Gregg Dreise, Cunning Crow, Magabala Books, October 2019, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781925768862
This is the story of Waan the crow and his cunning plan. When the animals discover that the rainbow gives them colour, Waan wants to be the most beautiful, even more beautiful than Dinewah. But Waan’s plan fails, he cannot recreate the Dreaming Magic and so the cunning crow reminds us to be proud of our differences and that beauty comes from within.
This traditional story, beautifully illustrated and retold is based on the words of the author’s grandmother. It is one of a series of morality stories drawn from Dreise’s Elders, reviving traditional storytelling while passing on Australian folk tales – faced with the threat of being lost – to a new generation.
Reviewed by Pam Ueckerman
