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Filled with adventurous ravens, this story examines their daily behaviors. It focuses on Hops Sideways, who finds himself upside down on a branch. This is the gist of who Hops Sideways is, as he often has misadventures. The ravens’ day begins by seeking food, and Hops Sideways loses a nut to a mouse. The ravens all fly to a backyard where nice people put out bread for them. Then they fly to another house to soak the bread in water at the birdbath. Of course, Hops Sideways is late as usual. Little Puma, a house cat, is very interested in the birds, so they fly away, all except Hops Sideways, who loses a feather in the cat’s attack.
The ravens carry on with their day of chatting, flying, and playing, while Hops Sideways saves a bunny, has a run-in with a squirrel, and demonstrates his high intelligence. The ravens meet an open food truck, giving them a feast. Hops Sideways returns as they discover a family picnic. They ruin the family’s day by eating the food. In the end, the ravens had another fine day.
This storybook for older children is a delightful and informative read, for the raven gang has a lot of escapades. These escapades show clearly what living a life as a raven is all about. It is a good examination of what these birds experience and the intelligence they display. The few illustrations are well done, and the book is exceptionally well-written and engaging. It is a good teaching book for children to not only learn about ravens but also about how important they are. The storyline is very engaging, for who would believe that ravens could be so much fun and so fascinating? In short, this book is a joy to read and highly recommended.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review