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OWLS MAKE TERRIBLE TEACHERS

Name: OWLS MAKE TERRIBLE TEACHERS
Author: Kristi Mahoney
ISBN: 9781957655635

by Kristi Mahoney ; illustrated by Chantelle Thorne & Burgen Thorne ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 28, 2026

Classroom chaos done right.

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This feathered replacement isn’t quite up to the job.

The title’s premise may upset expectations; after all, owls—Athena’s bird—are renowned for their wisdom. In outline, the plot reprises the creators’ Alpacas Make Terrible Librarians (2024). A substitute educator runs amok until the real professional finally returns, to the kids’ heartfelt appreciation. But the details are, naturally, entirely different, starting with the bird’s nocturnal schedule, which dictates that all school activities take place after sundown. This turns out to be the easiest adjustment: It’s pajama day (or rather, night)! Everyone dons pjs except the owl, who is, shockingly, wearing nothing but a necktie and big round spectacles: “Awkward.” The kids hide their class hamster before it becomes prey and try to beat Owl in a hurdle race (the prize is no homework), only to discover that he conceals long legs in his plumage. During math class, the youngsters learn that owls can rotate their heads 270 degrees; English is painfully sidetracked by the unbearable screeching of talons on the board. Regurgitated owl pellets are the last straw for the children, but luckily their real teacher soon shows up. The energetic art ramps up the fun as the saucer-eyed students’ emotions come through clearly, likely mirroring readers’ own feelings of surprise, dismay, and disgust. Fans of the alpaca book—and everyone who enjoys a topsy-turvy day—will love this one.

Classroom chaos done right. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: April 28, 2026

ISBN: 9781957655635

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Gnome Road Publishing

Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ALPACAS MAKE TERRIBLE LIBRARIANS
by Kristi Mahoney ; illustrated by Chantelle Thorne & Burgen Thorne

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)