implications. However, this should NOT be read to children. I understand that some people have fond memories of this book when they were children but there are far more fun, engaging picture books out there for children that do not include overtly sexist comments.
Aug 15, 2011
Miriam
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
animal haters
Shelves:
picture
This edition had the least appealing-to-me illustrations, so naturally it was the one my library possessed. I can't say they didn't suit the story, though, only that I did not enjoy them. I found them vaguely disturbing, so in that sense they went perfectly! I'm glad Huxley mostly confined himself adult literature.
The background plot here includes the mother crow's eggs being eaten day after day by a snake, which is nature for you but may be a little upsetting for sensitive children. The relatio...more
The background plot here includes the mother crow's eggs being eaten day after day by a snake, which is nature for you but may be a little upsetting for sensitive children. The relatio...more
15 likes · like · see review
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Apr 16, 2012
Molly
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
love-the-illustrations,
picture-books
Love these illustrations! I think my favorite spread shows Mrs. Crow in her curlers and Mr. Crow and his buddy Old Man owl looking a bit sheepish.
Interesting story of comeuppance, which is a bit funny, a bit scary and all around good. Be sure to read the author's note about the origins of the Crows of Pearblossom.
Interesting story of comeuppance, which is a bit funny, a bit scary and all around good. Be sure to read the author's note about the origins of the Crows of Pearblossom.
What a crappy children's book! The father crow is such a jerk to his wife - I actually changed the words with a sharpie so I could read it to my daughter. The rest of the tale is cute and I'd give it four stars, but papa crow really shows his age (I guess the original was written 75 years ago).
Big chunks of text make unlikely for storytime. It is kinda weird that the crows have jobs like "Assistant Manager in the drugstore" but I guess they need to earn a living too. I think this one might be over the kids heads in general, but I did enjoy reading a picture book by Aldous Huxley.
Huxley's text for this newly re-issued picture book is charmingly snarky and hilarious, and Blackall's stunning and detailed illustration give an old-fashioned tale tremendous character (the snake has false teeth and a single argyle sock). It's a perfect mix.
The illustrations in this edition are wonderful. Each page is frame-worthy art. The story does deal with revenge, so it's a little beyond were I want my 2 1/2 year old's imagination going. But I look forward to sharing this with her in the near future.
I'm not familiar enough with children's books to know whether this is an accurate representation of such books from the time period it was written in, but the difference in content between this and the more modern children's books that I remember from childhood is quite striking. The subject matter is rather dark, and the dialogue between Mr. and Mrs. Crow comes off as somewhat bitter and dismissive. While there is a "moral of the story," it's not presented in a positive and nurturing as in many...more
An interesting story about a rattle snake with bad manners and a crow and an owl that teach him a lesson. Not exactly PC which may bother some parents (talk of killing the snake and Mr. Crow telling Mrs. Crow that she never has any good ideas).
We love the illustrations in this story. And we noticed that Mr Crow is not very nice to his wife (which we didn't like) but the crow illustrations are SO cute that we want to read it despite Mr Crows bad manners.
While this book, based on the only children's story Aldous Huxley ever wrote, is interesting as a piece of literary history, I found the sarcastic tone and dismissive remarks directed toward Mrs. Crow off-putting.
This wonderful story is made amazing by the illustrations. The little details on every page are so delightful. Congratulations to the illustrator, Sophie Blackall, for your quirky additions to this story.
My father used to read this to me when I was a child. I do not have a copy, so I tell it to my children from memory when they ask me to tell them a story. Now it is one of their favorites as well!
The illustrations were clever and cute! Loved them...
Mr. Crow is very cheeky, and it ended weirdly. But it's a story Huxley told to his niece to amuse her, not to be published.
Mr. Crow is very cheeky, and it ended weirdly. But it's a story Huxley told to his niece to amuse her, not to be published.
Charming illustrations. Old-school, 1940's misogyny aside, it was a good story. I loved how the father crow was an assistant manager of a drugstore - nice little touches like that.
Not P.C., but we are capable of speaking to our children about these matters. Snarky and funny. Not your typical bedtime story, but better because of that in some ways.
10/2012
10/2012
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Aldous Leonard Huxley was an English writer and one of the most prominent members of the famous Huxley family. He spent the latter part of his life in the United States, living in Los Angeles from 1937 until his death in 1963. Best known for his novels and wide-ranging output of essays, he also published short stories, poetry, travel writing, and film stories and scripts. Through his novels and es...more
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