Little Black Crow

by Chris Raschka

Combining unfussy, gently rhyming language with vibrant, airy illustrations, Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka has created a book that will inspire in young readers the wonder of wondering. A little boy wonders about a crow’s life—from the simple “Where do you go in the cold white snow?” to the not-so-simple “Do you ever worry when you hop and you hurry? Are you ever afraid of mistakes you made? Are you never afraid?” All of life is touched on in simple words and spare, elegant artwork. Little Black Crow is not to be missed.

Genres: Picture Books, Birds, Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Nature, Storytime

40 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 7, 2010

About the author

Chris Raschka is the illustrator of The Hello, Goodbye Window, which was awarded the Caldecott Medal. He is also the illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Book Yo! Yes?; Charlie Parker Played Be Bop; Mysterious Thelonious; John Coltrane’s Giant Steps; Can’t Sleep; and The Magic Flute. He lives with his wife and son in New York City.

Reviews

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am head over heels for this book. I love the poetry. I love the illustrations. I adore the questions.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful!

[Jami Hines · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this book a little black crow encounters a boy with many questions about things that happen to him. My students enjoyed this book. The loved the illustrations and clean lines. They especially enjoyed the rhyming words.

[Kapila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since I read - with a good degree of horror and confusion - Chris Raschka's thankfully out-of-print Arlene Sardine I have been wary of picking up another book of his. I find there's enough that's out of sorts with the world, which perhaps explains my reluctance at having to be faced with uncomfortable visual mysteries in art, which is what a lot of Chris Raschka's art is like in my experience: high energy, larger than life, and a little insane. Perhaps some would take this as a compliment! Perhaps I'd like to describe myself in those very terms - but not always. Which brings me to this book. I couldn't help but recollect Arlene Sardine while reading about the little black crow has he goes about his black crow business. Thankfully they seem to be quite different in world view. THANKFULLY! I'll say no more about A.S. The colors are muted, it seems, for Raschka, and the illustrations are bearable, I suppose, and a bit less abstract than others of Raschka's works. Having a strong fondness for crows certainly heightened my interest in the story even before it had begun. The questions posed to the crow by the little boy who sits quietly apart, watching it and watching it and watching it are questions I've posed to myself of other living creatures, and it's this empathetic voice which I love the most, the most (But I still don't quite care much for the little black crow's beak).

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gentle, reflective book for kids that would work for older children at storytime but would be even better one on one. The pastel illustrations would be difficult to see if you had a large storytime group. This book would be great to create dialogue between a parent and child.

Summary from Publishers Weekly: Surrounded by blurry blue watercolor skies and wheat-brown daubs suggestive of autumn fields, a boy sits on a rail fence and talks to a small crow. At first, his rhyming questions seem simple: "Little black crow, where do you go?/ Where do you go in the cold white snow?" As the queries continue, readers may begin to consider the mysterious outdoor lives of animals and the things humans take for granted. The boy asks, "Is it enough to have feathers in all kinds of weathers?" as blue and brown slashes of rain whip around the crow. The crow, inked with an enormous beak and a comparatively tiny body, seems to grin but offers no reply. The boy also wonders about the crow's family ("Are you a boy like me?") and asks whether the crow might love "the little gray dove" perched next to him on a power line. Caldecott Medalist Raschka (The Hello Goodbye Window) leaves the questions unanswered and pictures the curious crow landing next to the boy at the close of this thought-provoking, nature-centered reflection.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little boy sits on a fence and wonders about the life of a little crow. Where does the crow go in the snow? Where does it go in a storm? Who does it meet? Does it ever complain about the cold and wet? How does it sleep? And most vital of all, is it really a boy, like him with similar feelings and wonders? Raschka takes his spare verse and asks deep questions about animals and their relationship to humans. Through it all, his watercolor images move, transitioning as the book continues from a black and brown palette to a glory of pinks, blues, oranges and yellows. Even the illustrations have a minimalist feel to them, just like the verse they leave plenty of room for readers to insert themselves into the book.

Raschka has created a book that really works here. It is a book that will lead to conversations and questions naturally. It is a book that is beautifully designed, a book that invites exploration. Raschka’s illustrations have a freedom, an exquisite carefree feel that works as a foil to the wondering tone of the boy as he tries to understand more clearly the world of the bird.

A marvelous book, this picture book offers lots of wonder and depth. Appropriate for ages 5-7.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little boy looks up at the little black crow in the sky and wonders about him, what he does, how he feels, where he goes, whom he meets, etc.

This book features some very unique watercolor illustrations.
The text rhymes and features a lot of repetition, which might make it a good fit for beginning readers. It is written completely as a series of questions to little black crow, which is a unique form of writing and could be used to highlight this.

It could be used to address relating to others, as the narrator (or "question-asker") asks questions to try to relate his own life to that of the little black crow. It could also be used to discuss "I wonder" questions that many children have.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

The latest book from the Caldecott medalist follows a young boy as he wonders about the life of crow. -- “Little black crow, where do you go in the cold white snow?” The book expertly captures the curiosity and wonderment of being a child, as the boy’s questions progress to wondering about the crow’s family to whom he loves, to whether or not the crow ever wonders about boys like him. This is a quieter book than many of Raschka’s - with watercolor illustrations in muted tones that match the spare, rhyming text. The large amounts of white space bring to mind empty late fall afternoons sitting at the window with a cup of hot cocoa wondering about a lone bird in the sky. Beautiful!

