Little Owl’s Night, by Divya Srinivasan, is a bedtime tale with a “reverse” twist. The adorable protagonist, Little Owl, is having “a wonderful night” visiting his nocturnal friends. Among the many night creatures making an appearance, there’s the waddling possum family, a hedgehog who likes to sniff mushrooms, a hungry skunk, busy beavers, a shy turtle, and a raccoon. But all too soon, it’s time for Little Owl to head home. Morning is just around the corner, which means bedtime for Little Owl. He asks his mother to “tell me again how night ends,” and in poetic prose, she obliges: “The moon and stars fade to ghosts… Spiderwebs turn to silver threads… Dewdrops sparkle on leaves and grass like tiny stars come down.” By the time she’s finished her bedtime tale, Little Owl has fallen fast asleep. Glossy, graphic illustrations, set mostly against black backdrops, make the night and its denizens appear inviting and intriguing. Little ones will drift off to sleep happily exploring the night forest in their dreams.
Hootenanny! by Kimberly Ainsworth, illustrated by Jo Brown, is a jazz-flavored counting book featuring five jaunty owls. It’s Saturday night and “there’s a party at the top of the Old Oak Tree.” One little owl gets dressed and makes his way up the oak tree, collecting four of his fine-feathered friends along the way. Lively, toe-tapping prose (“Now 2 owls are ready to play. Hippity-hop, bip-bop, jive and sway!”) and a catchy refrain (“Hootenanny, hootenanny—it’s time for fun. Hootenanny, hootenanny—the party has begun!”) make this a fun read-aloud. But it’s the colorful, energetic illustrations of music-playing, dancing owls in bow ties and boogie shoes that make this counting book a real hoot.
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How many owl characters can you think of in children’s literature? What’s your favorite?
