Review: Very cute, and a good introduction to nighttime animals
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 3, 2013
This is a very cute book.  The illustrations are charming. The story is light and general enough for toddlers to enjoy.This is a book to read aloud to a child, not an easy reader.  It's also a short, simple story with a good lesson.  Many parents will like that, especially at bedtime. (The fact that the story is about being afraid of the dark... that's even better.)The best feature of this book is that it's a good conversation-starter. It's perfect for small children who don't know about animals that prefer the night.  That includes owls and bats.  Both are presented in a favorable light (no pun intended) in this book. They're an ideal, non-scary introduction to night creatures.I'd use this book to interest a small child before a camping trip or a night-time nature hike.This is also a good conversation-starter if your child is afraid of the dark.  This book doesn't make it seem silly to be afraid.  It's good as a talking point since the little owl doesn't have an explanation for his fears... he's just afraid of the dark. Friendly animals help him get over his fears.The illustrations are well-crafted and fairly generic, like the cover graphic. In other words, they don't convey exactly what's going on at each moment in the story.  For some children, that might be confusing.  If the character is happy, they want to see joy. If the character is frightened, they want to see fear.For most kids, I think this gives them an opportunity to make up their own stories to go with the pictures.  They aren't limited by details in the book.  (As a parent, I want kids to be able to "read" the story on their own, after they've heard it a few times.  That encourages their imaginations.)I'd like to see a little more variety, so no illustration is repeated, but that's a small point. I'm not sure little ones will notice. (I'm an artist, so I probably look more closely at illustrations than most people will.)As a good bedtime story, and a one-time read, this is a fine book. It's a cute, endearing story for little ones.