Little Owl's Day (Little Owl)

Srinivasan conveys the magic of a fantasy world that will delight very young children.

PreS-K--In this companion book to Little Owl's Night (Viking, 2011), a squirrel's chittering wakes Little Owl, affording him an opportunity to experience his forest world in daylight for the first time. Wrens, so silent at night, are "trilling sweetly"; butterflies and bees flutter among the flowers covering the forest floor; dragonflies fly backwards as they skim along the pond. Turtle, closed in her shell at night, now suns herself on the rocks. Yes, the forest is indeed a different and magical place during the day. Yet another wonder awaits Little Owl when his friend Bear, now awake and hunting fish, shows him a beautiful rainbow. The large, flat illustrations, all spreads, depict a cheery forest habitat in varying shades of blue and green and enlivened with colorful insects and other forest creatures. Little Owl, with his squat body and huge black-green eyes, hovers over most spreads, taking everything in. As day begins to fold into night and the sky darkens to blue-black, he shares his adventures with the night creatures that begin to appear. And before he catches up on his much-needed sleep, the little bird has a wonder to show Bear, too--the newly risen moon. Young readers will enjoy following Little Owl on his explorations, and this story, paired with Ashley Wolff's Baby Bear Sees Blue (S. & S., 2012), can instill in them a sense of wonder at the natural world.--Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

This is a worthy companion to Little Owl's Night (2011), and the bold, eye-catching artwork will work equally well with kids in groups or kids on laps.

Praise for Divya's first book, LITTLE OWL'S NIGHT
"This debut picture book gets it all just right. The story, while familiar, is executed deftly and with heart, and the crisp graphic elements of the artwork juxtapose well against the pretty prose." —Booklist, starred review

"The story's chief virtue is its graceful, balletic prose... It's a provocative inversion of the classic bedtime story, and a solid first outing. Srinivasan's message is that night is a delightful place, and that's useful knowledge for small children." —Publishers Weekly

"A graceful bedtime story celebrates the beauty found in night... Hold on to Little Owl's tail feathers and soar." —Kirkus

"This exceptional first book by Srinivasan, a talented illustrator... follows Little Owl during his nighttime explorations... this bedtime tale may even convert children who are afraid of the dark into adventuresome night owls" —New York Times Book Review

"This is the most visually and verbally gorgeous picture book of the year... Simple, dazzling - and simply dazzling." —The Boston Globe