More by I.C. Springman

One 45-word book, one small talking mouse, and one boisterous magpie (and those birds are ALL boisterous!): the ingredients for a masterful, simple, and stupendous book about stuff.

We Portlanders were treated to an article yesterday on crows that is getting lots of talk time on radios and in blogs. This article offers yet one more window into the brilliant world of crows. According to the new book Gifts of the Crows: How Perception, Emotions, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans by Marzluff and Angell (2013), those black birds are seriously smart and meaningfully devious. I infer from the little I know about crows-- have yet to get my hands on the Gifts of the Crows--I feel pretty certain they are far smarter than magpies. We had magpies in Colorado where I grew up, and I thought the most they were good for was making a lot of noise. My brother liked them for other reasons likely involving a bb gun. But I digress. While reading More, I found myself seeing and hearing those little flying cackles that woke me in my teen years, screeching and crackling about outside. But even in all of my tree-climbing, I don't recall an animal who might put as much in a nest as this one does.

I loved the idea the author and illustrator represent in this book. The message is a rich one. I could easily imagine using this with young learners, particularly as an entrance into less, more, and other mathematical excitement! Check 'er out!! More.