A tender tale to remind the youngest of children that Mommy always comes back.
I want my mommy! Three baby owls awake one night to find their mother gone, and they can't help but wonder where she is. What is she doing? When will she be back? What scary things move all around them? Stunning illustrations from striking perspectives capture the anxious little owls as they worry. Not surprisingly, joyous flapping and dancing and bouncing greet the mother's return, lending a celebratory tone to the ending of this comforting tale. Never has the plight of young ones who miss their mother been so simply told or so beautifully rendered.
This story will strike a familiar chord in every small child who has been afraid when left by [a] parent, and parents will perhaps gain a new understanding of how a small child might feel . . . A wonderful 'read to me' book for nap time, story time, or bedtime.
--Booklist
Benson's soft, wide-eyed birds--rendered in delicate pen strokes touched with gentle color that makes the dramatic, dark night seem appropriately awesome--are perfect stand-ins for wise little toddlers who also know Mom will turn up--but still can't help wondering.
--Kirkus Reviews
Enchanting...illustrations of the softly colored baby owls set against a black night will captivate preschool listeners.
--Modesto Bee
Featured in "50 of the Best Kids' Books Published in the Last 25 Years"
--The Huffington Post
Martin Waddell wanted Owl Babies to capture the "strong emotion of 'I want my mommy!'" that is so familiar to children. Martin Waddell is the author of more than one hundred books for young readers. He lives in England.
Patrick Benson has won many awards for his illustrations, including the Mother Goose Award, the Christopher Award, and the Kurt Maschler Award. He has worked with such luminaries as Roald Dahl and Russell Hoban, and his picture book with Martin Waddell, Owl Babies, is a classic with more than 12 million copies in print. Patrick Benson lives in Scotland.
Target Age: 0-7
Candlewick Press
32 pages
hardcover: 0.5" H x 9.3" L x 11.1" W
paperback: 0.18" H x 8.5" L x 10.25" W
board book: 0.5" H x 5.8" L x 5.0" W