#349 of 1001 · July 15, 2021

There’s a refined and understated humor to be found in The Crows of Pearblossom, a picture book version of a children’s story by Aldous Huxley, illustrated by @sophieblackall. Mrs. Crow is puzzled to find that the egg she lays each day goes missing when she leaves the cottonwood tree to shop for groceries. When she identifies the culprit as the wicked Mr. Snake, who lives in a hole at the bottom of the tree, she informs Mr. Crow, who enlists the wise Old Man Owl for help. Old Man Owl shapes a few eggs out of clay, bakes them, and paints them to look just like the ones laid by Mrs. Crow. When Mr. Snake consumes the decoy eggs, he receives his just comeuppance, and from then on Mrs. Crow hatches eggs to her heart’s content. With soft-textured illustrations executed in ink and watercolor, Blackall depicts the world of Huxley’s scenario, rendering quirky details from the text (Mrs. Crow’s groceries, Old Man Owl shaving) and making charming additions of her own (Mr. Snake’s fang dentures and seven-day pill organizer, an edition of Nest magazine on the Crows’ bed). #crow #tree #snake #egg #eggs #nest #owl #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookillustrations #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks