Little Owl's Orange Scarf: Tatyana Feeney
October 31, 2013
Book: Little Owl's Orange Scarf
Author: Tatyana Feeney
Pages: 32
Age Range: 3-6
Little Owl's Orange Scarf is about a small child's struggle for control in a world of parental authority. It's about the need to have not just things (or clothes) but to have the right things (or clothes). It's about sticking to your guns, and working out compromise (though admittedly in a manner that not all parents may appreciate).
Little Owl's Orange Scarf is for the youngest of readers, with minimal text and spare illustrations. The humor is understated, as when we read "Little Owl tried very hard to lose his new scarf", and we see a picture of the scarf sticking out of a trunk labelled "To Peru". Or when we learn that "The yarn shop was more exciting than Little Owl expected" because there is yarn there that is not orange.
This is, naturally, the perfect companion book to Small Bunny's Blue Blanket. Where the first book celebrates a child's love of a treasured object, Little Owl's Orange Scarf looks at the child's reaction to a gift that isn't well-loved. For my own three-year-old, I think that the Blue Blanket story will be more immediately relatable. But we'll keep this one around to look at after all of the Christmas presents are unwrapped this year. Recommended for home use with preschoolers.
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (@RandomHouseKids)
Publication Date: June 11, 2013
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher
FTC Required Disclosure:
This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).
© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook.
Newsletter Update: In this issue I have four book reviews (all picture books). I also have posts about 
I'm still listening to 
You all may appreciate the fact that Baby Bookworm asked to be Pink-A-Girl for Halloween. Pink-A-Girl is Pinkalicious' superhero Halloween costume in 
Trudy Ludwig's The Invisible Boy is about a quiet little boy named Brian. Brian is not overtly bullied, but he is made to feel invisible because he is ignored by his classmates. When he reaches out to a new classmate, however, things begin to change, and the invisible boy begins to be seen. I'm not normally a fan of overt issue books, but The Invisible Boy worked for me. Part of this was because I love Patrice Barton's gentle illustrations. 
There is no question that my daughter has acquired background knowledge from books. Recently we were in the parking lot at the grocery store, and a taxi cab passed by. My daughter said: "Look! A taxi cab! I've never seen one in real life before." (Forgetting various airport trips, I guess.) She had, however, seen a taxi cab in 
15 Multicultural Books for Babies and Toddlers, recommended by 
Top Twelve Picture Book Read-Alouds for Halloween from 
The UK's Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize Awarded to 
Looking for books for your new independent reader: Bring on a Series! says 
Interesting piece 
20 Classic 
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild is vintage Peter Brown (see 
On the recommendation of Jim Trelease in 
Bedtime Monsters is a new picture book by Josh Schneider, who won a 2012 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for 
The larger idea is that talking with your child is one of the ways that you help to build your child's vocabulary (on which much of the success of their future education rests). So, if you are regularly taking your infant out for walks in a stroller, using a rear-facing stroller increases your opportunity to engage with the child. Such a simple idea, but one that could make a big difference. (Obviously, this is less practical with a curious 2 year old who wants to see the world, even if you could find a rear-facing stroller). 
And now, the 2013 National Book Award SHORTlists..., reported by