Plenty to Laugh About in CRANKY, CRABBY CROW!

 Birds again? Seriously? No, humorously! 

GREENWILLOW BOOKS, 2025

CRANKY, CRABBY CROW (Saves the World) is a bird book of sorts, but not of the sort I've reviewed recently. This crow is a curmudgeon, living up to that title description in full force. The joy and suspense of this story treat CROW as a character, one who just happens to be a bird. Award-winning AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR Corey R. Tabor is in brilliant form in  this lively and surprising account of a crow on a mission.

The title (and subtitle) do a great job of setting up the levels and tension of this story. Actual crows often sound grumpy, loudly cawing their complaints as other critters appear in "their space". The cleverly cartoonish side-eye of this cover crow, with an effectively added arched eyebrow and skittering sidestep suggest something more than grumpiness is as work.

And it is.

ENDPAPERS, CRANKY CRABBY CROW
Corey R. Tabor, 2025

Endpapers with sequences of six different "icon"ish images stalled my opening of the pages of the book. A "wallpaper" approach of this type is often used in picture books, and I wanted to see if there were any discernible patterns as clues to the story ahead. Then, when I did turn the page, the dedication was actually to one of these little icons. What? A mystery was at the heart of this story and I couldn't wait to figure it out. 

As crow sits on a wire above fuzzily familiar rooftops and treetops, other critters approach and invite Crow to seemingly irresistible events- garbage scrounging, racing, tricks, etc. One by one, potential friends are sent away with a noisy "KAW!" until Cat warns of looming loneliness. That felt to me like a charming story arc, delightfully illustrated, and leading to a happy "lesson-learned" resolve. 

Until... that parenthetical title comes into play. Secrets are revealed, actions are taken, Crow dons his secret-life uniform and SAVES THE WORLD!  (Check out the button options on his control board!). I truly want to reveal what all that is about, and also the ensuing pages of community that left me grinning. I won't spoil the experience for you. You're welcome. Many picture books have a satisfying conclusion and then, ta-da, one final page adds a surprise, a sort of WINK as a bonus to the reader. Wait until you see this one!

Once I reached that delightful spread I noticed a tiny added treat for attentive readers on the bottom right of an otherwise empty white page. Those little endpaper icons were a CODE, a SECRET CODE! That meant spending immeasurable time decoding the closing endpages and grinning through every minute.

I realize that not everyone enjoys birds as much as I do, and even those who do may not appreciate the intelligence and appeal of actual crows. Let me assure you, though, that this CROW is irresistible! Absolutely CHARMING! A CROW you will want to know! 

Do a favor to yourself and read it, then share it, laughing out loud together. And the next time you encounter someone cranky or crabby, keep in mind that perhaps it's only an act. Maybe, just maybe, they have a bigger mission in mind, one that could SAVE THE WORLD!