Owls! Strange and Wonderful

Reviewed by: Kathy George - Gray Public Library, Gray, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 8, 2016

Review

Called the "ghost bird", man has had a long relationship with the owl. There are about 240 species of owl. They can be found on every continent except Antarctica, in the tropics to the tundra. They range in size from the elf owl, weighing less than 2 ounces, to the Eurasian Eagle Owl and the Blakiston's Fish owl, both weighing some 9 pounds with a wingspan of 5 feet. This is just the beginning of 32 pages filled with the folklore surrounding this bird, the physical characteristics, habitat, how it hunts, how it lives, and how the environment has impacted its survival. Lurence Pringle, no stranger to picture book non fiction has given the reader the facts and fiction with Meryl Henderson supporting the research with detailed illustrations that put the information into art, so the reader can both read and see what makes the owl so special. The book has a detailed glossary, websites and other sources for further study. A great "STEAM" source. It can be paired with any number of picture books about owls, chapter books such as Hoot, Guardians of GaHoole by Kathryn Lasky, Avi's Poppy series, and in mythology where Athena or her Roman counterpart Minerva had a sacred owl.

Overall Book Score: very good