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    Crow Call
    Crow Call
    Crow Call
    Audiobook16 minutes

    Crow Call

    Written by Lois Lowry

    Narrated by Julia Fein

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The story of young Liz and her father, who has been away at WWII for longer than she can remember. They begin their journey of reconnection through a hunting shirt, cherry pie, tender conversation, and the crow call. This allegorical story shows how, like the birds gathering above, the relationship between the girl and her father is graced with the chance to fly.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWeston Woods
    Release dateJan 1, 2010
    ISBN9780545830928
    Crow Call
    Author

    Lois Lowry

    Lois Lowry is the author of more than forty books for children and young adults, including the New York Times bestselling Giver Quartet and the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, Number the Stars and The Giver.

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    Reviews for Crow Call

    4.5/5

    33 ratings26 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Crow Call is the touching story of Lois Lowry's own personal bonding experience with her father after he returned home from the war. Lois's father purchases her a hunting flannel and takes her hunting, telling her that she is to master the art of the crow call. Little Lois begins by being afraid, mostly of her father for being the "hunter," but then finds joy in beckoning the crows to her, while her father takes joy in her delight. This book is an excellent frame into the history of Lois Lowry.
    • 4/5
      This book was based off of her experience with her father and how they rebounded after he came back from the war. It's a book that any child can relate to, but I think children a bit older can really appreciate this book.
    • 4/5
      After reading the beginning pages of this picture book, I knew that this book would be good and it was. Lowry had written this book on her own childhood experience. The girl in the story finally gets to spend time with her dad after his return from war. They are going to go hunting. I really enjoyed how Lowry used the flash back because flash backs nearly always make you know more about the books characters. The bonding experience is also very good and it makes you really feel like you care about the father and daughter. In the end, the book really made me look back at my own childhood and the bonding I spent with my mom.
    • 4/5
      This was a good book to display a father daughter relationship. This was also good for making people coming back from war aware that the relationships will take a minute but it will come.
    • 4/5
      Crow Call is a true story of the author, Louis Lowry, and her father. Liz, as Louis calls herself in the story, and her father go on a special bonding trip. They start by waking up early and then going to get breakfast, and then venture out to go hunting in the woods. Before going hunting, Liz is very hesitant with her father and even refers to him as a stranger, due to the fact that he has just returned from fighting in World War II. Despite this, Liz and her father are able to get to know each other a little better; they are able to do this through Liz asking questions about the crows they are supposed to be hunting. When they are hunting the crows and Liz gets to blow the crow whistle, she loves to see the crows fly and circle around her. Since the crows bring such joy to Liz, her father cannot bear to shoot them and this allows them to bond even more. This story is about connections, Liz and her father are distant at first but through the hunting trip they bond and get to know each other better.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book for the way it was written and the relationship between the father and daughter. This book used a lot of descriptive language and I felt like I was in the story. When they were walking through the woods the author describes the air, the feeling of the ground, and the silence around her. The reader can paint a picture in their mind of what is going on without looking at the pictures. The book also compared the characters to crows. Just like the crows cannot recognize their babies when they have grown up, the father does not fully know his daughter because he was away at war. Another aspect I liked was the father-daughter relationship. The main character and her father have a difficult and rather forced relationship at first. Eventually the father comes to understand his daughter and they have a great day bonding together. This story had an unexpected ending that develops a good message about family relationships. Instead of the father shooting the crows on the hunt, he understands his daughter’s feelings about killing animals and let’s them go. I think this is a great message for all family members to be more understanding of each other. On the last page, Lois Lowry states that this book was based on true events from her life.
    • 4/5
