What The Crow Saw Below encourages its readers to look beyond their own worlds to discover what lies beyond. Crows sit within the branches of their tree, warning each other about what lies far below. Crows call out "Danger! Caw, caw, caw!" with every sound from below. Rustle, rustle, "Caw, caution, one and all!" As the squirrel moves about, the crows know that it is seeking harm. Snuffle, snuffle, "Caw, caution, all around!" We are being attacked by a puppy who wants to harm us. With every sound the crows utter, "caution.". Some time later, when the other crows are sleeping, the young crow decides to explore on its own. Her curiosity leads her to want to see what's above. A beautiful sunny, blue sky with plenty of birds flying around greets the young crow. I need to share what I have learned with the other crows. Do you know how the other crows reacted?

Children will learn several valuable lessons from this book. This book is full of beautiful, colorful illustrations.

I thought that this book was excellent!

I always loved nature as a child and used to go birdwatching with my dad, and I now take my daughter out when I can. I loved the way that the book was written, it was great and worked so well with the story - the book rhymes and that made it a fun read.

I loved the character of the little Crow and how he managed to get the whole flock (or murder as it is for Crows) to change their views (literally) - it was all really well done.

It is 5 stars from me for this one - very highly recommended!

What The Crow Saw Below is an absolute delight. While all the elder crows are crying, "caw, caw, caution," it's the little one, with fresh new eyes, who turns his attention to the world beyond. He takes a fearless chance on the scary world and learns that what might look scary at first may be something wonderful instead! A happy little reminder to our littles to be bold and brave and to us grown ups to listen to their little voices. I want to see the world through their brave little eyes!

One crow questions why the crows are always looking down in this poetic book about reframing your perspective and trying new things. A good book about positive thinking and the joy of discovering new things.

This adorable parable is about a crow who lives with other crows who are always looking around and seeing things as dangerous and scary, but this little crow sees hopefulness and happiness. The modern artwork adds to the lively feel of the story and the strong message comes through loud and clear.

This was such a beautiful book. I absolutely LOVED the art work and rhyming of the text. It had such a great message and the publisher provides discussion points and extra activities on their website.

The artwork is beautiful, and the message is positive, but the premise ended up being too outlandish for me to really settle in and enjoy the story. Birds, crows at that, that have never left one tree and just stare at the ground all day? When flying around for food and water and to escape from predators is their way of life? It just didn't work for me unfortunately.

This book was adorable and it has some great messages too, about getting over our fears and embracing curiosity. My favourite part of it is probably how the crows are illustrated - I loved it. The illustrations overall are very fun and vibrant, although there is a lot of room for experimentation and even more creativity.

The rhyming is great too and it makes the story flow from one page to another. I love how the entire arc is structured and how the episodic characters make more appearances. Truly fun!

This story is exactly how parents should not trap their kids strictly by their own personal rules but let them grow and learn things of their own when they are ready.

One young crow doesn’t feel the tree their family lives is enough for her to explore. Of course, she takes caution and follows their parents’ advice on where not to go to get themselves in trouble. But once they escape to the outside world, they learn to know what bravery, love and hope can achieve!

Thank you, Flyaway Books, for the ARC.

A young crow sounds the alarm, along with all the other families of crows living in a tree, whenever something potentially dangerous appears on the ground below. She wonders, though, are they missing whatever is above the tree? No one understands, so she goes on a little adventure, and is rewarded for her efforts.

The stunning illustrations beautifully complement this cute story about curiosity and taking a risk.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Flyaway Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This was such a good book! I loved how smooth the rhyming was; it never felt clunky at all. The art was gorgeous and the story was so sweet. This is definitely a solid book when it comes to discussing bravery and acceptance. Very Moana if you have any kiddos or parents looking for similar themes.

Well this will be hard to beat when it comes to rhyming narrative for 2024, let alone the message it has to convey. Our main character is a young crow, getting with the corvid programme and squawking alerts at anything seen down below on the forest floor. But when she puts two and two together – that the things under her aren't all that when it comes to a threat, but there is a different world entirely if you just crane your necks up – well, that's when things start to change. This then is a story about daring – having common-sense nous about danger but also abiding by that urge to explore and to find what's what. But reading this, apart from pleasure I also got a different kind of moral. I saw the old crows as some kind of online, social media bunch of nay-sayers, and the younger generation of our heroine being the one to just cut through their griping and accept the newness the codgers were always shunning.

So whether I'm reading too much into this – it may well be the company I keep of course that puts me in that mindframe – or whether this is simply a book about bravery, it's a damn good book. It's richer than I would ever have assumed, for a start, and just so well written it has to close on five stars. And the fact that I found the artwork perfectly in keeping with the nature of the crows seals the deal. This is top-notch stuff.

Little Crow is imaginative while being respectful of the elders. When the elders are napping, Little Crow safely tests the theories and is vindicated.
A good fable to teach that all opinions have value and are worth testing. Loved it!
A gathering of crows is called a murder of crows.
The illustrations by Greg Stobbs are simple, stylized, imaginative, colorful, and fun.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to everyone, but especially to a school, hospital, or your local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected proof e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Flyaway Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

This was very cute! I loved this story about a young crow and her curiosity about the world. The art was lovely and engaging.

Great book! This book teaches young readers to work past their fears and try new things, which is an awesome moral. On top of that, this moral is delivered from a relatable and cute main character, The Little Crow. Kids will definitely like this character, causing them to want to follow her teachings even more. Even better, this story also encourages readers to not make assumptions, especially assumptions that can trigger fear.
The illustrations of this book were very unique, but still beautiful, whimsical, and cute, all at the same time. The illustrator definitely captured the natural beauty of different types of birds, which is very important for this book to have. Additionally, the illustrator made each bird, especially The Little Crow, highly expressive, which is spectacular.
Lastly, the rhyming that the author used was perfect! It made the story feel almost poetic, and it felt relaxed/easy; it wasn't forced at all and it made complete sense throughout the book.
Bravo!

My 4 year old got a little bit bored with this one (probably better suited for 5-6+?) but I really loved it - from the art to the message of facing your fears and such. The rhyming was so nice and almost felt nostalgic to books I’ve read as a child. Would for sure pick this one up!

I received an electronic ARC from Flyaway Books through NetGalley.
A young crow follows what the rest of the crows do and constantly looks down to spot dangers. She joins the others in crying out when animals come close, but feels like there is more than feeling fear. She begins observing and notices the squirrel, dog and man are not there to harm the crows but to complete their own tasks. She suggests looking up instead but none will listen to her. I love that she sets off on her own to explore. What she discovers is an entire world filled with birds who soar through the sky. She returns to her tree and convince the rest of them to come fly too. The final page encourages readers to explore too. I appreciate the message of looking beyond fear to see what adventures are out there.

WOW! I absolutely loved this book. Who knew someone could turn crows into such an engaging, beautiful story that teaches great lessons. And the illustrations are really nice. I'll be pre-ordering this for my daughter. 5 stars!

This was by far the best children’s book I’ve read this year. The vibrant illustrations, the fun rhyming story, and the inspiring message about being brave and to be your own person (or in this case, crow). My toddler is now obsessed with crows.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. We cannot wait until September when we can purchase a copy for ourselves!

This is a really nice children's picture book about a crow who faces their fears and starts to explore the world. I loved the illustrations and the rhymes throughout the book. I think the author did a fantastic job with the pacing.

Thanks to NetGalley, Robert Tregoning, and Flyaway Books for the chance to read and review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.