Little Owl's Day

PreS-K—In this companion book to Little Owl's Night (Viking, 2011), a squirrel's chittering wakes Little Owl, affording him an opportunity to experience his forest world in daylight for the first time. Wrens, so silent at night, are "trilling sweetly"; butterflies and bees flutter among the flowers covering the forest floor; dragonflies fly backwards as they skim along the pond. Turtle, closed in her shell at night, now suns herself on the rocks. Yes, the forest is indeed a different and magical place during the day. Yet another wonder awaits Little Owl when his friend Bear, now awake and hunting fish, shows him a beautiful rainbow. The large, flat illustrations, all spreads, depict a cheery forest habitat in varying shades of blue and green and enlivened with colorful insects and other forest creatures. Little Owl, with his squat body and huge black-green eyes, hovers over most spreads, taking everything in. As day begins to fold into night and the sky darkens to blue-black, he shares his adventures with the night creatures that begin to appear. And before he catches up on his much-needed sleep, the little bird has a wonder to show Bear, too—the newly risen moon. Young readers will enjoy following Little Owl on his explorations, and this story, paired with Ashley Wolff's Baby Bear Sees Blue (S. & S., 2012), can instill in them a sense of wonder at the natural world.—Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT