School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Owl is "wide awake and ready to play," confident that "this will be a good, good day." Donning a hat, tooting a horn, waving balloons in the air, and sharing a storybook, she hopes to inspire her animal friends to join in some rollicking fun. Unfortunately, it is late and each one is too drowsy to participate, leaving a disappointed Owl to return home with head hanging low. Later, as the sun starts coming out, she finds them wide awake and ready to play. This time, she is the weary one and begs for a brief delay until after her nap, when she is again raring to go and announces, "HOORAY, LET'S PLAY!" In short rhymes, using plenty of simple repetition, Won's picture book is ideal for children having trouble surrendering to nighttime sleep. The subtle message is that there will be enough time to play-but only after bedtime. Won's opening background pages of dark midnight blue stands in stark contrast to the bright, vivid colors of the festive-looking Owl. This is followed by lighter violet hues as dawn approaches and the sun begins to rise alongside Owl's perkier, well-rested buddies. Children will giggle seeing Zebra with eyes tightly closed and forepaws against his ears while Owl toots a horn atop his head. They should pick up on the word HOORAY referring to more than Owl's happy-go-lucky attitude about celebrating a new day. VERDICT A winning read-aloud sure to resonate best with preschoolers reluctant to bed down for the night and for ardent fans of Won's Hooray for Hats.-Etta Anton, Yeshiva of Central Queens, NY © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
It's nighttime, so of course Owl is "wide awake and ready to play!" She asks her (diurnal) friends to join her, but they're all too tired. Kind Owl helps everyone get to sleep, then sadly returns home. When morning comes, the others want to play--after Owl's nap. Subdued but cheerful hues and midnight-blue backgrounds are just right for the gentle story. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
