Crow Smarts

July 15, 2016
New Caledonian crows demonstrate that they both use and produce tools. In their second joint venture, author Turner and photographer Comins (The Frog Scientist, 2009) journey to New Caledonia to see these feathered "geniuses" in action. There, Dr. Gavin R. Hunt takes them into the forest for field observations and into aviaries and testing areas where captive crows demonstrate their capabilities with unfamiliar materials. Only five animal species are known to make multiple kinds of tools; only crows and humans make hooked tools. Do crows, like humans, improve tool technology and pass those improvements on to others? Well-reproduced photographs, sketches by researcher/illustrator de Filippo, and a clearly organized, engaging text introduce readers to specific crows like young Little Feather, who's learning tool use from a parent. Turner and Comins also accompany an islander who's returning some captives to the wild. There's description, too, of the crows' South Pacific island world and research done with this species in labs. The author's affinity for the clever birds shines through, but she is less respectful to her human host. Readers only learn main character "Gavin's" last name in the backmatter; his official position at the University of Auckland is never mentioned. This is discourteous and, for readers interested in the scientists as well as the science, a sad omission. An otherwise fine entry in the long-running Scientists in the Field Series. (Nonfiction. 10-14)

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Starred review from August 1, 2016

Gr 4-7-This title takes readers to New Caledonia, where, as Turner puts it, "the forests are lush and the crows are geniuses." Comins's photos supply ample evidence of both. Under the guidance of crow researcher Gavin Hunt, expeditions to the island's wilds provide opportunities to watch the local species of crow display the astonishing ability not only to use found sticks to dig grubs from logs but also to make their own hooked tools from twigs or the jagged leaves of the pandanus-and to train a juvenile crow in the technique. Then later, under controlled conditions in a lab, captive crows (which are carefully returned to their home territories afterward) beat out groups of four- to seven-year-old children in performing feats of mental activity to get at an inaccessible treat. The author also surveys tool use by other wild animals, from chimps to crocodiles, and, with added art by de Filippo, compares the structures of crow and human brains. She closes with more anecdotes about corvid intelligence and leads to further information. VERDICT Required reading for anyone who believes that we are the only, or even the most, sapient species on the planet. Highly recommended for STEM and animal collections.-John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York City

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