Merry Christmas, Merry Crow

by Kathi Appelt

Book Overview

A broken chain, a piece of string, a bottle cap . . . To most people, these things are useless trash. But to a clever crow, they're just what he needs to create a special surprise--a beautiful Christmas tree that everyone can treasure. Told in jaunty rhyme by Kathi Appelt and lavishly illustrated by Jon Goodell, this heartwarming story of people brought together by a very unexpected artist has all the makings of a Christmas classic.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0152026517
• ISBN13: 9780152026516
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 9.0" x 10.0"
• Age Range: 4 to 7 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

Merry Christmas Merry Crow

This book is an artist great. The pictures are dark, but wonderful. The story is simply read - but with real meaning. My 4 year old grandson wanted it read over and over.

Great in my classroom!

This year in my pre-school classroom I read the story and we made our own collage Christmas trees with paper and any odds and ends we found: glitter, glue, ribbon, paper, tissue, foam, bits of magazine etc. We decorated the tree with anything cool we found just like the crow did to make a beautiful tree. It's fun to be able to do a creative project with a book.

A refreshing treat!

I must admit that the plot of Merry Christmas, Merry Crow is a bit predictable. But the individual details leading up to the climax make the book worth a read, and the illustrations couldn't be better! From the first happy crow picture to the final image of the sleepy crow, I was riveted. Merry Christmas, Merry Crow is fantastic!

A charming story!

In Merry Christmas, Merry Crow by Kathi Appelt there is an unlikely gift giver (a Crow) who swoops down and around town to collect abandoned 'bits and pieces' of 'this and that.' What is Crow doing, collecting pieces of string, a button, a strand of tinsel and berries from a tree? The Crow has a special gift for the town and it's absolutely perfect! Merry Christmas, Merry Crow is a charming story of giving, told in rhyme, which will attract small children and encourage them to enter into the mystery of the Crow's hunt to make the perfect gift. The illustrations are beautiful and speak of a time past in our society. I believe that this ability to impart yesteryear adds immensely to the book. Armchair Interviews says: Merry Christmas, Merry Crow is a wonderful addition to a children's Christmas story library.

Janet Townsend, a Librarian

"Wind's a blowin,' Sky's a snowin,' Where's this feathered fellow goin'?" So begins this delightful book set at Christmastime. It is a whimsical tale of a crow who flies around town gathering bits and pieces of Christmas decorations to dress up a tree on the outskirts of town. There is some truth to this book. Crows never migrate far and are usually seen in American towns and rural areas during the Christmas season. Also, crows really are attracted to shiny objects such as foil wraps and keys. The rhymns of this book flow along beautifully and are never forced. The artwork is beautiful as well and evokes the feeling of an old-fashioned town all dressed up for Christmas and lit by the moon. Of course, at the end, the townsfolk are gathered around this beautiful Christmas tree decorated by the crow.