Little Hoot (review)

In general, Little Hoot is a happy little owlet who enjoys school, staring practice, and other owly pastimes; what he does not like, however, is bedtime, "because when you're an owl, you have to stay up late, late, late." Familiar tropes are employed in service of the inverted rule, with Little Hoot complaining that all his other friends get to go to bed early, while Papa Owl informs him that LH must obey the rules of this family; eventually, despite his parents' attempts to tempt him with a bedtime story or a glass of water, LH crashes out. The text effectively mines humor from owly puns ("They owl lived happily ever after") and soundplay from owly noises even as it echoes traditional human parent admonitions ("Ten more minutes of playing, Mister. And please don't ask me again," says Little Hoot's mother sternly), making this an amusing alternative to the traditional bedtime story. Visually, the colors are a little unbalanced, with splashes of dark hue taking emphasis away from tow-headed Little Hoot, but the spidery-lined vignettes against creamy white space are drolly comic; with their retro wardrobe (Mama Owl relaxes in pearls, Papa in a tie), arboreal home decor, and expressive head tilts, the owl family are a colorful and entertaining clan. Kids who fight the seductive charms of straightforward bedtime books may find this reversal of the usual persuasions too funny—and convincing—to resist.