Today’s Perfect Picture Book is a quiet picture book that delivers a powerful message.
Title: I Know How to Draw an Owl
Written By: Hilary Horder Hippely
Illustrated By: Matt James
Publisher/Date: Neal Porter Books/2024
Suitable for Ages: 4-8, and older
Themes/Topics: homelessness, housing insecurity, creativity, empathy, owls, wildlife, forest, resilience
Opening:
“Today we’re drawing owls,” Ms. Rio said.
“A round head and oval body; talon feet and a small, hooked beak; folded wings and two big eyes.”
Brief Synopsis: A young girl draws a very realistic-looking owl in class because she has seen one up close in the night forest, near the car in which she lives.
Links to Resources:
· Try drawing an owl or another bird or animal;
· Take a walk in the forest or another natural setting. Look and listen closely to discover the birds and animals that live there.
Why I Like this Book:
I Know How to Draw an Owl is a quiet picture book that invites children to step into the shoes of a child whose life is difficult and may be quite different than theirs.
As the story begins, a classroom teacher instructs children to draw an owl. Ms. Rio draws a simple owl on the chalkboard. On the following wordless spread, she holds up a colorfully detailed owl. Readers then learn that Belle, the narrator, has drawn the owl and that it “almost looks alive”.
Ms. Rio asks, “How did Belle make his eyes so wise?” Belle shrugs and shakes her head, then tells readers, “I know, but I don’t want to tell.”
Like Arlo Guthrie’s famous song, Alice’s Restaurant, that really isn’t a story about a restaurant, I Know How to Draw an Owl is not about drawing an owl. Rather, it is the story of Belle and her mother who live in an “old blue car” in a “shady park”. There, the pair hear an owl hooting every night. One night, Belle sees the owl up close which enables her to draw it so realistically.
The story could end at this point. But instead, readers learn that a new boy joins the school. A boy whose mother also drives an “old blue car”, and who, Belle thinks, could use a friend.
At no point in the story do readers encounter Belle feeling sorry for herself. We don’t even learn why she and her mother move into the car. But Belle chooses to keep this new living arrangement secret, only opening up to the boy in similar circumstances.
With its matter-of-fact tone and several wordless spreads, I Know How to Draw an Owl gives readers plenty of space to process what we’re reading, to view the world from Belle’s point-of-view, and to marvel at Belle’s resilience and willingness to befriend the unnamed boy.
With much of the action occurring at night, James’ illustrations are understandably dark but with pops of color throughout.
With its themes of resilience, empathy, and housing insecurity, I Know How to Draw an Owl will be a wonderful conversation starter in homes and classrooms.
A Note about Craft:
As evident from the title, Hippely uses first-person point-of-view for this story, even though she addresses a difficult topic. She also jumps right into the story with dialogue – the only grounding readers receive is the illustration of the teacher at the blackboard on the textless first page. I think Hippely wrote the story in this way to enable readers to jump right into the scene, to enable children to envision themselves in the classroom, drawing alongside Belle and her classmates. It also draws readers’ attention to the beauty of the owl, before we learn the reason Belle was able to draw it so well.
In her dedication, Hippely notes that she happened upon one of her students and her mother living in a car by a lake, and she dedicates the book to “all of our unhoused families”.
This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!
Wander, Ponder, Write 