The book has colorful, but not bright, pictures of slightly anthropomorphic, smiling animals. Each spread features a brown owl prominently with die-cut pages that include a hole through the front cover to see the owl, half-closed eyes that open at night on the following page, and shaped bushes and trees that change the picture or reveal details.
The text on each page is generally 2-4 sentences. Unfortunately, it is not very accurate, attempting to simplify concepts for kids and ending up with misleading information. The first spread says owls have "tufts of feathers on their ears". Owls' ears are located on the sides of their heads and those species that have tufts to not use them for hearing, as far as I am aware. The owl tries to catch a mouse but is too slow and on the next page they've found a whole in a tree. "Hiding behind it" are Mrs. Bird and Mrs. Owl, who are looking after babies. Regardless of the fact that an owl would eat a bird, this is really vague. How, exactly, is the owl "looking after" the babies if they can't catch anything?
I realize most people don't want to show their toddlers photo-realistic images of an owl devouring a mouse, or regurgitating it for their babies, but this kind of vague dancing around animal behavior does nobody any good. Far better to stick to basic facts - most owls hunt at night, they hunt small rodents and animals (hide the bodies behind a bush if you prefer) and they nest in hollow trees. There is no need to anthropomorphize them.
Verdict: Disappointing. I will look more closely at the bunny one that I bought and probably not purchase any more in this series.
ISBN: 9781682973875; Published in the US by QEB; Borrowed via inter-library loan
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