Official Review: The day of the ravens by Bradford Ingram

Jordan David · Post by **Chelsy Scherba** » 11 Apr 2020, 15:14

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The day of the ravens" by Bradford Ingram.]

4 out of 4 stars

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The Day of the Ravens is a book written by Bradford Ingram and illustrated by his wife, Syria Ingram. The angels love to sing and play with the animals, but they always avoid the ravens. The ravens are dark and scary with black eyes. One day, a raven sees the angels playing. The raven decides he wants to sing a beautiful song with them. He gathers his flock and they fly to the angels, but the angels are afraid of their song. The angels hide in the trees until the littlest angel comes to realize through tragedy what the ravens intended. She teaches the others not to judge the ravens on their song and appearance, but rather on their hearts.

This is such a beautiful story. It was made even more so by the story’s heartbreaking origin. The Ingrams lost their daughter at a young age, so she is the inspiration for this book. Each page of poetry is accompanied by a gorgeous watercolor illustration. Syria draws animals and angels equally well, bringing out charm and emotion in each one. Since this is a tribute to their late daughter, none of the angels are male. However, the angels are racially diverse. The animals, especially the ravens, are really cute and realistic. Syria’s artwork lends a visual beauty to this book that is unparalleled in any independent authors I’ve seen so far.

I love the writing. Bradford manages to evoke great emotion through his poetry. I actually cried when I was reading, not something I do easily. It was such a touching, moving story that was both sad and heartwarming. I loved the spiritual message that was shared. I can think of no better tribute to a lost child than this book. Neither can I imagine their pain having never experienced such tragedy myself, but nevertheless, my own personal losses and experiences were reflected here as well. Regardless of your own history, this book is relatable on so my levels.

The illustrations make this an excellent book to read to children and teach them about life, love, and kindness. The poetry is not simplistic, so it is also ideal reading for adults. The author uses a range and style of vocabulary that is both descriptive and pleasing, and as I mentioned before, evokes great emotion. This couple have managed to combine their talents into a work of art, and they also kindly share a portion of their proceeds with the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The only error I saw was in the foreword, and it was minor. This lovely book is a great book to add to any collection, especially those dealing with loss and anyone who wants to inspire children or themselves with a message of hope and God’s love for us. This is a great book for any age. I loved it.

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The day of the ravens
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