Welcome to Perfect Picture Book Friday!
And prepare to have your socks knocked off by today’s selection!
This is one of those books I read and think, MAN, I wish I could write like that!
I hope you find this book as interesting, beautiful, and awe-inspiring as I do!
Title: I Am We: How Crows Come Together To Survive
Written By: Leslie Barnard Booth
Illustrated By: Alexandra Finkeldey
ISBN#: 978-1797226156
Publisher: Chronicle Books, September 9, 2025
Suitable For Ages: 5-8
Themes/Topics: nature(crow behavior), power of collaboration, survival, informational fiction
text copyright Leslie Barnard Booth 2025, illustration copyright Alexandra Finkeldey 2025, Chronicle Books
Opening:
“I spill across the sky like ink –
fill the night with jagged cries.
I have one thousand eyes.
I see all.
Know all.
Am all.”
Brief Synopsis: [from the publisher] “A riveting informational picture book that explores the beguiling mysteries of crow behavior. Gorgeous illustrations take us into a crow’s environment and community, making this an incredible―and unforgettable―reading experience.”
text copyright Leslie Barnard Booth 2025, illustration copyright Alexandra Finkeldey 2025, Chronicle Books
Links To Resources: This is a very interesting video of the author talking about how she came to write the book – well worth watching! The back of the book has quite a lot of VERY interesting back matter all about crows – their intelligence, communication, families, social learning, and much more.
text copyright Leslie Barnard Booth 2025, illustration copyright Alexandra Finkeldey 2025, Chronicle Books
Why I Like This Book: I was amazed by this book. For starters, I knew next to nothing about crows, (even though I see them all the time!) and I learned a lot! The story shows crows as the highly intelligent, social creatures they are, and highlights how they gather together for survival, each one working for the greater good. They call each other to gather, returning to the same place night after night, and year after year to strong, protective areas. They huddle together in huge numbers to keep warm in winter, and to protect themselves from predators. The language of the text is exquisite – lyrical, poetic, and beautiful. The art is stunning as well – dark and lovely in some places, dark and more intense in others, and finally, toward the end, filling with light and hope. I found the book surprisingly moving. The extensive back matter provides lots of interesting information for curious readers. The whole book is really a work of art!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😊
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out 😊) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 😊
Susanna Leonard Hill 
This book looks amazing. Thank you so much for sharing it. I do find crows fascinating and would love to learn more. 🩷
I hope you like it, Robin! Not only is it educational, it is so beautifully written you won’t believe it. A great text for writers to study!
I love this book and get lost in the illustrations and lyrical language each time I read it. It’s sucha stunning and informative book!
It is a work of art, Maria! It makes me wish I could write like that!
I love cries and can’t wait to read more of this lovely lyrical text.
The text is beautiful, Annette! And the back matter interesting and very informative!
crows!
Immediately adding it to my list! Looks amazing!
I feel very confident in saying you will love it, Kim! As writers, I think we can all learn a few things from Leslie!
Excellent book and illustrations! I love the page with crows and witches where the crows are in color (not black). There is so much creative detail to look at – and facts subtly voiced. (One of my daughters probably wouldn’t have liked the darkness of the book. Definitely wouldn’t have been a bedtime story for her.)
I love that page, too! And I found myself wondering, is Shakespeare public domain somehow, or did she have to get permission to use that line from Macbeth?
Crows, like other birds, are fascinating. I loved the illustrations. The writing is minimal yet effective. I watched your video on Amazon. Congratulations!
I love to watch birds, Eleanor. I have a bird feeder, and I watch them with interest, though I can only reliably identify about 10 species 🙂 But I didn’t know crows were so intelligent, or that they could carry a grudge and pass it along to their community!
The Corvid family (Corvidae) are amazing. I saved an European Jay bird years ago, called him Attila. He lived with us for 5 years, then other Jay’s visited his aviary in the summer. He became restless. I left the door open and he joined his similes. He came back once in a while to eat his worms. I hope he found a mate. He used to fly around the house and like parrots he could vocalize. e.g. He would mimic the clothes line squeeking or the phone ringing. When I set the table and dinner was ready he knew I would call my husband, so he’d say Franco with the same tone of my voice. Incredible birds. I also didn’t know they could carry a grudge. I’ll have to get a copy of the book in Italy.
That is incredible, Eleanor! Sounds like a picture book to me!!!
I am fascinated by the behavior of the crows that fly through the trees around our house and look forward to reading I AM WE. The few pages shared in this article have drawn me in.
They are beautifully written, aren’t they, Kathryn? And did you watch the video of Leslie talking about her inspiration for the book? It actually shows the crows!
Who isn’t a fan of crows! Ha! And this pick is beautiful!
Probably the people who put up scarecrows 🙂 But the pictures in this book, that make them look so bright and intelligent, are very appealing!
I just placed a hold at my library for this book. I know that crows are intelligent, but I didn’t know how social they are. This sounds fascinating and will make excellent mentor text.
Wait until you read the back matter, Danielle! Crows are pretty amazing! I had no idea!
Susanna, you have such lovely picks for Perfect Picture Book Friday, but this is one of the best. And yes, I am prejudiced, based on the topic, but still it sounds like a great book–informational, lyrical, and I really enjoyed Leslie’s video. I just placed a hold at my local library–now to wait!
You’re going to love it! I really think you will!
Yessssss! This is one of my favorite picture books of all time!!! The lyricism. The pacing. The word choice. The illustrations. And the facts!!! Oh, my….
I know, right, Jilanne? I just read it for the first time and I want to be Leslie! 🙂
LOVE this book! From the lyrical language to the color palette. I do a lot of crow-watching, especially down by the fields during the winter. They’re interesting birds and probably smarter than me!
The book is really stunning, isn’t it, Sue? I have not done a lot of crow watching, and I learned a lot from the back matter in this book.
You had me with the title! What an incredible book. I will look for this one ASAP!
I think you will really love it, Christy. It’s beautifully written and illustrated, the back matter is very interesting, and if you like to write lyrical text it’s a great mentor choice.
The Academy of Natural Science visited the school where I taught years ago. The topic was Animal Myths. The presenter demonstrated how very intelligent the crows were in comparison to the owl. The students were amazed! I’m looking forward to reading this book! 🐦⬛🐦⬛
I never realized exactly how smart crows are, Susan, but I didn’t even think about them in comparison to owls! That’s very interesting!
This is one of my favorite recent picture books. The writing is perfect. Lyrical text with the occasional rhymes that add to the rhythm and drive the story forward. This is on my mentor text shelf.
I completely agree, Sue! And it’s on mine, too!
Thanks so much for including the author’s video link – definitely inspiring. Added to my list.
Wasn’t that video wonderful, Lorraine? I really enjoyed it, and felt that it took the book to an even higher level, if that is possible!
This book is magical!
It really is, Robin!
Great choice. Crows have always been fascinating birds to watch. Hoping my library has a copy. If not, they need to get one!
If they don’t have it, Marty, they absolutely need to get a copy! I bet they do, but keep me posted – I’d be interested to know!
This book sounds and looks incredible. I’m so excited to check it out and read it fully. 😍
I feel sure you will love it, Gabrielle. It is so beautifully written – the language, the lyricism, the rhythm – amazing!
Just put it on hold. Thanks for sharing ❤️
My pleasure, Kate! I love sharing books I love!