HOOT OWL, MASTER OF DISGUISE by Sean Taylor & Jean Jullien

Continuing with my March theme of birds, I remembered this fun book we discussed when I was one of the judges for the 2015 Cybils Awards for fiction picture books.

Summary from Amazon:

Hoot Owl is no ordinary owl. He is a master of disguise! In the blackness of night, he’s preparing to swoop on his prey before it can realize his dastardly tricks. Look there—a tasty rabbit for him to eat! Hoot Owl readies his costume, disguising himself as . . . a carrot! Then he waits. The rabbit runs off. Never mind! Surely his next juicy target will cower against such a clever and dangerous creature as he!

Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise was written by Sean Taylor and illustrated by Jean Jullien. The copy at my library was published in 2015 by Candlewick Press.

Opening:

The darkness of midnight

is all around me.

But I fly through it as quick

as a shooting star.

My thoughts as a writer:

This is an excellent example of a book with a short text and a main character with lots of voice and personality. This story has a repetitive pattern, lovely creative language and it’s funny! I recommend it as a book that picture book writers should take a look at, especially if you are writing a story told in first person.

I also really liked the bold colours in the illustrations, contrasting against the black background. The drawings seem simple yet the owl and other animal characters have so much expression.

Everyone knows Owls are wise. But as well as being wise, I am a master of disguise.

My thoughts as an educator:

This book made me laugh! I really like the message behind this story about being confident in yourself and not giving up. It shows kids how setbacks can simply mean we need to try again. Hoot Owl’s creativity with the disguises was fun. I noticed that since the story is told in first person, there is no gender assigned to Hoot Owl, which might make for a nice topic of discussion.

Ages: 4 - 7

Grades: K – 2

Themes: persistence, bravery, self-confidence, birds

Activities:

Discuss: Is Hoot Owl a boy or a girl? Does it matter?

Draw your own animal superhero.

Make puppets and act out the story of Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise. The author notes on his website that this book has indeed been made into a play! Here's a link if you'd like to check it out (https://proonproductions.jimdo.com/)

Here’s a YouTube video of the author reading his story:

Learning from Picture Books: SIDEWALK FLOWERS

This beautiful wordless picture book is the winner of the 2015 Cybils Award in the Fiction Picture Book category! I am so proud to have been a part of the judging process to choose this lovely book as the winner. 

One of the things that surprised me the most about it was that even though it's a wordless book, there was a writer as well as an illustrator. In Canada, this book won a Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Illustrated Books 2015. It was also selected for the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of the Year 2015.

Summary from the publisher: 

In this wordless picture book, a little girl collects wildflowers while her distracted father pays her little attention. Each flower becomes a gift, and whether the gift is noticed or ignored, both giver and recipient are transformed by their encounter.

Written by award-winning poet JonArno Lawson and brought to life by illustrator Sydney Smith, Sidewalk Flowers is an ode to the importance of small things, small people and small gestures.

Sidewalk Flowers was published by Groundwood Books in 2015.

My Thoughts as a Writer:

I found it very interesting that even though this is a wordless book, a writer created the story. I loved the idea that to really appreciate this book, you need to stop and look, which is what the girl is doing in the story. A post from Groundwood explains how this book came to be and the author's role in the process. 

I really loved the simple, pen and ink drawing style and the effectiveness of the growing use of colour. I noticed the realistic expressions on the girl’s face, showing the pure pleasure she gets from finding and giving flowers. There is so much lovely detail in the illustrations, it is a book you can return to and explore again.

 My Thoughts as a Teacher:

Although this book may be more effective in a small group or one-on-one than in a class read aloud, I really liked the subtle encouragement to stop and notice, to give without expecting anything in return. Because it is wordless, this book is accessible to all sighted students, no matter what language they speak.

In sharing this with a group, I would probably “read” through the book by showing each page slowly, then go back and “re-read”, this time describing with students what is happening on each page.

Ages: 3 – 7

Grades: preschool and up

Themes: nature, kindness, giving,

Activities:

Create a black and white drawing showing a scene you walk past every day. Use a hint of colour to highlight something that people might not normally notice.

Compare what the girl and the father are looking at as they move through the story. Are there any changes as the story goes along? What do you think the author is trying to say? Does the story need words?

Choose your favorite page from the story. Explain why it’s your favorite.

For older students, it would be interesting to read and compare this book with The Man With the Violin by Kathy Stinson and Dusan Petricic. Where does the illustrator choose to add colour? Why?