A STORYTELLING OF RAVENS by Kyle Lukoff and illustrations by Natalie Nelson is an attractive board book for juveniles. The text is pedestrian but the illustrations and the use of color are enchanting. I recommend this book if only to admire the illustrations. ( )

Taking terms of venery - collective nouns used to describe various groups of animals - as an inspiration, first-time author Kyle Lukoff and artist Natalie Nelson produce a charming picture-book in A Storytelling of Ravens. Each two page spread describes a group of animals doing something rather quirky and offbeat - a bloat of hippopotamuses racing for the cupcake factory where there's been an explosion, the smack of jellyfish encountering a glass-bottomed boat - while the artwork accentuates the humor of their actions...

Although less of a story than it is a visual smorgasbord of animal groups, I found A Storytelling of Ravens quite engrossing, and I suspect that young animal lovers will as well. Of course, it helps that I love animal adjectives of all kinds, and find the terms of venery used here immensely entertaining. But even if that were not so, there is a quirky sense of humor here that I enjoyed, and I found the artwork quite beautiful. Recommended to anyone looking for unusual, offbeat, beautiful new picture-books. ( )