Ten Rowdy Ravens

This fun "countdown from 10" book features the rowdy and mischievous shananigans of the popular raven. They steal pretty pearls, picnic in a pickup truck, and perform dizzy loop-de-loops. Scenarios are fanciful but rooted in ravenhood: collecting shiny things, testing curious objects, getting into the garbage, and showing off.

This romping countdown rumpus stars the rowdy and mischievous shenanigans of the popular ravens. They steal pretty pearls, picnic in a pickup truck, and perform loop-de-loops. Illustrations.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 6-The author and illustrator of Lucky Hares and Itchy Bears (Alaska Northwest, 1996) have teamed up again to create an original counting book. This one not only teaches numbers, but also cleverly showcases the impish nature of corvus corax. The adventurous birds swoop and cavort across the pages of dramatic, hand-colored linocut illustrations, causing trouble wherever they land. The carefully crafted, rhyming verses, such as "Eight roguish ravens/Pilfer piles of loot,/Cheater swipes some pretty pearls,/Seven give pursuit," capture the fun. With bold lines and rich, jewel-tone colors, the artwork displays the larger-than-life birds against the stunning background of their northern habitat. Children will enjoy perusing The Daily Kaw, an appended seven-page tabloid that features "True News from around the Raven World." It includes scientific information about the creatures, as well as amusing stories profiling their mischievous antics. Pair this fun-filled title with Gerald McDermott's Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest (Harcourt, 1993).-Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

SUSAN EWING has been writing professionally since 1964 for newspapers, magazines, and radio. She lives in Mesa, Arizona.