Owl Babies
Author: Martin Waddell
Illustrator: Patrick Benson
Candlewick Press (1992)
I've been eagerly plowing through the ninth edition of Children and Books by Zena Sutherland feeling like I'm in some self-imposed college course.
Chapter one talks about what NEEDS are fulfilled by a child reading a book. There are seven needs and I decided to find seven books from our shelves that meet the criteria for each need. (of course, as part of this exercise they all had to be books I would recommend with gusto, a much harder task). Here goes part one:
Need One: The Need for Security. It does seem like so many of the books we read to Mirette have security as part of their theme. The majority of books for kids her age ends with a child or animal being tucked in safely to bed. Owl Babies is seemingly on every book list for young children and with good reason: it is the quintessential book on security. Sarah and Percy and Bill are worrying about their mom's return. "Where's Mommy?" asked Sarah; "Oh my goodness!" said Percy; "I want my mommy!" said Bill. And at last, SHE CAME.
In addition to the fact that the words are lots of fun (Mirette has this book memorized, especially the repeated line, "I want my mommy"), the illustrations are gorgeous, dark, and striking.
Martin Waddell is an Irish guy, who turned from a career in football to writing (one of his stories was turned into a movie). As most of our authors, he has a fascinating life--including being in a building when it was bombed and surviving cancer. Here's a his bio: http://www.walker.co.uk/contributors/Martin-Waddell-1811.aspx and a sweet video of him reading a book: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfrtcVSfoUI.
Patrick Benson lives in England and has illustrated many books, including the Hob Stories (which is a beloved book from my husband's childhood). Here's an interview to find out more: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/magicpencil/learning_benson_interview_1.html
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