Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Little Hoot
Illustrator: Jen Corace
Board Book
For ages 2 to 4
Chronicle Books, 2016 ISBN: 978-1452152073
Many young children are decidedly reluctant to go to bed at the appointed time. They want to stay up to play or read. Little Hoot the little owl has the opposite problem. He wants to go to bed early, like all his friends do, but his parents won't allow it. After all, Little Hoot is an owl and in his family "we go to bed late."
When Little Hoot asks his parents if he can go to bed they tell him that he has to stay up for another hour. And so, for an hour, Little Hoot reluctantly plays, jumps in the leaves, and jumps on his bed. He pleads with them asking, "Can I stop playing now?" but he is told that he has to play for another ten minutes. Minute by painful minute Little Hoot gets through the last ten minutes. Then, at last, he is told that he can go to bed but... .
In this delightful little book children get to experience what it might be like to have to stay up even when they want to go to bed. Cunning ink and watercolors illustrations capture Little Hoot's annoyance to perfection, and children will love the speech and dream bubbles which punctuate the text.
