RAVENS ROOST
by Maggie Bates
A curious narrator follows ravens at dusk to find out where they go at night in Bates’ nature-focused picture book.
After exiting a fairylike cottage, the White, unnamed narrator asks readers if they’ve ever wondered what happens to ravens after sunset and sets out to discover the answer: “I climbed a tall spruce, way up high, / and I watched the birds fly through the night sky.” A storm blows in, soaking the main character, who starts to return home. Then the moon shines through the clouds, showing not just three ravens, but 100, roosting in the same tree. Bates’ rhyming text has a lulling quality; even during the fierce storm, there’s a sense of calm, and the illustrations highlight the largeness of nature around the small, singular human protagonist (and a companion frog, tucked in a pocket). The scansion draws readers through Bates’ textured paint-on-canvas images, which appear to mix watercolors and oil pastels; the result is a night sky that offers a realistic feeling of depth. A few images border on the frightening (including some eyes in the dark), but the overall message of peace and kinship in the natural world comes through as brightly as the sparkling stars.
A nighttime forest adventure perfect for bedtime read-alouds.