Owlet's First Flight

PreS-K—Worried about flying for the first time, Owlet has not left his nest yet. When his mom encourages him to be brave like his brothers and sisters, he says, "'But it's dark,/I might lose my way.'" Mom reassures him that owls see fine in the dark and that it's their time to play. He takes off and is determined to keep flying. Instead of rushing home when he sees a clawlike shadow or hears scary noises by the farm, he continues his journey across the night sky. Several pages in this rhyming picture book encourage children to use their imagination. Before turning the page, ask, "What could that bang-clanging sound be? What toppled those metal containers?" Children familiar with noctural animals might guess that it's raccoons. Modarressi's soft-focus watercolors capture the excitement of Owlet's success and the beauty of a late summer's night.—Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada