"A charming tribute to the quirkiness of collective nouns ... puns and
wordplay abound." -- Foreword, starred review
A sloth of bears, a smack of jellyfish, a nuisance of cats -- these are
some of the surprising and idiosyncratic names we have for groups of
animals. Inspired by the evocative possibilities of collective nouns,
also called "terms of venery," author Kyle Lukoff and illustrator
Natalie Nelson have created a picture book full of clever wordplay and
delightful illustrations. Each spread features a nugget of a story using
a particular term, which is accompanied by a collage illustration that
serves as the visual punch line.
But where did these unusual names come from? Many of them can be traced
back to a book on hunting, hawking and heraldry, printed in 1486 -- the
Book of St. Albans, which has been reproduced many times since.
A Storytelling of Ravens provides a unique opportunity to explore and
rejoice in the oddities of the English language.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language
Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4
Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between
illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a
story an illustration depicts).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.7
Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or
digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or
plot.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7
Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning,
tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation
of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
