Shallen Anne Chitwood's Corvus follows the adventures of a young crow hatchling and his friends and family. Corvus isn't like any of his nestlings from the Cedar Clan. His head and feet are disproportionate to the rest of his body, and he is scared to even attempt to fly. While most of his siblings have learnt to fly and forage for food themselves, Corvus has to rely on his sister Valia for food and safety. After he unexpectedly makes friends with a caterpillar named Clarence Silkwood, the Monarch Extraordinaire, Corvus discovers that his family is headed south for the winter, as the threat of the ruthless one-eyed hawk, Zenith, has become all too real. Valia makes the ultimate sacrifice to protect her brother. However, now Corvus must overcome his fear to face his greatest foe.

A tale of friendship, family, sacrifice, and love, Corvus is a captivating read for tweens and young teenagers alike. Author Shallen Anne Chitwood has written a heartwarming story about an underdog trying to navigate overwhelming odds with the help of his friends and family. All the characters in this book are talking animals, and Chitwood does a brilliant job of making their personalities relatable yet different than human beings. I think children are going to love Corvus. He is a kind-hearted and likable young crow who grows up to learn much about the world and himself. I loved his relationship dynamic with Valia, as well as his friendship with Clarence. It's a well-paced narrative, and the pages just flew by as I was reading the book. All in all, I highly recommend it to young readers.

In Shallen Anne Chitwood’s Corvus: A Crow's Story, the smallest hatchling of Maeve and Marvin’s Cedar Clan, Corvus grows up unable to leave the nest even as his siblings take to the air and prepare for migration. His hesitation keeps him behind when the clan departs, leaving him alone in a changing season where his survival depends on choices he has long delayed. A confrontation with Zenith, a hawk known to the crows, changes the course of his life and separates him from everything familiar. Corvus must adapt to a new environment shaped by the routines of a farm and a young girl named Lily Jane, who begins leaving food at the base of his tree. As time passes, he builds a new life while carrying the weight of what he has lost and what he has yet to face.

Shallen Anne Chitwood’s Corvus is a brilliant story with a lot of heart. The author is exceptional at balancing the heartening with the heartbreaking, whether it is watching over a vulnerable nest companion or returning to a place linked to someone Corvus cares about. Poor Corvus! His life is filled with hesitation in all he does. I love Clarence, the caterpillar living in the milkweed lining of the nest. He is an unlikely guide through metamorphosis. The writing style is in the first-person, and so we can see firsthand the workings of Corvus' thoughts and his personality. The author is also incredible at visual settings, from the nest that sits high in the cedar branches above a working farm to the chicken yard below. Exceptionally immersive and just an all-round beautiful story, this is the perfect book for middle-grade readers, animal story enthusiasts, and anyone a bit different from the rest, who love character-driven journeys molded by changes and independence.