The Cardinal & The Crow

by Michael Moniz

All the birds tease old Crow for his scraggly feathers and harsh call, especially proud Cardinal. But when Cardinal gets into trouble, there is only one creature smart enough to get him out. Will Crow choose to help the boastful bird? This thoughtful picture book, inspired by Aesop's fables, reminds us all that 'pride and foolishness often go hand in hand.'

Genres: Picture Books, Birds, Animals, Friendship, Childrens, Folk Tales

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2014

Reviews

[Carrie Gelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning illustrations

[mg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book with gorgeous illustrations. Great for kids K-2 as well as storytellers.

"Pride and Foolishness often roost in the same branch."

[Victoria Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful illustrations. My love of crows is enhanced by this book.......

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read hundreds of books to little kids. The "glory" moment is when they are spell bound. Spell bound. This book is spell binding. Love it.

[Lisa Nagel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this one thanks to our local indie bookstore. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, and the message about teasing, friendship and doing the right thing was picked up on when I read this to our first graders in library today. Also the prideful cat made an impression. So a nice message as well as a beautiful book.

[Bethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

bookaday #136. Based on an Aesops fable with the moral: Pride and foolishness often roost on the same branch. Illustrations are uneven, sometimes the birds look really nice, other times they appear amateurish. The cat is weird looking. Wish text had a better layout as well.

[CanadianReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5

An attractive picture book with lovely, understated water-colour illustrations. The two main characters, an old crow and a flashy, bullying cardinal, boldly stand out against muted backgrounds of beige, brown and gray. The cardinal, like many bullies, has a lot of accomplices. They follow his nasty lead, calling out loudly and abusively about the ugliness of the crow, until the old bird becomes isolated, wholly alone in his tree.

In the fall, when many birds leave for warmer climes, only the crow and the cardinal are left. Surprisingly, the crow does not stand by when his tormentor is seized in the jaws of a cat. He uses a clever psychological strategy to get the red bird released, gaining the cardinal’s respect and teaching him valuable lessons about restraint and humility.

I loved Moniz’s strong verbs and quiet text. I do wish, though, that he’d provided more variety in the backgrounds against which the two main characters are placed. Summer scarcely looks different from fall, winter, or spring.

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to pick this book up just because of this glorious cover. The illustrations inside are as beautiful.
MIchael Muniz tells the story of a ragged old crow who is pestered and teased by the other birds, especially a young cardinal. When all the other feathered creatures have gone south for the winter, Crow warns cardinal to be careful around a bird feeder. Cardinal pays no mind to the advice and is surprised by a cat. After Crow saves him, he realizes the error of his ways.

[Brenda Anweiler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and a story with a lesson for us all!

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The girls enjoyed that the crow was happy and had friends at the end.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on an Aesop fable.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A crow suffers from the taunts of a young vibrant cardinal until the day the tables are turned and the cardinal learns a very valuable lesson.

[AbsentLibrarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the rhythm of the writing, it was nice to read aloud. I wasn't not expecting to like the illustrations based on my lukewarm reaction to the cover, but they suit this story and I admit I ended up liking them.

This book can be used for lessons on bullying and standing up for yourself as well as making the right choice - to help someone, even though they have hurt you.

Con - I rolled my eyes with the 'words of wisdom' from the crow a the end. The idea fit the story but could have been said in a manner more fitting with the characters.

Pro - a good message, well written, nice use of colours, good story.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cardinal taunts a poor, lonely crow and gets other birds to join him in his mistreatment of Crow. Crow is lonely but does not retaliate, even warning Cardinal to be careful near the bird feeder. Cardinal doesn't heed his advice and finds himself in trouble. Will Crow help him or will he decide cardinal is getting what he deserves? This is a wonderful fable with a great moral: "Pride and foolishness often roost on the same branch." While the illustrations would not typically be my cup of tea, they work very well with this tale.

This could be used to talk about bullying. But even more so, it leads to great discussions on pride, forgiveness, compassion and even wisdom.

[Whole And · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent tale to teach children about perception, listening and how making fun of others could backfire. Crow saves caridnal's life despite his constant abuse and taking the lead to have the other birds make fun of him as well. His wisdom proves more powerful than cardinal's pride and foolishness and ultimately all the forest birds see how much respect he deserves. A humbling experience for cardinal and the other's participating in the bully like behaviour.

The book is based on Aespo's Fables lesson that "pride and foolishness often roost on the same branch."

Can also be used to demonstrate respect for elders.

[Cheri Linton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doing the right thing is the main message in the midst of gorgeous illustrations. I found that the text became a little muddled after the cat was tricked. I would have liked the cardinal to voice an admission of how he wronged the crow.

[Michelle Farella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the moral, great illustrations, and I love the how certain parts of text are highlighted through color and larger font.

[Shonna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Used big words and I didn't like the image of the cat with the bird in his mouth.

[Paula Hollohan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Newer take on an old moral. Nice illustrations. A bit of a heavy handed treatment of "pride and foolishness often roost on the same branch..." Grade 3 discussion on bullying.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel robbed because Cardinal never apologized.