LITTLE JOHN CROW

A young vulture contends with prejudice and learns to embrace his identity.

This story begins in the Jamaican Blue Mountains, where willful Little John Crow (who, despite his name, is a vulture) lives with his parents. His friends (several birds and one snake) are introduced with their names and various descriptors (such as “Hummy, the hummingbird, who loved sweets” and “Chiqueen, a feisty chicken hawk”)—a lot of information for young readers to retain. Rowe’s illustrations present each friend with abundant character, infusing many of these pages with joy. While the younglings discuss what their parents do and what they want to be when they grow up, John realizes he is not aware of his parents’ occupations. After offering to help him find out and then realizing his parents are vultures, his friends flee in fear. The remainder of the story revolves around John’s learning to accept himself and value who he is. Strangely, some characters use slang, but only one speaks in anything close to Jamaican patois. Though the story is commendable in its attempt to destigmatize vultures, it is full of distracting details, arbitrary moments, questionable assertions (“Your friends will accept you for who you are as long as you accept yourself first”), casual fatphobia, and a heavy-handed message that slows the narrative. Even the levity and enjoyment that Rowe’s art brings can’t altogether save the book.

A skip.