The Crow's Tale

Product Information

In the dark depths of winter, snow is falling and the animals are freezing and famished. Brave Crow sets out on a dangerous journey to find the Sun, and beg for warmth. Will Crow succeed? And what will happen to his colourful rainbow feathers? Imelda and the kind fairies triumph over the greedy, grumpy goblin king in this picture book rooted in classic fairy tales - and accompanied by some dazzling illustrations. Norris the bear is patient, and prepared to wait for life's pleasures, such as the plorringe hanging from the tree, not quite ripe. It is easy to get swept away into fantasy, as the play cleverly creates a mystical sense of the universal. Combining a Native American origins story with a forest that could be anywhere, accompanied by a musical narrative voice with a Scandinavian accent, the elements are securely bound together through the age old form of the marionette. But although rooted in the past and folklore, the adventure then thrillingly breaks time barriers by propelling us through an exciting space-scape that includes whirling, lit-up space junk and planets, till we reach the Sun. This was done in Forest School with a Year 2 class (they are half completed in the accompanying photo). We also read "The Crow's Tale" which is a Native legend with a nice moral and lovely pictures.

Inspired by a Native American myth, this beautiful debut picture book shows how courage and kindness are what really matter. This production is delightful at every level; visually beautiful, musically impressive, skilfully enacted and a captivating story. It is an escape capsule of much needed pleasure which offers a welcome break from the worldly stress of our current pandemic. The Puppet Barge experience is to be highly recommended to young and old alike; 45 minutes of pure pleasure – what have you got to lose? And what better way to escape Covid than with a magical corvid? Crow’s brave journey is impressively staged, with simple lighting cleverly creating the intense feeling of arduousness in his flight and an acute sense of peril. His struggle and sacrifice for his friends is thoroughly moving, and on his return to Earth we are left understanding an important message that we should not judge people on their appearance but rather on their behaviour. So the fable from the past is still very relevant in the present.