Bartholomew Quill: A Crow's Quest To Know Who's Who

K-Gr 2—Bartholomew Quill is a crow on a mission to find out who he is. His story begins "long ago" with Bartholomew, a young crow, all alone in a nest. The entire tale is told through rhyming text, following Bartholomew as he meets and observes various animals, asking "Am I one of you?" Young readers will enjoy the crow's-eye view tour through nature with Bartholomew encountering a puffin, an eagle, herons, sparrows, and his close relative the raven, along with wolves, moose, beetles, and slugs. Readers even learn some facts about a few of the birds, such as what they hunt and their identifying features. In the end Bartholomew finds his "people" and learns that he is a crow, something readers knew all along. The book has a universal message about finding out who you are and where you belong. Arnim's illustrations are charming, with many close-up spreads, making it great for group read-alouds. On the last spread, Bartholomew is flying with his murder and looking directly at readers for the first time as if to thank them for helping him find his way. The rhymes are clever, and a love and appreciation for nature and the animal kingdom are evident in the text and illustrations. The pace and rhythm are spot-on, flowing nicely from page turn to page turn.