The owl who dared /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A young owl is afraid to fly because he keeps trying and falling to the ground. But as Mommy Owl continues to reassure him that he'll succeed if he keeps trying, the little owl finds the courage to not give up.

A little owl is scared of flying, because every time he opens his wings, he tumbles to the ground. Mommy explains to him that it will take a few failures before he succeeds, and soon, the little owl feels brave enough to keep trying. An uplifting celebration of courage and learning how to handle life's challenges.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Booklist Review

Here a baby snowy white owl who keeps plunging to the ground during his first anxiety-ridden flying lessons offers a comically compelling object lesson in perseverance. When the mother owl wakes her little one at dusk for his first flying lesson, the little owl resists, saying he's scared and has stomach pains. In a hilarious four-panel double-page spread, the little owl inches across a branch, spreads his wings, closes his eyes, and then takes a pratfall. This book departs from the usual "You can do it!" mantra. Instead, the mother here keeps urging the little owl to fail if he wants to succeed. For example, the mother says, "If you dare to fall, and fall and fall again, then one day, you will succeed." In a stunning visual sequence, Mom gives the little owl a bird's-eye view of the forest, pointing out animals failing and then succeeding, like the newborn deer they see struggling to its feet. The gorgeously luminous illustrations, done in multimedia including watercolors, ink, and pencil and filled with realistic details, should keep readers involved. Finally, in another four-panel spread, the little owl again inches along the branch--but this time, the owl keeps his eyes open, flaps his wings enthusiastically, and flies. An unusual, heartening take on facing challenges.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Stephanie Stansbie has been a children's books editor for more than 20 years, and an author for the last 10. She adores editing and writing in equal measure and has always worked on illustrated books, where the art is as important as the word. The books she has written have been translated into more than 15 different languages. Stephanie lives in Oxford and enjoys goofing around with her family and friends, and practicing capoeira.

Frances Ives' love of all things drawing started in childhood, when she dove into an obsession with poster paints and making a big mess on every available surface. This hasn't changed much. She still works primarily in water-based media, but these days she mostly tries to keep it on the paper. Frances takes her inspiration from the structures and people that surround her, drawing from both observation and memory. Her most abiding source of inspiration is still the constant yet ever-changing sky, and all of its colors.