Wilhelm Hans. The Royal Raven

Scholastic INC., 1996. - 32 p.
ISBN10: 0590543377.
ISBN13: 978-0590543378.
Age Range: 4 and up.
Kindergarten-Grade
2. From the minute he pops out of the egg, Crawford wants to be special. The raven finally gets his wish when an old woman transforms him into a spectacular creature with dazzling feathers. He has a brief spell of glory as the chained fancy of a princess, but all too soon is relegated to a golden cage in an obscure part of the garden. He then pines only for freedom, which he achieves by plucking out his shiny feathers so that the princess, horrified by his ugliness, banishes him. He returns to his friends a wiser bird. The wildly colored watercolor cartoon illustrations have a freewheeling look that is sometimes humorous and sometimes unsettlingly busy. Glittery metallic paint garishly enhances Crawford's feathers. The most successful sequence is a two-page spread showing the raven's daily efforts to improve his appearance by such absurd means as stilt walking and wearing grapes on his head or a false nose. While children will understand the desire to be special and to be noticed, there is nothing subtle or new about this moralistic tale of the pitfalls of seeking attention?