      Liz is spending the day with her dad that she hasn't seen in a long time. Her dad was in the war and just got home. So Liz is up bright and early going hunting with her father. They have a great bonding time while her oldest sister decides to sit home and wait.
    • 4/5
      This is a story about a little girl named Liz. Liz had not seen her daddy in years because he was in war. She was not used to being around him much less call him daddy. One Morning, she wakes up full of different emotions. She is nervous because she is going hunting for the first time, and it is with her father. The word Hunter scares her, and she really does not want to shoot the crows. After calling the crows, her daddy doesn't shoot them. It makes Liz very happy and more comfortable with the situation. At the end, Liz grabs her fathers hand to walk back! This was a good book, and the illustrations fit the book perfectly.
    • 5/5
      Lois Lowry’s first picture book, “Crow Call,” is an amazing book that I loved reading. The main messages of this story are learning to trust and the importance of family relationships. Lowry conveyed these messages through the use of illustrations, text, and plot. The illustration, created by Bagram Ibatoulline, genuinely give the reader the opportunity to stay engaged throughout the entire story. Throughout the book, Liz is trying to reconnect with her father who has been fighting in WWII. The situation is awkward and somewhat uneasy for both characters, which the illustrator really captures in the pictures. The details in the pictures give the reader a deeper understanding of the characters’ emotions. AS the story progresses, Liz and her father become more and more comfortable with one another and begin to feel happy, which is also captured very well in the pictures. The illustrations throughout the book truly make it easy for the reader to grasp the story’s message. Another element used to convey the message was the text, dialogue, and plot. The plot puts Liz in an uncomfortable situation, where she has to spend the day with her father, a man she no longer remembers. The text shows the reader how distant the characters are, which leads to the reader understanding the importance of trust and family. For instance, when Liz gets in her father’s car, the text says, “I practice his name to myself, whispering it under my breath…saying it feels new.” This quote helps the reader visualize how the two are almost complete strangers. The story's setting, which occurs when Liz’s father returns from fighting in WWII, also helps convey the message. This presents the reader with a relatable experience of attempting to reconnect with someone that has been gone for so long, which draws the reader in on a deeper, more personal level. The concept of trust can be seen in the quote, “I want to scamper ahead of him…but there is an uneasy feeling along the edge of my back at the thought of walking in front of someone who is a hunter…carefully I stay by his side.” The word choice the author uses here helps the draw the reader in and makes him or her curious to know what happens next. This engagement helps the reader focus on the story, giving him or her a better opportunity to grasp the main messages. The story’s plot uses several small situations to show Liz’s character evolve and begin to trust her father. This progression gives the reader the chance to watch the relationship of a daughter and father unfold and redevelop through trust and the excitement of a new adventure. Beautifully written and illustrated, “Crow Call” effectively conveys the messages of learning to trust and the importance of family, through the use of illustrations, text, and plot. Thus, creating an amazing story that is very enjoyable to read.
    • 5/5
      I bought this book solely for the illustrations ......and the illustrations are lovely. I noticed that the Illustrator has dedicated his part of the book to Andrew Wyeth, his favourite American Artist.And there is a touch of Andrew Wyaeth about the illustrations too. Maybe it's the soft muted colours and the woodlands.But having now read the book, I found myself captivated by the story as well as by the illustrations. It's the story (apparently true) of the author going hunting with her father. And father is recently returned from the war ....it's 1945. And the daughter does not know him...he's a stranger. A nd some lovely "getting to know you" moments in this little story about going hunting together to kill the crows that eat the crops. And summoning up the crows with the wooden "crow-caller"...such power to draw the crows out. But they eventually decline to shoot any crows which is a good outcome for the little girl..the narrator. Really, a charming book in all ways. And great illustrations ...basically in watercolour with some gauche. Happy to give this little book five stars.
    • 5/5
      This is another currently relevant book that would be a great resource in a classroom today. It’s about the readjustment of a child to her father who has been away to long at war. The book leads the child from feeling uneasy about a father she really didn’t know to feeling the bond of love that was still lying underneath. I liked how the father stopped for breakfast with her and asked her what her favorite thing to eat was. Her reply was cheery pie, so he let her have cherry pie for breakfast. I liked the symbolism of cheery pie being an all American thing and that he was more interested in building a relationship than proper nutrition.
