Blog Entry #21

 

 

Crow Call

By Lois Lowry

Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

Scholastic Press, 2009

29 pages

Historical Fiction

 

Crow Call has a beautiful story plot and illustrations, and that is the reason I chose this book. The story is about a girl and her father that she does not know. The reason she does not know her father is because he was away fighting in WWII. This book is a story about how she bonded with her father. They spent the day together and went crow hunting. It is considered a fiction story, but it is actually about the author and her father. The details of the story are true.

The media used in the illustrations were watercolor and acrylic gouache. The paintings are simply beautiful, and they are so realistic. The colors are soft, some are muted, and the brushstrokes give texture to the illustrations. The outdoor scenes make you feel as if you are standing out there with the characters. The illustrations have a way of making you feel as if you have stepped back in time to 1945.

I believe Crow Call would be appropriate for third grade students and up. The wording and vocabulary is advanced, and the text is lengthy.  This book would be great for a read aloud or as an addition to the classroom library. It could be connected to a social studies lesson, involving WWII, and the issues of that era. Character education is very much a part of the storyline of this book. Crow Call has no awards or honors.