Martin Waddell

Owl Babies

Sarah Sammis

Last night I wrote about Harriet's favorite book, Mama Cat Has Three Kittens and tonight it's Sean's turn. His favorite book from the time he was Harriet's age has been Owl Babies by Martin Waddell.

Like Mama Cat, the Owl Mama has three off spring. Here three are Sarah, Percy and Bill. Bill is like Boris in that he's the odd one out. Where Mama Cat Has Three Kittens is about a parent teaching her children, Owl Babies asks if those lessons have been learned.

Sarah, Percy and Bill wake up one night to find their mother gone. Sarah and Percy work together to keep Bill (who is written as the youngest of the family) from getting too scared. All the while they are clearly worried about their mother.

Structurally Owl Babies and Mama Cat Has Three Kittens are nearly identical. Both use repetition of words and actions to build on their central themes. For Owl Babies, it's the growing dread of what happens if Mama never returns.

Happily though, the Mama does return and she seems bemused by her owlets fears. Her response echoes many times when something that has seemed common place to me has been full of unknown and therefore frightening to my children.

Owl Babies

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