Owly: A Time to Be Brave
is the fourth in a series of wordless graphic novels by Andy Runton. The entire
Owly series
will appeal to any age with simple black and white drawings that glow with kindness. The premise is one of those hard to describe things where there’s
something more hiding just below the simplistic surface. It would be best to call that something,
uncomplicated joyfulness.
This simplistic format doesn't mean that
Owly
is a simple read.
Owly's
message and format are actually quite complex and it is exactly that complexity that makes the wordless format overflow with possibility. Each panel is a singular instance of expression with interpretive discussions just waiting to be had.
After reading
Owly,
both young and old will carry away a smile. From the smallest of smiles on a reluctant reader’s face to a more profound understanding of the core messages by the stronger reader,
Owly
holds something for all students. And
Owly
also succeeds at leaving teachers smiling at the numerous opportunities for practicing prediction making, detail finding and sequencing.
Owly
is an absolutely perfect addition to classrooms from elementary through secondary.
Highly recommended by this reading educator. A wordless book! Who knew?
-------------------- Resources --------------------
Genre: Graphic Novel. Age: All. Pages:120.

Themes: Cooperation, Friendship, Courage



Thank you to
The Picnic Basket.
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions. Date: December 2007.
ISBN-10: 1891830899 / ISBN-13: 978-1891830891
Buy Owly: A Time to Be Brave Here
Educators and Home Schoolers: Here's a link to the teaching resources page from Andy Runton's site. He has 30 pages with 12 lesson plans for the
Owly
series.
You can learn more about how Andy Runton followed his heart by visiting his really fantastic website. It is an amazing wealth of fun with coloring pages, desktop wallpapers, a store and even a video showing us how to draw Owly.
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© 2007-2009 Cheryl Vanatti for www.ReadingRumpus.com
Review also posted as National Reading Examiner.