Crowbar: The Smartest Bird in the World

by Jean Craighead George, Wendell Minor (Illustrator), Twig C George, T. Luke George

Overview

A funny and amazing story based on a real-life crow from renowned naturalist and Newbery Medal-winning author Jean Craighead George, with illustrations from long-time collaborator Wendell Minor. Twig George and T. Luke George have provided up-to-date research for this stunning picture book by their mother.

A young boy finds a baby crow abandoned, cold and hungry. He takes him home, hoping to nurse him back to health. His Grandpa disapproves—he thinks that crows are pests and thieves! The boy knows that the crow he names “Crowbar” is capable of learning more than how to eat, caw, and fly. But can he prove it?

As Crowbar grows, the boy teaches him how to speak and Crowbar teaches the boy just how clever crows can be. With his innate intelligence, Crowbar will show he is smarter than anyone could imagine.

This beautiful new picture book from the author of My Side of the Mountain, Julie of the Wolves, and many other beloved books will be welcomed by young naturalists.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060002572
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/19/2021
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,082,292
Product dimensions:	9.60(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jean Craighead George wrote over one hundred books for children and young adults. Her novel Julie of the Wolves won the Newbery Medal in 1973, and she received a 1960 Newbery Honor for My Side of the Mountain. Born into a family of famous naturalists, Jean spent her entire career writing books that celebrated the natural world.

Wendell Minor is nationally known for the artwork he has created for over sixty award-winning children’s books. His many collaborators include Jean Craighead George, Robert Burleigh, Buzz Aldrin, Tony Johnston, Nikki Grimes, Mary Higgins Clark, and, last but not least, his wife, Florence. He is also the author and illustrator of My Farm Friends.

Twig C. George was inspired to write Swimming with Sharks after she spent time studying and swimming with sharks in the Bahamas. She is also the author of A Dolphin Named Bob, illustrated by Christine Herman Merrill. She lives in Maryland.

Editorial Reviews

06/14/2021

Penned by late Newbery Medalist Jean Craighead George and adapted by her children, this picture book follows the family’s real experience of rescuing and raising a baby crow foundling they named Crowbar. Narrated by a pale redheaded child, the tale follows the corvid as he learns human speech, steals food and shiny objects, and uses tools—dismantling Grandpa’s dismissive expectations of crows’ abilities along the way—before joining up with a murder. In straightforward, dialogue-heavy prose (“Mom gave me a book about bird communication. I learned that crows speak to each other in their own language”), the George siblings relay how the child protagonist works to take care of and teach Crowbar, seamlessly incorporating facts about crows. Minor’s art, done in graphite and gouache and enhanced digitally, offers realistic, meticulous snapshots of the crow and family, forming a tender interspecies familial portrait. Back matter includes more about crows, with a list of additional resources. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"Penned by late Newbery Medalist Jean Craighead George and adapted by her children, this picture book follows the family’s real experience of rescuing and raising a baby crow foundling they named Crowbar, seamlessly incorporating facts about crows. Minor’s art, done in graphite and gouache and enhanced digitally, offers realistic, meticulous snapshots of the crow and family, forming a tender interspecies familial portrait. Back matter includes more about crows, with a list of additional resources. " — Publishers Weekly

"Two of George’s three children are listed as collaborators on the Newbery Medalist’s final picture-book text; together they find the perfect balance of warmth and information. Minor’s lovely illustrations use a slightly subdued palette, giving the bird plenty of personality. Sweet story of nature and nurturing." — Kirkus Reviews

"This fascinating story, based on a real George family experience, is lovingly told. While the text is uncomplicated and educational, the graphite-and-gouache illustrations, rendered by one of George’s longtime collaborators, charmingly capture Crowbar’s amazing and amusing antics. A wonderful examination of human compassion and animal intelligence." — Booklist

From the Publisher

"This fascinating story, based on a real George family experience, is lovingly told. While the text is uncomplicated and educational, the graphite-and-gouache illustrations, rendered by one of George’s longtime collaborators, charmingly capture Crowbar’s amazing and amusing antics. A wonderful examination of human compassion and animal intelligence."

Booklist

"This fascinating story, based on a real George family experience, is lovingly told. While the text is uncomplicated and educational, the graphite-and-gouache illustrations, rendered by one of George’s longtime collaborators, charmingly capture Crowbar’s amazing and amusing antics. A wonderful examination of human compassion and animal intelligence."

Booklist

2021-07-14
Can a rescued crow become a pet?

A young boy spots a baby crow on the ground, unable to fly, and brings it home to nurse back to health. Mom warns him that this is a big challenge and that the weak crow could die. Grandpa warns that crows can be pests, which prompts the boy to research crow intelligence to prove him wrong. The narrator names the bird Crowbar. Within a month, Crowbar is flying, and though he lives outside, he doesn’t abandon his human friend. He taps on the boy’s bedroom window and caws to wake him every morning. The boy learns a bit of crow language but can’t get the bird to speak English. Crowbar begins snatching articles in his beak—a bracelet, a coin, a spoon. Crowbar uses the coin as a kind of surfboard to go down a slide, impressing even Grandpa. Despite his affection, Crowbar is also alert to the call of nature and eventually leaves, ready to live in the wild. Two of George’s three children are listed as collaborators on the Newbery Medalist’s final picture-book text; together they find the perfect balance of warmth and information. Minor’s lovely illustrations use a slightly subdued palette, giving the bird plenty of personality without anthropomorphizing him and depicting his human family as White. Two pages of facts about crows and suggestions for further reading conclude the book. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Sweet story of nature and nurturing. (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews