5 Picture Books About Owls

Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise, by Sean Taylor and Jean Jullien
Owls are master predators, swooping down in darkness on their unsuspecting victims. But in Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise, the narrator needs a little work on his technique. Hoot Owl disguises himself to sneak up on a rabbit, but the bunny notices there’s something fishy about that round-eyed carrot and hops away. Hoot Owl dons a series of disguises until he finds one that works well enough to land him the pizza of his dreams. The illustrations are charming, and their vivid colors are striking against the black nocturnal background.

Owl Boy, by Brian Schatell
Kids are obsessive. When they encounter something they love—whether it’s dinosaurs, ponies, or trains—that’s all they want to talk about, play with, and think about until they have thoroughly plumbed the depths of their affections, and are ready to move on to the next obsession. Brian Schatell conveys this in his funny Owl Boy, featuring Al, the boy who loves owls above all else. Al’s parents worry when he insists on doing everything the owl way. When he’s served meat loaf for dinner, he insists, “Owls eat mice!” When his dad suggests he go outside on a lovely day, he says, “Owls go out at night!” When Al goes to summer camp, he gets to meet some actual owls and test the limits of his commitment to the owl lifestyle. Will he eat what his owl friend serves him?

Owl Babies, by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson
An owl’s big, round eyes can convey wisdom and watchfulness, but also worry, which is an emotion most kids can relate to. In Owl Babies, when Owl Mother goes out to hunt food, her three owl babies stay behind in their tree hole home. One night they wake up and find she’s gone, and proceed to talk themselves into full-bore panic. “I want my mommy!” Bill the owl insists on every page, his desire undiminished by the logical arguments of his sister. This is a good book for any child who’s had to face separation anxiety, and for the parents who have to talk them through it. “What’s all the fuss?” Owl Mother asks at the end. “You knew I’d come back.”

I’m Not Cute, by Jonathan Allen
Owls may be fierce predators, but with their big eyes and round shape, they’re also super cute. And when they’re fuzzy babies? Forget about it. Good luck to any fuzzy baby owls trying to avoid cuddles. In I’m Not Cute, one of a series of owl books by Jonathan Allen, one forest animal after another insists on how cute Baby Owl is until he is flapping his wings in vexation. Finally Mama Owl validates him and says, “Of course you’re not cute, Baby Owl. You’re a huge, scary, sleek, sharp-eyed hunting machine.” But then Baby Owl changes his mind. He wants to be all that and cute, too.

The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin, by Beatrix Potter
If you want a story with an old-school owl, turn to The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin, in which squirrels must pay tribute to an owl known as Old Brown in order to harvest nuts on his island. But there’s one extremely cheeky squirrel, Nutkin, who won’t show Old Brown any respect, and in fact teases him with silly rhymes. Nutkin gets his comeuppance in the end, as his tail makes a nice addition to Old Brown’s trophy wall. I think this book was the Go The F**k to Sleep of its day, showing just how annoying kids…ahem, squirrels, can sometimes be. It just might take a no-nonsense owl to set them straight.
What are your favorite picture books about owls?