WHOO GOES THERE?

A hungry owl in a tall tree watches, listens and waits for his dinner. He tries to match the sounds he hears with the prey he eats, but is often incorrect in his guesses. “Shuffle, shuffle.” “Whoo goes there?” thinks Owl. “Is it an opossum—a fat little opossum just right for my dinner?” But it turns out to be a porcupine. And so it goes for Owl. Even when he does finally spy a good dinner, his efforts at catching it are thwarted. The repetitive phrases and guessing format are well suited to a young audience, who will likely enjoy giving reasons why Owl would not want to eat the animals he sees. On the flip side, however, the text may be a little long for them and there are no visual clues to ground children’s guesses. Kitchen’s artwork is very detailed; many of his meticulously drawn animals appear ready to walk right off the pages, while the muted palette suits the nighttime setting. A mixed bag, this needs a carefully chosen audience. (Picture book. 3-7)