Crow Call by Lois Lowry

I chanced upon this picture book in my local book store was was surprised to see that I was by Lois Lowry, who I know for writing thought provoking young adult novels, such as The Giver and Gathering Blue. This book was like neither of those, but was still a wonderful story.

This book is an auto-biography of Lowry's childhood with her father. Her father went to war when she was young, so when he came back she didn't really know him. This story is about her father taking her on a hunting trip of sorts so that they can get to know each other. The storytelling is wonderful, the prose is rich and descriptive. It is a book for children and it has great illustrations, but the way in which the author tells the story is almost poetic in the thorough descriptions of the surroundings and the main character's feelings throughout the story. The quality of writing is a rare find for a children's book.

The story itself is also pretty good. The girl wakes up early because her father is taking her on a hunting trip. She is wearing an over-sized, man's hunting shirt that her father bought her. Her father gives her the job of calling the crows so that he can shoot them. As they get closer to the spot, she grows more and more uneasy about being a 'hunter' and killing these birds. In the end she just ends up enjoying being able to communicate with the birds, and her father just sits back and lets her have fun and no birds are shot that day.

This is a good book for kids who are missing a parent because he or she is away, either to a war or even on away on business a lot. It's a really touching story, I recommend.