OWL BY MYSELF

A young owl does a day’s worth of independent deeds.

The anthropomorphized youngster who narrates this charmer has a goal: Today “I’m going to do everything…OWL BY MYSELF.” First up: some bedroom cleaning. (Readers will spot overlooked crayons and clothes on the floor.) Next, the owl gets dressed without help, makes “my favorite breakfast,” and pours some juice. (Readers will note that the juice glass is overflowing.) Self-sufficiency is also the order of the school day: The owl observes that when the students, who comprise a range of animals, paint and read, “we’re on our own, but owl together.” By now readers can guess that the owl will be getting ready for bed independently, but they may not guess the “one thing I need to go to sleep owl by myself”: It’s a visit from “you”—the owl’s parents, to whom the adorable saucer-eyed bird has apparently been addressing this narrative. As a play on words, the titular refrain never gets old; Oswald’s dainty, dapper Photoshop art harbors many wry visuals. Top honors go to the illustration of the owl attempting to “tie my shoelaces owl by myself”: The unperturbed owl looks like the victim of a renegade yo-yo string. It’s a good sight gag that encapsulates the book’s main point: Readers can expect bumps along the road to independence, but it’s a road worth traveling.

Owl kinds of empowering fun.