Of Owls and Mice

Today I’m sharing two books from Dawn Publications: one about an owl, one about a mouse. The themes: birds, invention, and imagination.

Silent Swoop: An Owl, an Egg, and a Warm Shirt Pocket
by Michelle Houts; illus by Deb Hoeffner
32 pages; ages 4-8
Dawn Publications, 2019

In the dark of night, no one saw the Great Horned Owl glide over the coal yard.

But the next morning the workers found her eggs, so they called Walter. He tucked the eggs in his shirt pocket and carried them to the bird sanctuary where he placed them in an incubator. Eventually one of the eggs hatched into a fluffy, downy owlet. Coal, the owl, became an ambassador for the bird sanctuary.

What I like about this book: This is a sweet story of love growing between a tiny owl hatchling and the man who saved her. And the kids and grandparents she met. I like the language. After Walter puts the eggs in the incubator he watches. He wonders. He waits. We get such a good feeling of time passing slo-o-owly. I like the “explore more” pages at the back. More information about Great Horned Owls. More about the man who saved the owl. More about nests and eggs, about writing and finding facts. And plenty of STEM activities and resources for curious kids.

Scampers Thinks Like a Scientist
by Mike Allegra; illus. by Elizabeth Zechel
32 pages; ages 3-8
Dawn Publications, 2019

The vegetable garden was the place to be. It was where every mouse in the valley went to chat and dance and laugh and play.

Until the owl arrived. The mice moved elsewhere – except for Scampers. She hid in the garden watching the owl. Why was the owl so still? Maybe it’s not even a real owl – but how could the mice find out?

What I like about this book: I like that Scampers is curious enough to ask important questions, such as: is the owl alive? She is inventive enough to come up with ways to test the garden owl. And, she realizes that her scientific knowledge is important to share with the community. And of course I like the “explore more” pages: ways of thinking like a scientist, more information about owls and mice, and a quartet of STEM activities.

Beyond the Books:

Do you have owls living in your neighborhood? How would you find out? You could listen for owls at night (here’s an article with owl calls), and you could read more about owls to learn where they like to live. Some even live in cities.

Learn how to think like a scientist. It means honing your skills of observation, asking questions, playing around with some experiments, and recording what you find out. Read more here.

Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copies provided by the publisher.