Ten Rowdy Ravens

by Susan Ewing, Evon Zerbetz (Illustrator)

This fun ""countdown from 10"" book features the rowdy and mischievous shananigans of the popular raven. They steal pretty pearls, picnic in a pickup truck, and perform dizzy loop-de-loops. Scenarios are fanciful but rooted in collecting shiny things, testing curious objects, getting into the garbage, and showing off.

Genres: Picture Books, Birds, Childrens, Animals, Storytime, Counting

36 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2005

About the author

My two greatest joys as a kid were riding my bike and reading books. Both offered escape and adventure—my bike took me flying out into the physical world, while books were the bridge to an inner world of emotion and ideas. I came to writing as way to hold the physical world like a bird in my hands, so I could see more clearly, feel more deeply, and understand more completely. And because in those moments when writing works, it’s magic.

I was born and raised in Kentucky, but wandered west soon after graduating high school. I lived in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest for many years, rotating through a variety of jobs, like working as a bull cook in the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay, commercial salmon fishing in Southeast Alaska, staking mining claims for a geophysical company in the Brooks Range, working in a print shop, and waitressing. Then I got a job as an wildlife information officer, and started writing as part of the job. Something clicked. I loved it. Soon after that I wrote my first book, Going Wild in Washington and Oregon. I was the kid on the bike—thrilled and committed to the ride.

Somewhere in all that I finished my much-interrupted education and graduated with a BA from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. In 1991, I moved to the Gallatin Valley of Montana, which felt like home as soon as I saw the Bridger Mountains on the horizon. My life is at its sweetest equilibrium when I’m out hiking in those mountains with my husband and my dog.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up to encourage you all to try to find a copy. Not only are the games the ravens play fun, not only do readers have a chance to learn about the PNW by looking at the backgrounds of the pix, not only are the rhymes fun to read, but there are several pages of fun facts and further reading in the back of the book. Oh, and the art is a hoot, too.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I LOVE the illustrations. They are so vibrant with the color and darkness of the ravens. The story could be used in so many different ways with students: counting, rhyming, art, alliteration, and talking about ravens.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun, rhyming counting book featuring ravens and Alaskan scenery. The illustrations are gorgeous, with a woodcut styling and vivid scenes. The rhythmic narrative counting down from ten is short and would be entertaining to read aloud.

I discovered this one while shopping for souvenirs during my short stay in Anchorage. I have to admit that I never realized how numerous and big the ravens are here!

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book almost every day for the past five months. It has withstood the test of time. The illustrations are fantastic, the rhymes are pleasant. What more could you ask?

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both of my boys (ages 3 and 6) really liked this book and requested to hear it numerous times.
I liked it, but perhaps it got a little old to me after reading it over and over and over. =)
It's a counting down book using rhyming starting with 10 ravens.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Evon Zerbetz's artwork very much, and I also really love all the raven stories at the end of the book. Unfortunately, the book seems to miss the mark a bit as a book for kids. The vocabulary is pretty complicated and it isn't really clear quite what's happening to the ravens, but at the same time, it's a counting book, and thus not very interesting to kids who are likely to understand the vocabulary. I could see using it in a classroom with older kids as part of a lesson about alliteration, because it has a lot of great examples of that.

[Bre Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture Storybook, Counting Book
Ewing, Susan. Ten Rowdy Ravens. Illustrated by Evon Zerbetz. OR: Alaska Northwest Books, 2005. Unp. Primary
This playful counting book counts backwards from ten all the way back to one and each page is a different number with rowdy ravens looking for adventure. I think these illustrations have a mixed medium of acrylic paint and wood carvings on every page.
Alaska Connection: Alaskan Animals, Alaskan Atmosphere
Related Activity: Describe with your group what other animals you noticed in the story

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous woodcut illustrations accompany this rhyming countdown from 10 to 1. There are some grate tong twisters included which might make it to difficult for anything younger than pre school