Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise

Starred review from December 15, 2014
Taylor (The World Champion of Staying Awake) sends up old-fashioned suspense fiction by contrasting his hero’s puffed-up ego with his inept plans to capture things to eat. Newcomer Jullien paints Hoot Owl as a dumpy egg-cup of a bird—not the sort you’d expect to deliver this pitch-perfect purple prose: “The terrible silence of the night spreads everywhere. But I cut through it like a knife.” Hoot Owl spots his prey and lets readers in on his nefarious plans: “I am a master of disguise. I devise a costume.” The animals he’s after—a rabbit, lamb, and pigeon—all look remarkably composed when they spot Hoot Owl in disguise. “I disguise myself as an ornamental birdbath,” he says importantly. “I wait.” The pigeon perches on the edge of the birdbath, then flies off, a small curlicue above its head signaling mild puzzlement. Fortunately, the hungry Hoot Owl is finally able to deceive and capture something—a pizza. Smart pacing, easy-to-read spreads, and complete confidence that no animals will be hurt in the reading of this book make it a winner. Ages 3–7.

January 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-Hoot Owl explains that he is hungry and proud of his creative disguises employed to capture prey. He assembles a carrot costume in pursuit of rabbit and becomes an ornamental birdbath to nab a pigeon. He is totally unsuccessful until he dons waiter's attire and devours....a pizza! The owl's braggadocio and camouflage amuse throughout. Jullien's spreads feature primary colors and mostly black backgrounds that feature playfully rounded cartoon characters. Use this read-aloud for levity during a study of nocturnal animals or when discussing different ways to approach a problem.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

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Starred review from December 1, 2014
A confident owl employs ace hunting skills-sort of-to fill his tummy.Hoot Owl's hungry, but he isn't worried, because he's an excellent predator. His first quarry's a "tasty rabbit," wide-eyed and innocent. Hoot Owl has a special technique, which becomes a refrain: "Everyone knows owls are wise. But as well as being wise, I am a master of disguise." He dresses up as a carrot and sets himself down. The bunny smiles in the carrot's direction and hops away. Undeterred, Hoot Owl restarts the pattern, targeting a bespectacled lamb and a pigeon, to no avail. Hoot Owl talks a fierce and uproarious game-"I swoop through the bleak blackness like a wolf in the air"; "The lamb looks cuddly, but soon I will be eating it"-but he never actually attacks anything. He merely camouflages himself-but not really-and waits. Jullien's bold, black outlines, expressive animal eyes and positioning (Hoot Owl is frequently sideways) hilariously complement Taylor's text, which reveals the predator as both melodramatic ("The shadowy night stretches away forever, as black as burnt toast") and unflustered. Rich, matte colors and a flattish, zoomed-in perspective of the nighttime scenes keep the vibe immediate and nonthreatening. Never fear: Hoot Owl's "deadly-dangerous beak" eventually chomps on something that even squeamish readers will approve of. A rib-tickling pleaser. (Picture book. 3-7)

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