Counting Crows

by Kathi Appelt, Rob Dunlavey (Illustrator)

Overview

Help hungry crows avoid a feline foe in this clever concept book from the author of The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp and The Underneath.

One, two, three, crows in a tree, bedecked in red scarves and hungry as can be. So they fly out of their nest with snacking in mind, and snack they do. Snack one, snack two, snack three—all the way to a dozen! But before they have time to complain about bellyaches, they have a bigger problem: a cat has been eyeing them…as potential snacks! Can these well-fed crows become well-FLED crows? Read and find out in this counting book from Newbery Finalist and two-time National Book Award Nominee Kathi Appelt, with spot-on illustrations from Rob Dunlavey. It’s the cat’s meow!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442423275
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	03/03/2015
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	AD390L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Kathi Appelt is the author of the Newbery Honoree, National Book Award finalist, and bestselling The Underneath as well as the National Book Award finalist The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, Maybe a Fox (with Alison McGhee), Keeper, and many picture books including Counting Crows and Max Attacks. She has two grown children and lives in College Station, Texas, with her husband. Visit her at KathiAppelt.com.

Rob Dunlavey’s whimsical artwork can also be seen in several major children’s museums in the US (Miami, Long Island, and New York City). His editorial illustrations have appeared in many American magazines and newspapers and his fine art has been exhibited in the United States and France. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, two daughters, two frisky cats, and a tropical fish (no crows!).

Editorial Reviews

★ 12/22/2014
Writing a fresh counting rhyme calls for the poet to hear the numbers in a new way, and that’s just what Appelt (When Otis Courted Mama) has done. She tweaks sequences, varies rhythms, and punctuates her lines with piquant sound words: “One, two, three/ crows in a tree./ Three roly-poly bugs,/ three ripe mangoes./ Three for the counting crows./ Three, by jango!” Dunlavey’s (The Dandelion’s Tale) inquisitive black crows are all beaks and legs, with loose-fitting red-and-white-striped sweaters; one fashion renegade wears a polka-dotted scarf. Their eyes bug out as they peer at unfamiliar objects: “Ten crunchy crickets,/ ten green peppers./ Ten for the counting crows./ Yep, yep, yeppers!” The crows’ black beaks and red stripes stand out against the white pages, giving the spreads a crisp, pared-down appearance. By contrast, the trees, telephones poles, trash baskets, and other background features are rendered in delicate, gracefully elaborated pencil lines. When a cat materializes beneath a park bench, the startled birds depart in small groups, and Dunlavey’s final images add a note of quiet reflection to this clever, innovative creation. Ages 3–7. Agency: Pippin Properties. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

12/01/2014
PreS-K—This book features a murder of crows (well, a dozen) and rhyming text. The pattern is set for counting the birds ("One, two, three/crows in a tree./Three roly-poly bugs, /three ripe mangoes./Three for the counting crows./Three, by jango!"). The poetry bounces along nicely until number 11, when the pattern changes to accommodate the rhyme. "One, two, three, four,/five, six, seven…/eight…/nine…/ten…eleven!" A cat comes along after 12 crows are introduced, and the birds fly off in their original groups. The text is accompanied by stylized sketchbook-type pencil drawings enhanced digitally with dark red stripes on the crows' shirts and one crow's scarf. The scrawny, playful birds do crowlike things, such as sit in a nest or on a telephone line and scavenge for food. The book features lots of white space and large, easy-to-read lettering. Children will enjoy counting the birds and their various food items. This simple story is a good storytime read-aloud if readers pay attention to the meter.—Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT

School Library Journal

★ 2014-11-11
A lively and original addition to the overstuffed genre of counting picture books. The titular birds are clad in baggy red-striped sweaters and scarves and engage in playful activities: tumbling through the air, larking around in a tree, filching bugs and fruit, scavenging peanuts, plums, ants and crackers, and finally taking flight from a predatory cat. The illustrations capture the humorous character of this amusing bird; the cawing and crunching are almost audible as the crows descend en masse upon an inviting trash bin and rifle through its delectable contents. Appelt's rhyming couplets are lively and onomatopoeic: "Nine little spicy ants, / nine round crackers. / Nine for the counting crows. / Nine, by smackers!" This is a real counting fest, as not only the crows, but the food they collect—berries, bugs and snacks—are fodder for the counting game and for improving reading skills at the same time. Dunlavey's two-color illustrations in marker, pencil and watercolor have a refreshingly casual feel. The unusual typeface is well-chosen for this zany production, and it is sized and positioned with care in perfect relation to the illustrations. The book is attractively produced, with several different textured laminations on the cover, including cool fuzzy stripes for the crows' sweaters. Beginning readers will just fly through their numbers. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews