Owls!

I haven't posted for a while, I got swept up in the Christmas fever and it's only really just set me down again! But having received two beautiful owl based picture books for Christmas I decided that they should be the topic of this post.

The first one was Owl Babies written by Martin Waddell and illustrated by Patrick Benson. It's a pretty well known classic but it's one that we didn't have before so I was very pleased to add it to my Rosie's collection!

It's a very sweet story of three baby owls, Sarah, Percy and Bill, waking up in the night to find their mummy has gone. They all wonder aloud where she can be. Sarah and Percy are very brave and reassure their smallest sibling, Bill. Of course Mummy Owl does come back and she soon gathers her little chicks under her wing. It deals perfectly with a child's worry that a parent won't come back and reinforces that they will. It's also a nice look at where owls live for a young child.


The second one was WOW! said the owl by Tim Hopgood. It was bought in the Book Hive bookshop in Norwich, it's a lovely bookshop and they lay books out in a way that just invites you to browse for ages. And the children's section is great!

WOW! is a book about colours and it tells the story of an owl who decides to stay awake during the day and see how it is different to the night time. He sees lots of different colours as he watches the day enfold, even a rainbow. But then night-time falls and he sees the stars come out and decides that night is best after all. It's a lovely blend of whimsy and non-fiction and great for talking about colours with a toddler. Also I LOVE the illustrations. It's very clear why Tim Hopgood won the Early Years Award for Best Emerging Illustrator.