Wow... that is cute.

"Owly: A Time to be Brave" written by Andy Runton tells about Owly, and owl, and his friends. The story begins with Owly telling a scary story about a dragon. Owly's friend, Wormy, is very frightened by the story. Owly suggests everyone go outside and play ball. Outside, Wormy sees a baby possum, who had been observing the friends play ball. Wormy mistakes the possum for a dragon and subsequently misses the ball, which flies into and breaks a sapling that wormy planted. Owly comes out and puts a protective fence around the tree. During the night the possum gets stuck in the fence while playing with the ball. Owly wants to help the possum but the possum is too scared. Wormy is less imposing than Owly and he musters up the courage to help the possum. They then become friends.

Owly is an interesting read because there are virtually no words. It is told almost completely in pictures. One would think that this style of storytelling would make for some quick reading. Not so! Phrases were expressed as pictures in word bubbles with arrows and exclamations. It was a very interesting and unique way of telling the story. I found myself having to really concentrate and study the expressions to fully understand what was going on. I found it refreshing. However, a tween might find it frustrating and bewildering. There were some parts of the book that even I couldn't quite understand. In any case, the story was whimsical and engaging and I found myself feeling like I really knew the characters, which is quite the accomplishment for the author.