This is Owl

In This is Owl, illustrator Jacqui Lee, no stranger to using bright colors and clear shapes to invite children into the world of a new animal friend, heads to the forest where readers get to meet Owl. Libby Walden has written a series of fun prompts that ask children to help Owl as he makes his way through the forest one evening. What follows is the smile-worthy, though slightly curious, tale of how Owl has found Other Owl and the two have begun an owl family of their own.

It is easy to imagine that young children will enjoy this eye-catching book filled with second person directives (“Can you tilt the page to help Owl reach Beetle?” or “Please draw some twigs with your finger…”), die cut shapes, and an appealing tale about Owl and Other Owl. Walden and Lee have created a book that is experienced as a singular vision by the reader. The decision to name Owl’s co-parent Other Owl is particularly intelligent and timely on the part of Walden, allowing the book to reflect a far wider definition of family.

While the adult reader may find some of Owl’s adventure unnecessary, children will likely gloss over these textual oddities as they enjoy the high level of engagement the book offers. Because there are similar titles to This is Owl, children who particularly love this book will be comforted by the continuation (This is Crab, 2020; This is Frog, 2019). The formulaic strategy of introducing an animal and its silly antics through second-person engagement is, nevertheless, best suited to younger readers who enjoy repetition.