Wow! Said the Owl

Wow! Said The Owl by Tim Hopgood

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009



While not a newly published book, this is one that's new to me. I do an owl-themed storytime almost every year, and I came across this when looking for something different to use. It would also work really great for colors.

The book begins with, "At night, when we are feeling tired and ready for bed, owls are just waking up." I love the simplicity in this statement. It goes on to talk about how owls can see in the dark, giving just enough background information on owls for youngest listeners.

One night, this curious little owl decides she will take a nap and then stay up to see what the day has to offer. She wakes up just before dawn and says, "Wow!" when she sees the pink sky. Each new color that she sees makes her say, "Wow!" The repetition of the word makes for great interaction, as kids can say it with you each time. And when night falls, the owl finds that it has some pretty beautiful colors of its own.

The illustrations are big and bold and work well for a large group. Individual readers will notice a color wheel at the end of the book, with a note that all of the colors can be found in the book if they want to look through it again and notice and name them.

Reviewed from purchased copy

Readers Are Everywhere!

You probably know by now that I'm a dog person. Cats aren't really my thing. However, even I will admit that this is a really cute story about a cat who reads.


I was in the "lobby" of an auto body shop the other day. (I was waiting for an estimate on some damage after being rear-ended, in case you were wondering. Body shops aren't my typical hangout.) Anyway, it was early and as the guys (probably mid-twenties to mid-thirties) were turning on computers, etc., I heard one mention that he's reading the second Enemy book by Charlie Higson, and that it's really good. I love unexpectedly hearing people talk about books, especially when they are adults talking about young adult titles.

Catching Up

Things have been crazy! Lots going on...I changed branches on October 1, and one of the things that came with that change is a new program - an afterschool program for elementary school age kids, at yet another branch. So far, it's going great and I'm having lots of fun with it.

I haven't been doing much reading...partly because I've had lots of other things to do, but also partly because of new fall t.v. shows...and watching t.v. cuts into my reading time...

Here's a little of what I have read:

The first three Myron Bolitar novels by Harlan Coben...and then I read his first young adult book that was recently published - Shelter. It focuses on Myron's nephew Mickey, and I liked it better than the others. I think in part, because it seemed to move faster. You can absolutely read it without having read any of Coben's adult titles...but after finishing, I read the newest Myron novel - Live Wire - which was really interesting because it parts of it were Shelter from a different perspective. While I'm not in a rush to finish the rest of the Myron novels, I always like having a series to fall back on.

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles - This was smartly and gorgeously written. Really, some of the sentences were just so beautifully crafted. I do think the writing surpassed the actual story, which was good, but just didn't have the wow factor I was expecting. That being said, I'll absolutely read Towles's next book.

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier - a really fun ya time travel book...first in a trilogy

What have you been reading and really enjoying? Any recommendations? Or, what new shows are you watching? I'm really hooked on Revenge and am enjoying Pan Am, too.