Title: Little Owl’s Orange Scarf
Author/Illustrator: Tatyana Feeney
Age Group: 1-5
Synopsis: Little Owl’s mother made him a new scarf but he hates it and has to wear it whenever he goes out. Will a trip to the zoo change all that?
The Low Down:
We are on the cusp of scarf weather. So very close. Bug would wear a scarf everyday if I would let him but it’s still just a bit warm. That combined with his love for owls (I may have mentioned that once or twice) just secured that this book was well read before we returned it to the library. The story was cute and simple a perfect pairing with the illustrations that focused solely on three colors.
Little Owl’s mother kicks off the story by knitting a scarf for her son. However, her effort is met with some issues. Little Owl thinks it’s scratchy, much too orange, and much too long. He never wants to wear it and even tries to dispense with it in a (I like to think) Paddington inspired plot. All his efforts are in vain though until a trip to the zoo rids him of the cursed garment. This time he helps his mother pick out the yarn and knit the scarf. And it’s perfect.
The illustrations are made even more striking by Feeney’s use of only three colors: orange, teal, and black. The orange and teal are so complementary that their little contributions really accent the right bits on each page. Little Owl’s feathers have a teal underlay, providing the slight foreshadowing of what’s to come. Each drawing is simple and clear. The other animals that make an appearance are easy to identify, even for little ones. The best page is the wool (yarn) shop. Stacked floor to ceiling the giant skeins give me delicious chills. I get the same feeling when I walk into a fabric store. So many projects sit in the bolts of fabric waiting to be discovered. The wool store is just one example of how Feeney plays with the illustrations; another page has a scarf extending right past the end of the far page and ending on the next page. The balance perfectly accentuates the message of the story.
Including kids can be hard, Bug loves to “help” but it takes three times as long to get anything done with him. In the end it’s time worth spending. For days and days and days he spoke about helping me make trail mix and loves eating it when I pull it out because he helped make it. Or when we make his morning smoothie. He gobbles it up twice as fast if he’s been the one to push the buttons and hand me the spinach. We all have Little Owls who would just like us busy folks to remember that they too have opinions, ideas, and preferences. Ones that we’ve influenced and shaped but really are still theirs. Because being a parent is about raising good, loving, responsible, and independent Little Owls that will go into the world on their own one day. We do this by modeling that behaviour, by showing that others’ opinions matter, by taking the time to teach instead of just do. In the end, it’s all worth it.
Story Tips:
- We snuggled up in a scarf while reading this but if you are handier than I and actually know how to knit than that would be a great pairing.
I need more!
Tatyana Feeney has a few books out. A couple have a similar feel to Little Owl: Small Elephant’s Bathtime, Small Bunny’s Blue Blanket, etc. She also works with Irish stories Cillian Agus An Ron (about a boy and his seal friend) and An Nollaig Sa Naigin (A Christmas story that follows a little boy growing up). For more information check out her website at: http://tatyanafeeney.com
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