By Jeff Bloom, Teacher and Author • Squawkers book series
Growing up on 4 acres of land in the outskirts of Kamloops, we had lots of pets. My parents didn’t consider the 150 chickens pets, but us kids certainly did! We also had Tumbler pigeons, Bantam chickens, Chukar partridges, dogs, a cat, the occasional squirrel, a Budgie, and our crow Squawker. We had several crows which we named Squawker, even though they never squawked. Instead, because they were raised around dogs, they learned to bark! Squawker was very smart and he never ceased to amaze me.
When I became a teacher, I started telling Squawker stories to my students. Once I retired my wife encouraged me to write children’s books and publish them, so I did. With every book I write I’m thinking of the importance of family and the life lessons I’ve learned growing up with Squawker.
In Free as a Bird, Squawker wants to fly. But to do so he must also learn to keep striving to achieve his goal. Sometimes it can be scary, and sometimes you could get hurt, but Squawker keeps trying until he eventually flies.
In Free to Party, Squawker is full of rambunctious teenage energy which gets him into hot water. He plays the piano, sings, has a dance party with the other pets, and they end up wrecking the house. Consequences ensue when they get caught!
In Friends Aren’t Free, Squawker is quite the bully. He mistreats Dog, who then refuses to play. Squawker learns to accept responsibility for his actions and apologizes to Dog.
I’ve learned so much from Squawker. Crows are fascinating creatures. They are family oriented and mate for life. They have close relationships with their children, and maintain relationships with extended family, like grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. In many ways their culture is similar to humans. They loved to tease, but they also like to just sit quietly watching the sun rise.
I spent hours observing Squawker, watching him making plans and experiment. Sometimes he would bring me something special he wanted me to see. I’ve seen Squawker laugh so hard he toppled over. He would often sit on my dad’s shoulder and have a quiet conversation with him. And I’ve seen crows hold funerals.
I hope next time you see a crow you think of Squawker and how amazing crows are. And … by the way … I’ve started a fourth Squawker book called Free to be Me.
Jeff Bloom is an elementary school teacher in Merritt, BC. He and his wife have raised both of their children there and love to spend as much time as possible with their four grandchildren. Writing for children is a passion, as is being outdoors hiking and kayaking