The Crow-Girl: The Children of Crow Cove [Hardcover]

Bodil Bredsdorff (Author), Faith Ingwersen (Translator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Children of Crow Cove

A timeless novel about the kindness of strangers

Near a little cove where a brook runs out to the sea live a girl and her grandmother. All alone with no neighbors at all, the two lead a peaceful existence. They have a house, dine on sea kale and mussels and sand snails, and build fires from driftwood. But the grandmother is very old. When the time comes that the girl must bury the woman, she makes up a funeral song about the birds she is watching: Two crows never fly alone, and death is never, ever past. The next day the same crows seem to beckon her, and so the Crow-Girl begins her journey, one in which she will meet people both warm and cold, hurt and hurtful. And the Crow-Girl, before she knows it, has the makings before her of a new family . . .

This lyrical story, with its characters' moments of darkness always overcome through incredible humanity, introduces a strong new voice for American readers.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-Set in the indistinct past, this is the poignant story of a girl who lives with her grandmother on a lonely stretch of coast in Denmark. The two survive by collecting driftwood and carefully harvesting the gifts of the sea. The coziness of their life is punctuated by Grandmother's awareness that her own life is tenuous; she offers her granddaughter gentle advice that serves her well in the future. After the woman dies, the child bids farewell to her beloved home and follows a pair of crows as they fly along the shore. Hoping to find help, she arrives in a village where she works for a coldhearted woman who gives her the name Crow-Girl and tries to take advantage of her. Following her heart and the crows, the girl moves on in her search for a home. Her strength of character, innate kindness, and ability to care for herself prove invaluable in creating a new life and family. The justice of unfolding events and the satisfying ending will please readers, who will enjoy watching the pieces of the plot fall into place. The symbolism and power of names thread through the narrative. Touching on universal themes, this quiet adventure story has the depth and flavor of a tale from long ago and far away. It's a rewarding read for youngsters who are fond of the details and the simplicity of earlier times.
Carol A. Edwards, Sonoma County Library, Santa Rosa, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 4-6. Crow-Girl lives happily with her grandmother in a cove far from any neighbors. When the old woman dies, Crow-Girl buries her and leaves to make her way in the world. Taken in by a greedy woman who demands her labor and steals her belongings, Crow-Girl eventually escapes and finds new friends with troubles and talents of their own. Together they create a community of friends and family in the cove that was Crow-Girl's original home. There's a fairy-tale quality about this well-written story. There is also unflinching realism not only about the grandmother's death and burial but also about the cruelty, greed, violence, pain, and sadness that the child finds when she ventures beyond the shelter of her home. Still, young readers will be comforted when Crow-Girl survives the loss of the only person who loves her and goes on to create her own family from those whom she befriends and grows to love. Translated from the Danish, this novel has clean, spare prose, a compelling story, and several scenes that readers will long remember. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (May 11, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374312478
• ISBN-13: 978-0374312473
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #719,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crow worthy, February 22, 2005

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Crow-Girl: The Children of Crow Cove (Hardcover)

There exist, in this world, a few perfect children's novels. And by perfect, I mean that they adeptly combine meaningful storylines that contain universal themes with plots and characters that kids are genuinely interested in. "Charlotte's Web" is one of these. And now, joining the ranks, comes another. "The Crow-Girl" is a recent import from Danish author Bodil Bredsdorff. In this remarkably small but astoundingly well-written book, a girl sets out on a quest whose course she does not dictate and proceeds to create something she has needed all her life. Kids may look at this book and shy away because it looks dull. Don't let them. This is one of the best books written in a very long time. A deeply satisfying novel.

The girl and her grandmother have lived in their tiny cottage by the sea for as long as the child remembers. Brought up by this single relative, the girl has learned everything she needs to know about gathering food and staying alive on what the sea provides. With her grandmother's death she at first plunges into misery, but continues to live and work. In time, the girl sets off to find other human beings and runs across a variety of people. She acquires the name of Crow-Girl due to her appearance and escapes the machinations of a cruel couple. She rescues a boy from his depression-infused father and leads two women from starvation. By the end of the tale the people she has helped and the life that she has led results in the formation of a small community and, more importantly, close-knit family to which the Crow-Girl now completely belongs. This is a book about survival as well as what a person needs beyond food and water to truly be alive. With a heroine you feel confident will never lack for anything and the two crows that seem to guide her on her journeys, it makes for a sometimes riveting, sometimes emotional, but always interesting book.

By the end of the tale our heroine has gone from simply being referred to as a young girl to Crow-Girl, to finally being given a real name of her own. And that, in a way, is a great way of explaining why this book is so good. It's filled with remarkable details like that one. Most importantly, the Crow-Girl isn't perfect. This isn't some idealized child who spouts wisdom and goodwill wherever she goes. She's just as prone to depression and mean-spirited thoughts as anyone. At the same time though, she's remarkably accomplished due to her upbringing. She has a love for the land, especially her little cove, that guides everything she does as well. Translated with remarkable skill by Faith Ingwersen, this book is bound to convince any and all people that translated children's books should be ten times as common as they currently are today. This is one of those small perfect jewels that are sometimes so hard to find. I seriously hope that more people will read and discover "The Crow-Girl" as time goes by. It is truly beautiful.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tender, feel-good story, May 17, 2004

By 

A Customer (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Crow-Girl: The Children of Crow Cove (Hardcover)

A young girl lives with her grandmother in a simple whitewashed house in a little cove by a brook. They live a simple life together. The girl collects driftwood for fires and gathers sea kale, mussels and sand snails for their meals. However, the girl's grandmother is very old and knows her time is limited. Before she dies, she tries to share her knowledge of the world with her granddaughter "chick." She tells the girl about the two kinds of people in the world --- those who make you feel cold inside and those who make you feel warm inside.

One day the girl wakes up and finds her beloved grandmother cold and still. She holds a lovely funeral for her and sings a song about her flying like a crow. The next day the girl sees two crows in the sky that seem to be calling to her. She follows the crows and begins her adventure.

During her journey the girl meets people who make her feel warm inside and others who make her feel cold inside. One of the people on her journey names her Crow-Girl. She always trusts her instincts, and does not journey alone for long. Soon, she has before her the makings of a new family.

THE CROW-GIRL is translated by Faith Ingwersen from its original Danish, and is written in lyrical prose. Young readers who want a tender, feel-good story about trusting your own intuition will love reading this timeless novel.

--- Reviewed by Renee Kirchner ([e-mail])

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book I ever read, April 16, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Crow-Girl: The Children of Crow Cove (Hardcover)

This, so far is the best book I ever read. Yes,the cover looks dull, but inside,there's a great novel. Buy this book,definitely.It's sad,and emotional.Don't be surprised if you end up in tears when the book ends.The author should receive the Newberry Award. This is a must have for the year 2005. Buy it!!!