The illustrations are beautiful -- really, really nice. The story is sad -- Lila is outcast because a boy says her hair is as dark as a crow, then her skin, then her eyes. She comes into her own at the end, but it's not a lighthearted sort of book. ( )

The illustrations are so soft and sad, which is fitting because this book made me sad. Lila is bullied for weeks and weeks because of her crow-dark hair and skin and eyes, with one little asshole named Nathan leading the charge against her because I guess he needs to feel like the other kids will follow his lead. So Nathan calls her names three days in a row and then forgets about her because she hides from his taunts, until a crow gifts her hundreds of feathers which she notices are more beautiful than she realized, and she embraces the epithet and dresses like a crow for the autumn festival and the kids all realize that crows are actually pretty great, and even that asshole Nathan somehow comes around and starts to wear crow feathers in his hair. Which is nice but implausible. There must be another picture book somewhere in which Nathan has an internal journey of self-acceptance as well and learns empathy. Also, throughout, there are no adults trying to mitigate the bullying and the obvious trouble that Lila is having fitting in. The kids are never rebuked for teasing the new girl, no teacher notices that Lila has started hiding herself behind more and more layers of clothing and that she never participates in school (I assume) and that she sits alone for recess every day. The only one who cares at all is the crow! ( )

This book is a beautiful story that deals with a sad issue. When Lila arrives at a new school with her heart full looking forward to making new friends, it takes one mean comment to destroy her confidence and burst her bubble. Every day it gets worse, with many bystanders who either join in the laughing or do nothing. When Lila embraces her difference and arrives at school brimming with happiness and confidence, the children rally around her.

This book will show children that things like this happen, that children get hurt when others mock them. It is a great opportunity to have the discussion about bullying and what bystanders can do to help the victim. It also shows that you can hold your head high and accept your differences and use them to your advantage. This book will help children to be empathetic and to see the beauty in everything. The illustrations are wonderful, they show such great emotion in the characters as well as creating a mood that fits the story. A great book to be in teacher resource sections of school libraries as well as in public libraries for families to read and use.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

**This book was reviewed for Netgalley**

Lila and the Crow is a charming tale of embracing the now, of claiming all of who you are. As Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones, GRR Martin) said: “Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.” “Let them see that their words can cut you and you’ll never be free of the mockery. If they want to give you a name take it make it your own. Then they can’t hurt you with it anymore.”

Lila is the new girl at school. She's so happy on that first day, hoping to make friends. Her plans are thwarted when a bully picks on her about how black her hair is, black like a crow. As weeks progress, he continues to tease her, saying her skin and eyes are like a crow too. Near Halloween, Lila is confronted with a flock of crows who shed many feathers when leaving. Lila gathers them up and hurries home. Halloween day comes, and Lila arrives at school in her beautiful costume. She’s come as a crow! The bully is left speechless, while Lila shows off her costume. The nickname 'Crow’ sticks, but she's finally embraced as a member of the group.

The artwork for this book is just lovely. It really captures Lila and brings her to life. This book is a great tool in helping young kids through their own bullying at the hands of the insecure. Lila learns, like Tyrion said, to not let anyone see how the words hurt, to claim them as their own.

🎻🎻🎻🎻🎻 Highly recommended ( )

I had mixed feelings after reading this book. I liked the book because the illustrations are beautiful. The illustrations are sketches that are extremely detailed, colorful, and precise. The colors fit well for the story because they were more dark and dreary in the beginning and then became brighter when Lila was happy. I also liked that it was a unique story about overcoming adversity. Lila was made fun of for looking different and was called a crow. Usually the protagonist would just confront the bully, however in this story Lila took a different approach by making a wonderful crow outfit for the fall festival. This caused her classmates to look at her differently and respect her. The thing I did not like about this book is that I felt like it was drawn out. I feel like the same point could have been made by only talking about her bullying experiences 2 or 3 times, instead of 4. It became very repetitive. The moral of the story is that you can turn something hurtful into something positive. Although things may not seem great at the time, you will overcome your problems. ( )