CROW CALL

It’s a cold November morning, and Liz’s father has just returned from the war. Shyly she sits “next to the stranger who is [her] father” practicing his name under her breath, “Daddy. Daddy.” Together they drive to the Pennsylvania farmlands to hunt for the crows that destroy the crops, learning each other’s idiosyncrasies along the way; in journeying to save the harvest, they begin to cultivate their relationship anew. Beautifully written, the piece reads much like a traditional short story. Lowry’s narrative, dense with sensory details, is based on her own life’s events. Fittingly, Ibatoulline’s muted, earth-toned palette is reminiscent of vintage, faded photographs. At times, the characters in the photorealistic illustrations are floating in the uncanny valley, separated from their environment. But in other instances, the details of his renderings gracefully capture a moment in time that was lost. Relevant for families whose parents are returning from war, the text is also ripe for classroom discussion and for advanced readers. (Picture book. 7-10)