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Story synopsis

Carmen and Angelo, a pair of rascally ravens, descend on Hattie Greystone's farm stead and take whatever they want from her garden. They tease her dog, Buster, steal kindling from her wood pile, and "borrow" her scarf to line their nest. But when Dink, the last of their chicks to hatch, falls out of the nest, Hattie and Buster nurse him back to health. The ravens must then ask where Dink really belongs, with them or with his new-found friends?

Writer, Patricia Petersen, and illustrator, Sheli Petersen, are a mother-daughter team who are life-long birders. This book is based on their direct observations of ravens in the wild.

Rascally Ravens picture book exhibition:
empowering through visual-storytelling

On view at
Texas Woman's University Blagg-Huey Library Library, Denton campus • February 24 –  May 16, 2025
Greater Denton Arts Council, Patterson-Appleton Arts Center, Denton, TX • Sept 16 - Nov 29, 2025

Artist’s Statement

As a professional educator and life-long naturalist, I draw upon research and direct observation in the New England, Southwest, Midwest, and Texas landscapes to realize my picture book characters. While the book’s primary purpose is entertainment, the exhibition will also model for children and adult audiences my research process, storyboards for sequencing page layouts, and illustration techniques to inspire viewers to tell their own visual narratives.

Raven Fun Facts

Color & Size: Ravens have shiny black feathers and can grow up to 25 in. long with a wing span of over 4 ft.

Speech: Ravens have their own calls, but can also learn to talk like people and animals.

Intelligence: Ravens can solve complex problems and have a good memory for sounds, food sources, and human faces.

Clutch: The number of eggs, usually 3-7, a mother raven will lay. Eggs are usually light green with brown flecks.

Food: Ravens aren’t picky about their diet. They forage wild fruit and nuts, but will also eat pet food and garbage.

Cache: Food that ravens store by hiding it under leaf piles, and clumps of snow.