A Crow of His Own

Reviewed by: Patti Francis - Pownal Elementary School, Pownal, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 6, 2016

Review

Clyde is the new rooster at Sunrise farm. His predecessor, Larry, the prize winning rooster, has moved onto bigger and better things, leaving some big cockadoodledo's to fill. Initially the barnyard animals are not impressed by this scrawny newcomer. Except Roberta, a motherly goose, who tries to take Clyde under her wing. As Clyde tries to live up the Larry's reputation, he fails miserably. But when Roberta convinces Clyde to forget about Larry and do his own this thing, he finally finds his own unique and magnificent crow. Lambert's creative word play, using words like "stammered" and "mused" in place of "said" or "asked" raises this story to a new level. Costello's colorful illustrations, done in watercolor, are the perfect compliment to Lambert's text and fill out the story. The creative use of speech bubbles give voices to the barnyard animals and add humor to the story. A refreshing and funny reminder to be yourself.

Fantastic addition to any storytime, recommended for pre-K to 3rd grade.

Overall Book Score: very good