Review by Booklist Review
There may be a reason why Huxley's children's story, written for his young niece in 1944, has long been out of print; it's pretty gruesome. But then, so is the reality of survival in the wild, and kids will enjoy this story's trickster twists and turns, especially a small creature's triumph over a giant, scary monster. Once upon a time, two crows nest in a cottonwood tree. A cozy opening picture shows the birds' home with a grandfather clock and a newly laid egg in a cradle. But in a hole at the bottom of the tree lives Rattlesnake, who climbs up and swallows the eggs that Mrs. Crow lays. When Mrs. Crow returns from shopping, she is, of course, distraught to find her darling little one gone. Then her husband consults with Old Man Owl, and together they trick Rattlesnake into swallowing two clay eggs, which give him an excruciating stomachache. A final view shows Rattlesnake as Mrs. Crow's clothesline. Talk about a brave new world!--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
For Christmas 1944, the author of Brave New World wrote this story of a crow couple's battle with an egg-eating snake, giving it to his six-year-old niece, who provides an afterword (the tale was first published in 1967). Unsurprisingly, this is no cheery animal fable. "[E]very afternoon punctually at half past three," while Mr. Crow is working and Mrs. Crow is shopping, Rattlesnake slithers into their nest. "If there was an egg in the nest-which there generally was-he would swallow it in one mouthful, shell and all." Mrs. Crow discovers the snake and tells her husband to save their "darling eggs." Tricked into eating a heavy clay egg, the snake ends up as a clothesline, and Mrs. Crow happily breeds "four families of seventeen children each." Blackall (Pecan Pie Baby) pictures a lovely gnarled tree as the prolific family's residence, yet her unnerving watercolors of the glassy-eyed crows reinforce the story's sinister elements. With Huxley's mordant wit in ample supply, this tale will entertain literary novelty seekers; it's best suited for children who don't mind some darkness in their stories. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Each day Mrs. Crow lays an egg, and each day a rattlesnake slithers up the tree and swallows it while the bird is out shopping. Mr. Crow offers no sympathy when his wife explains the situation and asks him to kill the intruder. He soundly rejects the proposal, telling her, "Your ideas are seldom good." He and his friend Old Man Owl bake and paint two clay eggs and place them in the nest. The unsuspecting snake swallows the decoys whole and wraps himself in knots around the branches trying to ease his stomachache. The story ends with Mrs. Crow happily using him as a clothesline for diapers from the numerous children she has successfully hatched. Blackall ably illustrates the tale, adding humorous touches such as a briefcase for Mr. Crow, hair rollers for Mrs. Crow, and fang dentures for the "very old" rattlesnake. Yet, her well-crafted paintings seem wasted on this rather dated and unpleasant story. Mr. Crow repeatedly belittles his wife, who screams at him and his friend. Written by Huxley in 1944 for his niece and including reference to family members and friends, this is the only story he produced for children. As such it might hold some interest for scholars of literature, but it seems an odd choice for collections serving children.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Two crows, assisted by an owl, outsmart the snake that's eating their eggs. The crows go on to have a large family--and to use the snake as a clothesline. This is an at-times humorous, if somewhat mean-spirited tale with primary appeal to Huxley's adult fans; the original small-format edition included art by Barbara Cooney. Blackall's Chinese ink and watercolor illustrations lighten the text's mood. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
(Picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
