Tiny Owl's Scary Day

Tiny Owl doesn’t want to go to bed. She wants to explore the day. But owls sleep then; their time is the night. Even though Mama tries to dissuade her telling her the day is scary for little owls, Tiny Owl is undeterred. How will she fare?

This is not a new theme, but Petr Horáček’s simple text makes it a pleasure to read. There is plenty of opportunity for interesting sounds – tiptoe, tiptoe or swish, swash, click crack and plenty of movement as Tiny Owl flies across the double spreads. Yes, the day can be fun – but dangers lurk. Young eyes will enjoy spotting the cat in the undergrowth or the fox in the reeds among other perils. And who is that following in the distance? The audience will quickly spot Mother Owl. Here it is not just the text that works but Horáček’s glorious colour saturated images that burst off each page full of energy and excitement. Not a space is wasted across each double spread whether the page is broken to create visual storytelling or the frisson of the double spread where Tiny Owl finds herself alone, the blues surrounding her reminding us how small she is. And what is making that Whoosh? From the starry front covers to the starry back covers this is picture book from a picture book creator at the top of his form.