Jocko has been living a very raven life: flying, cawing, eating?

Until suddenly...Jocko is falling! This isn't how it's supposed to be at all! The ground rushes up fast?

The next thing Jocko knows, he's looking into the kind, and worried, faces of humans.

And then something happens that is very not-raven (though if any creature could manage this, it would be the smart and curious raven):

Jocko begins to tell his story, with his own voice.

Inspired by a real raven brought to his animal hospital in the 1970s, author Phil Ellsworth, DVM, wrote Jocko the Raven for elementary-school readers; it's a sweet and engaging story. But he also wrote it with the hopes that the gently presented lessons will linger with young readers as they age. Teens face a lot of scary challenges?from bullying to drug use?and if they can remember the lessons Jocko shared, they might remember hope as well and quickly find a path forward.

I had long thought that children might be interested in Jocko's story and decided that the best way to do that was to give him a voice and allow him to experience some of life's important lessons: Friendships are important. If you are in trouble, help is often available. It is fun to help people. Not everyone is going to like you, and that is okay. If something looks too good to be true, use caution. And, yes, cats can learn to open cage latches.

The author can be reached at: JockoTheRaven2@aol.com