[Jess Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aw--I really like this one! Bold illustrations done in watercolor and ink make this another great one from Chris Raschka. What I like best about this book is the series of questions that it poses, without really giving any answers. It invites the child to answer and to wonder, and I love that it wanders without any real resolution, except that in the end the little boy and the crow find each other. This is a great one to use for those preschool kids who are old enough to understand how to make predictions, how to wonder, and are starting to understand the elements of story and imagination. What a sweet little book.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raschka strikes me as an amazing artist and a below average storyteller. I love his illustrations in this (as always). The muted brown, grey, blue, etc give the story a lonely feeling, and the simplistic, watercolor sketches are unique. In the story, a child wonders about the life of a little black crow, but comes to no real conclusion. I'm not sure it's intended this way, but it seemed to have a double meaning about how even people who seem very different from you can actually be much the same. If that is the case, this book becomes much richer.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the words better then the illustrations, and there was something about the text that was a little off for the age. The vocabulary seemed a little bit too advanced for the sorts of things that the boy is wondering. But there are moments when the boy and the bird are beautifully evoked. Still this doesn't come close to Henkes' Birds at capturing the spirit of birds and children observing them.

[Bridget R. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy sees a little black crow. He questions what the crow might wonder about.

What I thought: The premise of Little Black Crow is certainly a novel one. The questioning format will appeal to my story time crowd. I can just imagine the answers they'd give. I love the illustrations. I never knew how much I liked watercolor until I looked at this book. My favorite illustrations are the crow family and the boy with the crow.

Story Time Themes: Birds, Fall, Imagination

[Ezekiel · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I loved the ink work in Little Black Crow I found the repetitive rhyming somewhat tiring. Mostly it's questions by a white boy sitting on a fence "to" a crow he sees flying around. I found it too bad also that the crow was gendered by the boy even though there was no indication that it was a boy (and that a later picture showing the "who do you love" was drawn so as to indicate femininity in the turtle dove). While I don't think it's bad, it didn't seem good either.

[David Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This thought-provoking and entertaining picture book is a very good selection for any age! A series of poetically-formatted questions that express concern for the well-being of the little black crow. The author, Chris Raschka, who is also the illustrator for this book, has done a great job in pairing the pictures with questions that a curious bird-lover would ask. I loved reading this book! David Anthony Burgess.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not a big Chris Raschka fan. I know, I know...but his art just does not seem kid friendly to me. But that's just me.

This is a cute question/answer type book. Children will explore all kinds of relationships through the answers provided by the pictures. Not a good storytime book as the pictures are hard to decipher at any amount of distance. Best suited to caregiver/child read alouds.

[Nancy Jo Lambert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like Little Black Crow more because it has all the makings of a fabulous picture book: great illustrations, rhyming text, a lovely little message...

I just didn't connect with this book I guess. I know there are kids out there though that will just love this book and recognize all the beauty it holds. For me, it was just alright.

[Peacegal · Rating 2 out of 5]

The almost Asian-style watercolor illustrations intrigued me... particularly the cartoon crow who was strangely reminiscent of the inebriated comic star Drinky Crow.

I'm not sure the picture book set would be able to follow along with the text.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of wonder in which a boy observes a little black crow and ponders a series of questions. Watercolor and ink illustrations are stellar in this book. I really liked the way the artist created rain; it was incredibly realistic. The color mixes and texture details makes for watercolor artwork at its finest. PreK-2.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little boy asks the crow about the things he sees and how he feels, revealing more about the little boy than the crow. Good for your little question-askers. They can come up with their own answers in this one.

[jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am such a Chris Raschka fangirl. He somehow manages to make his books both simple and complex...the perfect picture book combination. Little Black Crow is about a child looking at a crow, and a crow looking at a child. But the questions the child asks are true, thoughtful, and universal. Lovely.

[Donalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy spies a crow and wonders about the connections between the crow's life and his. The prose, guided by the boy's questions, is lyrical. I found the illustrations, particularly the crow himself, heavy-handed and impersonal.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too cute, but Raschka's brush and pen strokes (and diffused watercolor patches) are so skillful and evocative as to carry the narrative line along. Slow-paced, restful book that leaves open space for wondering.

(First read June 2011)

[Stephanie Croaning · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy sits and ponders what life is like for a little black crow he sees. I love how the boy compares his life to that of the crow, and how he applies his reasoning skills to the crow. Very sweet, uncomplicated watercolor-style illustrations accompany the text.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of cute rhymes, with nice water color illustrations. The human interest for the crow is a (white) boy, of course, and the love interest is a dove, so a bit off track on the gender stereotyping, but fun otherwise.

[Dimity Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated introspective look at how nature might perceive us and itself. I'm not fond of crows per se but enjoyed the way Raschka's gentle simple verse provided plenty of platforms for discussion with young readers.

[Allison Fortunato · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because it was a poem. I really like to read to poems. I also liked how the colors of the pages changed into what seemed like a sunset by the end of the story. I thought that was a really interesting feature in the story.

[Jocelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

My son loves the "Thingy Thing" series by Chris Raschka, so I thought we'd try something else by the author. It was okay. I liked the illustrations. The writing didn't really impress my son or grab my attention. Meh.

[Greta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, yet wonderful.

[Dawn Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written & illustrated by the author; also, illustrated the award-winning, "Hello, Goodbye Window." I love his simple watercolor drawings; a perfect fit w/the simple story.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice rhyming text and adorable stort about a boy who is pondering the life of little black crow.