Once there was a runaway … The third book in the Crow Stories trilogy is a haunting tale of a young boy’s resilience and hope.
When a young boy loses his mother to cholera, he is convinced he must leave home. He is fearless, resourceful and, above all, determined to find what he is looking for. When his hunger gets the best of him, he agrees to join two riders who take him to their encampment. The boy is soon put to work for his soup and bread, and time passes, though he holds fast to his purpose. Then just when he is ready to set out again, he finds there is no need …
Nancy Vo’s finale to the Crow Stories trilogy is a moving tribute to a young boy’s resilience and faith in the people he loves — even in the face of their absence — and his discovery that while times may be hard, they can also get much better.
Key Text Features
dialogue
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.7
Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.7
Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting)
Once there was a runaway … The third book in the Crow Stories trilogy is a haunting tale of a young boy’s resilience and hope.
When a young boy loses his mother to cholera, he is convinced he must leave home. He is fearless, resourceful and, above all, determined to find what he is looking for. When his hunger gets the best of him, he agrees to join two riders who take him to their encampment. The boy is soon put to work for his soup and bread, and time passes, though he holds fast to his purpose. Then just when he is ready to set out again, he finds there is no need …
Nancy Vo’s finale to the Crow Stories trilogy is a moving tribute to a young boy’s resilience and faith in the people he loves — even in the face of their absence — and his discovery that while times may be hard, they can also get much better.
Key Text Features
dialogue
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.7
Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.7
Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting)
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Aug 6, 2024 |
| Specifications | 44 pages | 8.25 in x 8.625 in |
| Keywords | absent parent; loss and longing; illness and disease; death and bereavement; travelling; leaving home; journey; adventure; jobs and occupations; historical fiction; overcoming adversity; coping with hardship; new experiences; independence; growing up; |
| Written By |
NANCY VO was raised where the sun rose in the prairies and set behind the Rockies. By night she makes picture books. She is the author/illustrator of the first two books in the Crow Stories trilogy: The Outlaw, described by the New York Times as “bewitching,” and The Ranger, praised in a Kirkus starred review as “visually arresting and enigmatic.” Nancy is also the author/illustrator of Boobies and the illustrator of As Glenn as Can Be by Sarah Ellis. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. |
| Illustrated by |
NANCY VO was raised where the sun rose in the prairies and set behind the Rockies. By night she makes picture books. She is the author/illustrator of the first two books in the Crow Stories trilogy: The Outlaw, described by the New York Times as “bewitching,” and The Ranger, praised in a Kirkus starred review as “visually arresting and enigmatic.” Nancy is also the author/illustrator of Boobies and the illustrator of As Glenn as Can Be by Sarah Ellis. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. |
| Written By |
|
NANCY VO was raised where the sun rose in the prairies and set behind the Rockies. By night she makes picture books. She is the author/illustrator of the first two books in the Crow Stories trilogy: The Outlaw, described by the New York Times as “bewitching,” and The Ranger, praised in a Kirkus starred review as “visually arresting and enigmatic.” Nancy is also the author/illustrator of Boobies and the illustrator of As Glenn as Can Be by Sarah Ellis. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. |
| Illustrated by |
|
NANCY VO was raised where the sun rose in the prairies and set behind the Rockies. By night she makes picture books. She is the author/illustrator of the first two books in the Crow Stories trilogy: The Outlaw, described by the New York Times as “bewitching,” and The Ranger, praised in a Kirkus starred review as “visually arresting and enigmatic.” Nancy is also the author/illustrator of Boobies and the illustrator of As Glenn as Can Be by Sarah Ellis. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. |
| Audience | ages 4 to 8 / grades K to 3 |
| Key Text Features | dialogue; illustrations |
| Common Core |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.7
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.7 |
Commended, Globe 100 Best Books, 2024
An unexpectedly tender story.
” —Wall Street JournalIllustrations and minimal text convey a deeply felt story that will provide rich opportunities for children to extend the storytelling and perhaps tell their own survival stories. Beautifully presented.
” —School Library JournalThis final installment in the Crow Stories trilogy features the familiar muted palette, Old West setting, and spare narrative of Vo’s previous books. ... A satisfying finish.
” —Kirkus ReviewsVo has plenty of tricks up her sleeve as she brings this amazing series to a close.
” —Globe and MailUnusual illustrations in which old newsprint is placed over painted images gives a nostalgic feeling to this picture book.
” —Winnipeg Free Press