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The Crows of Hidden Creek by JoAnn Huston Niemela illustrated by Sandy Bradley Ten Minas Publishing
book review by Karyn Saemann
"Nothing moved. The sky above was clear and blue. Only the treetops swayed with the wind as though, somehow, by their moving back and forth they could erase the carnage of the day."
First-time author Niemela beautifully succeeds, injecting just enough human in her crows to spin a gentle fable while not losing their birdness. The story, well grounded in research about actual crow behavior, follows Dak, an impetuous young crow who lives with his extended family on Hidden Creek golf course. One day Dak convinces his friend CooCoo to join a large murder (flock) of crows that is passing through, headed south. Of course the two have no clue what they're getting into. For the remainder of the novel, they face adversity and danger, first while headed away from home and then while trying to get back, with the result a poignant lesson about tenacity and sticking together. An agonizing stretch where Dak walks for weeks alongside CooCoo, who is too injured to fly, is a deep commentary on friendship as is their experience with a human who comes to their aid.
The plot moves briskly with just the right amount of drama. Niemela's writing is clean and succinct, sometimes poetic. The mix of fictionalized human language that the crows speak among each other and the bird noises that the story's human characters hear them use blend well. Bradley's black and white line drawings of the crows and their surroundings are inspiringly natural. And that Niemela is releasing her first novel as a 73-year-old grandmother is a testament to what's possible at any age. Memorably written, nicely illustrated, a joy all around.