The Greedy Crows: A tale from northern India

by Cathy Spagnoli

Book by Spagnoli, Cathy

Genres: Picture Books

Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Abby Gross]

In this folktale set in northern India, a peacock lives near a family of greedy crows. The peacock shares food with the youngest sister of the crow family, while the other sisters behave selfishly and take more than their share. Eventually, the peacock teaches them a lesson about fairness and the consequences of greed.

I liked this book. It has a clear and relatable theme about sharing and kindness. The illustrations are nice and add visual support for younger readers. To really delve into the book, discussion is definitely needed (not just "don't be greedy" but "WHY were the crows greedy?")

This book would work well in an elementary grade. I could use it as a read-aloud and have a good discussion about why the peacock and crows acted the way they did. We could connect the book culturally and discuss animal symbolism or folktales in general.

[Katie Logonauts]

This folktale features a peacock, the national bird of India, who lived near a crow, his five greedy sisters, and his youngest, kind sister. This story of trust and care for the weak culminates with dramatic consequences for the greedy.