Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise

Title: Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise
Author: Sean Taylor
Illustrator: Jean Jullien
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Year of Publication: 2015

I absolutely love owls. Yes, they’re kind of trendy, but they’re also beautiful birds of prey. I’m very thankful that I live in a place where I wake to their eerie hoots regularly. Once in a while I’m even graced with a sighting.

Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise is an adorable picture book. Owl is a rather confident fellow, and this story follows his costume-changing attempts at catching prey. When his disguises fail repeatedly, Owl grows hungrier and hungrier but never loses faith that a tasty meal is soon to be his.

The book’s repetitive pattern and humor make it an enjoyable read aloud for younger students, and the author’s use of similes is a perfect focal point for older students.  It would pack even more punch paired up with some nonfiction books about owls. The illustrations in this book would be great fun to try and recreate. Maybe the next time I read this little gem with Caden and Carmen I’ll hand them some oil pastels and paper and see what happens!