Three adorable baby owls take center stage in this sweet picture book about how the trio copes with waking up one night and finding their mother out of the nest. Kids will be fascinated with the fluffy white owls with the big brown eyes and will relate to missing their parents. It's heartwarming when the two older owls put on a brave face for the benefit of their younger brother and joyful when the mother owl returns and reassures her owlets that she'd never leave them forever. The illustrations capture the darkness of night without being frightening in the least bit.
This book serves to reassure children who are apprehensive about their parents leaving for a night out or going to work for the day. It's great to see the owlets trying to be brave and even better to see the mother owl say to her babies, "What's all the fuss? You knew I'd come back." It's a simple reminder to children that while parents do have other places to be from time to time, they will always return.
Reading this story to Emily, the three-year-old I babysit, I could tell that she easily related to the characters. It can be difficult for her to say good-bye to her parents, especially after spending a long weekend with them, and this story definitely resonated with her. She loved the baby bird who repeatedly states, "I want my mommy" and was thrilled to see the babies reunited with their mother.
--Abby