PreS—These three stories have been adapted and designed for the toddler crowd. In the first warm and gentle tale, an owlet gets separated from her mother and starts to howl loudly. All the forest animals try in earnest to calm her, from a concerned mole to a gruff stag beetle. It is only after the baby owl sees her mother on a tree branch above that she stops howling and flies into her comforting arms. The deep, earthy tones affectionately convey this sweet story about separation. The second book is a scaled-down version of Chicken Chickens (NorthSouth, 2001). It follows a pair of young chicks on their first visit to the neighborhood playground. They arrive with their mom and are overwhelmed at all of the bustling activity. As they wander around, new friends invite them to play but each time they demure saying, "Oh, no! Little chicks can't do THAT!" Finally, a group of mice and a beaver encourages them to attempt the slide and, with the help of the other animals, they succeed. Whimsical drawings help readers follow along on this playground adventure. In the third book, Rainbow Fish and his friends are afraid of the new whale that is hanging out in the area, eating all their food and staring at them. Rainbow Fish soon learns that the whale only wanted to make friends and that he has been hurt by the others' mean words and actions. Additional purchases for preschool collections or libraries that offer lap-sit programs.—Melissa Smith, Royal Oak Public Library, MI
In response to a little owl's howling, various forest animals take turns trying to determine the problem and stop her tears. The bulbous-eyed owl is uncommonly sympathetic thanks to Goossens's illustrations on sturdy, glossy pages. When the owl is back under her mom's wings, readers will exhale with relief--before they grin at the punch line.
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