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Zo in the Roosting Tree
Caw!
The story of a magical crow named Zo!
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Zo looks like a crow, sounds like a crow, and flies like a crow. But Zo thinks she’s a human girl inside!
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Zo in the Roosting Tree tells the story of a clever crow, through the eyes of a human girl. A girl who loves being a crow, but who must find the secret to being human. Follow Zo’s adventures as she learns to fly, plays games with a goofy cardinal named Rufus, and surfs the wind with her wings in the clouds. Kahr! Kahr!
Being Zo the crow is fun! But when Zo discovers the dangers of her new life—owls and bobcats and cars—she misses her human family. And time is running out.
Can a mysterious snapping turtle help Zo find the magic she needs to go home again?
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Zo in the Roosting Tree by Sara Webley is Book 1 in this nature-inspired fantasy series. Perfect for middle grade readers. Illustrated by Robin Prisland.
Praise for Zo in the Roosting Tree
“Sara Webley blends science fact with engaging fantasy so that we might dream a bit about what it is like to be a bird. And not just any bird, but a fun-loving crow! Zo in the Roosting Tree teaches us about the struggles of a young bird and the caring nature of parent birds all the while showing us the importance of nature to children.”
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— John Marzluff, author of Gifts of the Crow and Welcome to Subirdia
“Zo in the Roosting Tree is a delightful, fantastical story told from the perspective of an 11-year-old girl who wakes up one morning . . . as a crow! Sara Webley has created a brilliant, vivid story about a girl experiencing life as a crow. It’s not only captivating, the story is educational as well.
Sprinkled throughout the book are cool crow facts. Did you know that their feathers are actually blue/black? Crows eat bugs, frogs, corn, berries, earthworms — ew! My favorite cool fact is that crows can use sticks to get caterpillars through gaps in a fence. There are even authentic crow noises throughout the book that the birds use to communicate with each other (‘rok rok’ = laughter in crow-speak).
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As exhilarating as being a crow is (let’s face it, being able to fly WOULD be awesome!) Zo is desperate to return to her human family before they leave their cabin and return to the city.
I love the sarcastic humor of this book. Zo even acknowledges the absurdity of being able to understand what other animals are saying. ‘Now, here was a big turtle sitting on a wet log, talking to me about grasshoppers. Don’t ask me how I knew what Shelly was saying. All I knew was that I was suddenly at the United Nations of the Wild and I could understand every animal on earth.’
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This is a terrific book for imaginative 7–12 year old readers who would love to KNOW about another kind of life.”
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“A charming story about a young girl who is mysteriously (though temporarily) turned into a crow—but this is more than a day-in-the-life kind of tale. This is a story about learning to understand another’s way of living, and the perspective of other beings, and coming to appreciate that life in all its forms, while never quite letting go of your own. In simple enough language for young readers to pursue by themselves, Sara Webley makes this fantastical, important story accessible and fun.”
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— Anna Morris, Lead Environmental Educator, Vermont Institute of Natural Science
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