Thank you, Crow

Sebastian rescues an injured crow while playing in his favorite spot in the woods, leading to a curious adventure. After her rescue, the crow comes across a cat who has grown tired of his ball of yarn. She asks for it politely and then gives it to Sebastian as a gift. Sebastian has no need for the yarn but accepts it graciously. Then the crow comes across a baker with spoons in his rubbish bin. She asks for them, again politely, and takes them to Sebastian as a gift too. Then come the traffic cone from the witch (she was using it as a hat), the enormous can of soda from the giant, and other interesting objects in an engaging sequence. Readers will be fascinated, one page after another, to watch how the gifts take shape together in the woods. "SQUAAAAWK!" says the crow, every now and then, with personality and determination. She seems to have an end goal in mind for the collected junk, and she does not disappoint. This pleasant debut picture book from Minkovitz and Medina will have readers always wondering what will happen next. Medina's style is reminiscent of Jon Klassen's, distinguished by matte textures, spare use of color, and flat planes; it's an excellent companion to Minkovitz's wry, understated text. Sebastian is blue.Who can't enjoy a book that so engages the mind and expands the imaginationand in which everybody is so polite, too. (Picture book. 2-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.