Owl Babies by Martin Waddell illustrated by Patrick Benson
“Once there were three baby owls Sarah and Percy and Bill they lived in a hole in the trunk of a tree with their owl mother…”.
So begins “Owl Babies”, a book about separation anxiety, and resilience. When Sarah, Percy and Bill wake up one morning, their mother is gone, and they worry she will not return (“Maybe a fox got her”).
Waddell manages to achieve the impossible: a “literary” book for very young children.
What Maya loves: When I read the line “AND SHE CAME”, as the owl mummy finally swoops back to her babies, I always feel a tug in my chest. As a child I suffered terribly with separation anxiety and the reminder that so often the worst doesn’t happen is one I still welcome as an adult.
Recommended age: 2- 3 years
