Published: 3rd June 2002
Publisher: Walker Books
Illustrator: Patrick Benson
Pages: 25
Format: Paperback Picture Book
★ ★ – 2 Stars
This is the story of three baby owls who wake up one night in their hole in the tree to find that their mother has gone, so they sit on the branch and wait, wondering when she will return. At last she does, and they all bounce up and down with joy, welcoming her home.
Can a picture book be boring? This might be a close contender to a boring picture book. I will give credit because the illustrations are reasonably pretty, and I will give a notable mention that it is, in its own way, educational and sweet if you look hard enough. But it’s also boring.
From tricking me by picking up its cute cover, the story is about owl babies who are waiting for their mother to come back. Essentially, nothing happens in the story. The three owl babies cry out for their mother, they each do an action, rinse and repeat. You do learn through the story what owlets eat, how the mother owls swoop silently and hunt, but that’s picked up through the story, so unless you’re trying to get something from this book like I was, you probably won’t think too much of it. But there is no real story except for the owl babies to wait for their mother.
As I say, the illustrations are cute, they are detailed, coloured beautifully, but there is no story to engage with. I can’t imagine how this would hold a child’s attention unless you expanded on it with your own explanations, even then I can’t think what would hold a kid’s appeal.
You can purchase Owl Babies via the following
QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository
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