The Royal Raven

by Hans Wilhelm

Wishing that his ordinary raven's feathers could be colorful and more exotic, Crawford is thrilled when a magical old woman transforms his black feathers into a magnificent golden plumage until he attracts the wrong kind of attention.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, German Literature

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Anahita · Rating 4 out of 5]

The little kid that I read it for really like it. Who am I kidding I enjoyed it more :D

[Aly Engaged · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book

[Andre Piucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Hier bien ich", verkündete er.

[Paxton Bleich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crawford is a raven who is hatched and he thinks he is boring looking. He gets sad no one looks at him and he cant't do things the others can. He begins to improve his appearance but realizes its no use. He called for an old women who is known for her special powers. Crawford gets transformed into a spectacular creature filled with color. The princess spots him and he becomes part of the royal family. After Crawford caused a scene in the dining room he becomes banned. He plucks his feathers and fly's to find his friends again.

I gave this book 5/5 stars. I love this book. It has gorgeous illustrations and is extremely colorful. Children will be drawn in at an instant. I also love the theme of being yourself and self acceptance. It really teaches a great lesson for children.

[Maria Carmo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The German translation is slightly different from the Dutch version - yet, both are quite good to read to children. The goal is to show the child that what really matters is not the glitter of your outward appearance, if that condemns you to a life long of limitations. Rather wear one's own feathers, bu live in the midst of true friends.

Maria Carmo,

Lisbon, 16 October 2019.

[Aldene · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kids love this book and I have read it so many times I pretty much hate it. sorry, but for that reason, it's just a 3 star for me. The lack of fun for the adult reading it 8 million times. I prefer Piggie and Gerald.

[Electric-guitar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mijn derde Nederlandse boek dat ik heb gelezen. Een geweldig verhaal. A few word I had to translate to make understanding of Dutch a little clearer. Thanks Duolingo :)

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alissa's learning that how our outsides look is not important.

[heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Die Geschichte hat ein vorhersehbares Ende. Aber ich liebe die Illustrationen in diesem Buch so!

[sb · Rating 5 out of 5]

a strong message about loving yourself as you are ~ especially loved the gold foil razzle dazzle.

great book smell and feel of paper 🐶

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very colorful and entertaining to young readers.

[Bsrusse1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Royal Raven" by Hans Wilhelm stole my heart. It is a fantastic read, even in ebook form! I could see and imagine the feeling of holding it in my hand which did not take away from the experience in the slightest for me. In fact, it was more convenient. The colors of the pages still popped and the art style was visible to tell for someone reading it in either form. I enjoyed how Hans used different mediums of art, such as water color, placed in affects, and emotions playing to the scene. There is also a very good moral to the story, "Just because you may look like everyone else, does not make you less unique to yourself." Dear Crawford, the protagonist of the story wanted to be more than what he was, wanting to be like the exotic and colorful birds. Poor guy wound up getting more than he had bargained for, winding up even sadder than he was before getting what he most desired. The dynamics of the story show strong emotion in the characters, both human and animal, and play well within the story, as well as the characters motives reflecting on how some children feel when they want to stand out more, go against the norm. This book encourages children that they don't need a bunch of flair to stand out, but a bit to show your colorful side is not a bad thing. I should know, my hair is pink!

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminded me of The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. Crawford, the raven in this story, and Rainbow Fish are very similar in their desires and their decision making and each story reaches a similar conclusion with the fish choosing good friendship over personal beauty and fame. This one followed a fairy tale arrangement with the mysterious old woman with magical powers granting Crawford his feathers, but when it comes down to it the two stories pair well with one another, down to the sparkles on feathers and fish scales in the illustrations.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A raven is born and from the first moment of his life he thinks that he should be special and more beautiful than the other ravens. He sets about on a journey to find this beauty he craves. A old woman boils up a potion that makes him more than beautiful, with many golden, shiny feathers. He flies to a castle, and there a princess wants him for her own. He is bragged upon for his beauty and he is happy until...

[Huda Fel · Rating 5 out of 5]

قصة جميلة في تنمية مفهوم الذات لدى الطفل
فهذا الغراب ، ومنذ ولادته لا أحد يأبه له
ولا يشعر بتميزه، رغم أنه يعلم باختلافه عن غيره
يقوم بعدة محاولات ولكن دون نتيجة ، إلى أن يتوصل لحل كاد أن يؤذيه
..
الكتاب ملون ورسماته جيدة

[Maria Carmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, the wonder, not all at the story and its illustrations, but also for the touching way in which these stories are written and printed ... I wish I could get more of these books!!! They are really WONDERFUL!

Maria Carmo,

Lisbon, 6 March 2018.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent book with a decent premise. Overall fun to read.
Teaching take aways;
Being comfotrable in your own skin.
Don't be ashamed of how you where made.
You don't have to look a certain way to fit in.

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun. Great pictures, cute story. Good for all of us that need to see we are already unique just by being ourselves.

[La Toya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing illustrations and a great message!

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

From my 7 yo ESL student: Crawford did such a bad thing.

[Bellatuscana Bellatuscana]

Plastic surgery.

[Becky]

Cute children's book. First book I've read in Dutch =D

[Roza Howton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ik hou van dit boek. De verhaal is interessant en mit dit ik heb neuw worden geleerd.
Mijn favoriete zinnen in het boek:

".... en na een harde knal was Roderik veranderd in de meest schitterande, glinsterende en oogverblindende vogel die je je maar bedenken kunt!"

Deze zin is heel lecker in mijn hersenen :P

en dit woord "Mompelde" het maakt me aan het lachen :)