    • 5/5
      Liz spends a day with her father. She has rarely seen him as he is just returning from serving in WWII, She is uncomfortable about killing the crows that are eating the farmers crops. Introduce 'Looking Back A Book of Memories' - Lois Lowry
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this 1st person narrative by Lois Lowry. "Crow Call," which is a true story describing events from her childhood shows that children and their parents are always searching for a sense of understanding about one another. Lowry uses detailed descriptions and graphic imagery expertly throughout to really make the reader feel like they're there next to her. Her longing for a relationship with her father, who has been off at war, is one that many can relate to. "I sit shyly in the front seat of the car next to the stranger who is my father," this sentence in the beginning really drew me in as I just wanted to know more. Another aspect of this story that I really liked was the quality of the illustrations. They were all very life like and accurately portrayed a father and daughter spending quality time together, bonding and getting to know one another.  
    • 5/5
      I chose to examine the book, Crow Call by Lois Lowry illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. This is a book that all children can relate to. The main characters in the story are a young girl and her father. The girl tries so hard to impress her father who has just got home from war. She calls her father a stranger in the beginning of the book because he has been gone for so long. Her father asks her to go hunting with her and gives her an important job, the crow call. She goes reluctantly even though she is scared of the word “hunter.” She finds that that her father was scared once too but isn’t anymore; this comforts her. This is an enjoyable read that doesn’t overly teach or moralize. There are many lessons that go unsaid within this book. Children can easily relate to this book as they are constantly seeking to please a parent, grandparent, teacher, friend, or family member. This book is about learning to understand each other. Lois Lowry has written this book from true events from her life. This is an easy read that is suitable for children of all ages. The illustrations in the book show pictures that are true to life. The book has great use of color and visuals. This book also integrates details well into this book: significance of plaid jacket, cherry pie, crow call, pig tails, and etc.
    • 4/5
      A ten year old girl gets reacquainted with her father who has been away at war. The sparse November sky, bare trees and hard ground of the woods are in perfect contrast to the long plaid wool shirt, short braids, warm cherry pie and coffee at the diner as these two reconnect. The illustrations are perfectly matched with the text. The story is suspenseful when the sky fills with crows near the end, what will happen? A serious story based on the author's own experience, this book is just right for fourth or fifth graders who will want to know more about war and times past. It's important also for those students who may have a strained home life, with a parent who is estranged, or who is serving in the armed forces currently and is away, or any number of difficult home situations. Class discussion or journal writing could follow for these older students. I chose not to share this with my Pre K students, but I did read it with my own fourth grade daughter. Reconciliations are always worth the effort.
    • 5/5
      This is a true account from Lois Lowry's childhood about a time when her semi-unknown father (he was a soldier that had recently come back home) went crow-hunting. Filled with beautiful illustrations, this is a really great story for anyone to read, but especially a father to his daughter.
    • 5/5
      The prolific Lois Lowry, two-time winner of the Caldecott Medal for her children's fiction - Number the Stars was chosen in 1990, and The Giver in 1994 - made her picture-book debut with this lovely story from her own childhood, and the result is a distinct triumph! Lizzie, shy at first, spends the day with her father, who has recently returned home from fighting in World War II, and has become a stranger to her. Slowly, over the course of the day - cherry-pie breakfast at the diner, the gentle give-and-take of conversation during their drive, and then their crow hunt - they become acquainted once again. In a poignant moment made all the more moving for its quiet, understated presentation, they share their common experience of fear: the father during his wartime experience, Lizzie as she confronts this beloved stranger, with his quiet, and his gun. The gift that Lizzie's father gives her, in the end, is a powerful one, symbolizing his understanding of her needs, and commitment to provide for them. And so none of the crows that she calls into flight, that day, are killed...A beautiful book that brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion, Crow Call boasts both a skilfully written text - one that captures each nuance of meaning, each shade of emotion, in the give and take between Lizzie and her father - and gorgeously realized artwork. Bagram Ibatoulline is an illustrator whose work on various fairy-tale adaptations was already well known to me, and I was pleased to see that he handled this realistic story with the same aplomb. The scenes depicted here were gorgeous! The story itself addressed so many important topics - the absence and return of a parent, the reconnection sometimes necessary, even between loved ones, the healing that soldiers and their families need, when returning to civilian life - without ever abandoning its quiet narrative. There's even an old photo of a young Lois Lowry, in the very over-sized men's hunting shirt worn by Lizzie in the story, at the end of the book! Highly, highly recommended, to young readers who appreciate family stories, and for those, young and old, looking for narratives about soldiers returning home.
    • 4/5
      This is not a fun book; it's a thought provoking book. The little girl Liz is getting used to her father all over again after his return from military service. The father's experiences are not shared, but his commitment to connecting with his daughter is the focus. It makes you want to know more about what families of today do to stay connected while apart.Might consider Deborah Ellis' --Off to War: Voices of Soldiers' Children-- as a counterpart.
    • 5/5
      This was a very well-written story. It gives a different historical perspective on living after WWII, that of a girl coming to know her father after his long absence while he was away as a soldier.
    • 5/5
      A personal narrative and a great mentor text. Beautiful illustrations. A heartwarming story.
    • 4/5
      Beautifully written and illustrated. Will be an excellent example of personal narratives for the 7th grader.
    • 5/5
      This quiet simplicity of a war-absent father and his daughter who thinks of him as a stranger trying to reconnect is so powerful that I can hardly believe it was told in so few words. I honestly teared up as the girl ran around joyfully calling to the crows and her father chose not to shoot them as they’d planned. The detail of the colored, over-sized hunting shirt was perfect, particularly the line “I feel totally surrounded by shirt”. I remember that feeling when wearing my own parents’ shirts as a child.
    • 3/5
      The marvelous illustrations of Bagram Ibatouline and the delightful writing of Lois Lowry combine to make this a delightful journey of a father and daughter's re-acquaintance.When a child, Lowry missed her father who was away from his family and in the service during WWII. When he returned, he resumed loving, caring relationships with his children.This beautiful picture/story book captures a special moment of quiet joy as father and daughter walked in the autumn woods to hunt crows. The crows were called and circled high above in the trees, but none were shot. All were observed in a magical snapshot of time.If you enjoy the art of Andrew Wyeth, you will appreciate the artistry of Ibatouline who also illustrated The Miraculous Journey of Edward Toulane.This is a book to be read, when looking outside at the moon shining on the snowy ground, cup of tea in hand, and a warm cover on your lap
    • 4/5
      What a beautiful story to tell about a moment that was clearly special to the author. I love that the language is rich and highly developed, no need to talk down to kids!
    • 4/5
      #8 on the Barnes & Noble Top Ten Children's Books of 2009

      I think the illustrations in this one are gorgeous. I also think it's a very timely title, with lots of parents in the United States coming back from various conflicts and trying to reconnect with their family. I think it will find a lot of use in a lot of households.
    • 5/5
      Occasionally there are children's books that just hit a sweet spot. This one was such a treat and it's hard to even explain why. There are gorgeous illustrations, and a story that's based a the author's real life experiences, but there's no overarching lesson to be learned. A young girl heads out one morning with her father who has recently returned from World War II. Clad in a big flannel shirt with blonde pigtails,the girl is going crow hunting with her Dad. They stop at a diner for some breakfast and each scene gives us a little more insight into their dynamic. There's something about the girl that just reminded me of myself when I was little. That tomboyish streak, the desire to be out in nature, I just loved it. Each illustration gave an added layer of depth to the story. They represent the budding relationship between the father and daughter, the understanding the find with few words, etc. I had the opportunity to hear the author, Lois Lowry, speak in 2010. I grew up adoring her books, The Giver and Number the Stars. She spoke about her life and this was one of the books she discussed. She said this happened to her and she'd always wanted to tell the story in some way. I think she certainly did it justice.