A RAVEN OF THE RAINFOREST

An imaginative retelling of real events from 1910 through the eyes of a raven.

When a young, timid raven called Westerly is named the future storykeeper of her roost, she’s not at all certain she’s up to the task. She’s particularly burdened by elder storykeeper Sirocco’s foretelling: Westerly must watch for “the storm-riven day” when she must rescue her fellow ravens and warn the other creatures living along the Elwha River in Washington state’s Olympic Rainforest. But when a human-made explosion sparks a disastrous fire, Westerly flees, racked by guilt that she didn’t properly warn the others of the impending danger she sensed. She embarks on an odyssey into the deep north, where she discovers curiosities as varied as moose and a city and grapples with the environmental ruin wrought by humans. After narrowly escaping a volcanic eruption, Westerly grows increasingly torn between her longing for home and her fear of rejection by her roost and must make a momentous decision. Powerful prose and evocative imagery capture the hushed majesty of the natural world, which is enhanced by Gray’s quietly gorgeous black-and-white illustrations. Parry conjures a rich inner life for Westerly, and is skilled at incorporating fact-based material in imaginative, engaging ways. The pacing drags somewhat during Westerly’s exile; however, the appeal of learning the prophecy’s meaning will keep readers’ attention until the end.

A soul-stirring epic for young nature lovers and budding environmentalists.