The Crows of Pearblossom

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The Crows of Pearblossom

Paperback

$8.25

Paperback
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Overview

Written in 1944 by Aldous Huxley as a Christmas gift for his niece, The Crows of Pearblossom tells the story of Mr. and Mrs. Crow, who live in a cottonwood tree. The hungry Rattlesnake that lives at the bottom of the tree has a nasty habit of stealing Mrs. Crow's eggs before they can hatch, so Mr. Crow and his wise friend, Old Man Owl, devise a sneaky plan to trick him.

This funny story of cleverness triumphing over greed, similar in tone and wit to the work of A. A. Milne, shows a new side of a great writer. Paired with stunning illustrations by Sophie Blackall, this timeless tale is sure to grab the attention of many readers—adults and children alike.

Praise for The Crows of Pearblossom
“With Huxley’s mordant wit in ample supply, this tale will entertain literary novelty seekers.” –Publishers Weekly

“Huxley’s story starts good and grim—just the thing to hold a young audience.” –Kirkus Reviews

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810998735
Publisher:	ABRAMS
Publication date:	03/28/2011
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), the author of Brave New World, lived the latter part of his life near the Mojave Desert, where this story is set. Sophie Blackall is the illustrator of many children's books, including the Ivy and Bean series. She lives in Brooklyn. Visit her at www.sophieblackall.com.

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Editorial Reviews

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. "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.)

Publishers Weekly

Huxley's story, his only children's book and not meant for widespread publication, starts good and grim—just the thing to hold a young audience. Mrs. Crow's eggs are mysteriously disappearing: 297 eggs a year, "a fresh egg every single day—except Sundays, of course, and public holidays." The culprit is a rattlesnake that lives in a hole under her tree. "I'm having breakfast," he explains with sinister meaning when she finally catches him in the act. Mrs. Crow suggests to Mr. Crow that he go down the hole and kill the snake. Mr. Crow demurs: "Your ideas are seldom good" (yes, touches of rudeness are sprinkled throughout). He consults the wise owl, who concocts a shrewd plan—without Mr. Crow's input; "keep your beak shut and do exactly what I do," spoken in a high tone—to fashion clay decoy eggs. The snake eats them, dies (after a lecture from Mrs. Crow) and is subsequently used as a clothesline for diapers. Though the book is handsomely designed, Blackall's artwork, accomplished as it is, isn't a snug fit. She captures the menace of the snake, but the crows are a different matter, with their dead, sharklike eyes, silly clothes and strange wings resembling spruce bows. Hair curlers hardly embody the shrew in Mrs. Crow, and Mr. Crow's martini is just trivial. The story, however, is a powerful hymn to smarts, with unrepentant scorn for the greedy and the witless.(Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews

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