Product Description

The bay owls came out of their house,
and they sat on the tree and waited.
A big branch for Sarah, a small branch for Percy,
and an old piece of ivy for Bill.

When three baby owls awake one night to find their mother gone, they can't help but wonder where she is. Stunning illustrations from unique and striking perspectives capture the owls as they worry about their mother: What is she doing? When will she be back? What scary things move all around them? Not surprisingly, a joyous flapping and dancing and bouncing greets her return, lending a celebratory tone to the ending of this comforting tale. Never has the plight of young ones who miss their mother been so simply told or so beautifully rendered.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48278 in Books
• Published on: 1996-10-07
• Released on: 1996-10-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Board book
• 22 pages

From Publishers Weekly
New to board book format is Martin Waddell's Owl Babies, in which three worried owlets wait for their mother to return from her night flight. Patrick Benson's disarming cross-hatched pictures of fluffy, wide-eyed owl babies, and the use of light colored text against a black background, turn this sweet story into a hauntingly lovely little book. (Candlewick, $6.99 22p ages 18 mos.
2 yrs. ISBN 1-56402-965-4, Oct.)
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-- This simple story pales in comparison to the exceptionally well-crafted illustrations. Rendered in black ink and watercolor with an abundance of crosshatching used to show background, shadow, texture, and depth, each stunning woodcutlike panorama fills a double-page spread. Benson has chosen shades of turquoise, pale yellow, and light green for the large-type text in order to avoid detracting from the blue-and-green dominated paintings. Realistic as they appear, the three, fluffy, white baby owls and their mother are infused with distinct personalities. The owlets awaken one night to find their mother gone. Sarah, the largest, reasons that she is out hunting for food. Mid-sized Percy tends to agree, while tiny Bill will only repeat, ``I want my mommy!'' Mom, just out for a night flight, does return, of course, and her fledglings are delighted to see her. The repetition just doesn't work. The plot is too meager, the text too unexciting. Hutchins's Good Night Owl (Macmillan, 1991), Thaler's Owly (HarperCollins, 1982), and Yolen's Owl Moon (Philomel, 1987) are all better stories for preschoolers. Simple, well-written books about mother love and reassurance for this age group are abundant. --Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ingram
Presents a touching tale of a family of owl babies who wake up to find their mother gone and sit in distress, not knowing where she is, until their mother returns, reassuring her family that she will always return to them no matter where she roams.

Customer Reviews

Beautifully written and beatifully illustrated
This book is a one of the most beautiful childrens books I've ever come across. It is a must for any working mom who has to leave her little owlets alnoe every once in a while, and wants them to know, that just like the owl mother in the story, she will always come back. This touching story comes alive with simple rhymes and amazing illlustrations. My one year old singles this book out every time she crawls over to her library to pull out a book. This treasure is sure to become a classic

Captivating Story for Kids Big and Small
I thought my 3 year old loved this book, until recently my 13 month old disappears from anywhere in the house and is almost alway found in his brother's room, paging through our now beat up copy of Owl Babies. (Amazon...get the board book please!!) He LOVES this book! It's always the first and pretty much the only one he wants you to read to him and he always protests loudly when it's put away. (Never mind that you just read it 3 times in a row!) He loves the pictures and flaps his arms, bounces in my lap, and points at cute owl faces as we flip the pages. Many precious memories with this one. Thanks Mr. Waddell and Mr. Benson!!! :) ENJOY!

This book is wonderful, the illustrations are exceptional!
My students and I both love this book. The illustrations are wonderful. This is a must have for all children's literature collections.