The Mixed-Up Owl

K-Gr 3–High in the trees, a sleepless owl is beset by questions all night long. Is anyone else awake? Is the silence “too quiet?” In scratchy Quentin Blake-like illustrations in muted grays and golds, the owl is shown investigating, perch by perch, until hel, too, is tired. That’s when the forest wakes up, leading to screwball antics, misunderstandings, hurled accusations in the owl’s direction, and ultimately his exhaustion. A grouchy hedgehog sets the noisy diurnal crew straight so it may rest; the mixed-up owl seems to be coming late to the notion of his role as a nocturnal creature, and once he witnesses it in others, he settles in for a snooze. Literal-minded children won’t mind the mix up; there are so many funny panels that this reads like a graphic novel in a forest setting. Much of the action is available through the illustrations, making it perfect for emerging readers. Lorho’s loose and comic drawings show every animal’s perfect expressiveness. Does the story make sense? Kind of. Is it relatable to children still getting their bearings in a chaotic world? Yes.