Local Eastern Shore author Ellen Krawczak offers an interesting array of animals in her children’s book Ollie Gives a Hoot! Ollie, the main character is a grouch—he won’t come to a party or talk to anyone. As an owl, he sleeps during the day and hunts during the night. He has very good hearing which is makes him angry when the other animals make too much noise. This happens in real life to children when their parents are watching television and YouTube. The noises are sometimes disturbing and scary to children who are trying to fall asleep.
In the thirty-five-page book, the reader meets more than twelve animals and is challenged by difficult word choices like “massive” and “emphatically.” The text is large enough for a Step 2 reader, but the story and the language are challenging enough for a Step 3. Ellie, our Step 5 reader/reviewer thought the book was easy to read, but she enjoyed the story.
The book teaches the lesson that it is good to make friends, even if you don’t want to or would rather be alone. The theme of community is strong. Even though Ollie is a loner and does not want to be included in the monkey’s party, when the animals are threatened, he warns them before any of them can get hurt. In the end, Ollie finds a way to be part of the community, but he still acts like an owl—independent and nocturnal.
Illustrator Adam Farver depicts each animal character in a cartoon-like style, and each is full of personality. ZoZo Zebra has wide eyes and long, flirty eyelashes where Ollie Owl wears an angry look on his bowl-shaped face. The only human characters are shown as shadow hunters threatening the animals.
Ellen Krawczak delivers a strong message in this modern folktale populated by animals who need each other yet retain their unique personalities. Ellie and I are looking forward to her new book featuring ZoZo Zebra.
Signed copies of Ollie Gives a Hoot are available for purchase at Greyhound Indie Bookstore and Fine Art Gallery in downtown Berlin, Maryland.
by Ellie and Joan Cooper
@BirdsLikeMe