Whooo Is Still Awake?

by Brigette Barrager

Follow two curious owls on an enchanting nighttime adventure as they meet other nocturnal animals in this rhyming picture book by the illustrator of the New York Times bestselling Uni the Unicorn series – perfect for bedtime reading!

It’s time we flew.
The night is new – so much to do.
Whooo is still awake?

As the moon rises and the stars twinkle, two little owls take flight into moonlit woods. With a joyful "Whooo? Whooo?" they explore the night, meeting nocturnal friends along the way. From fluttering moths and playful raccoons to creeping black cats and trotting skunks, each page turn introduces readers to a new surprise.

    Rhythmic, lyrical text and charming illustrations make this a fun read-aloud for young readers who are curious about the nighttime world. By the time dawn breaks and spiderwebs glisten with dew, everyone will be ready to yawn, coo, and snuggle up for a cozy sleep.

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Animals, Birds, Childrens, Juvenile

40 pages, Library Binding

Published December 9, 2025

About the author

Brigette Barrager is an artist, designer, writer, and the illustrator of Pocket Full of Colors by Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville as well as the New York Times bestselling Uni the Unicorn by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. She attended the California Institute of the Arts and spent some time working in animation before taking the plunge into book illustration, where she’s lived happily ever after. She resides in Los Angeles with her handsome husband, cute doggy, and terrible cat.

Reviews

[Marty Lapointe-Malchik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Brigette Barrager's masterful pacing here. This gem begins with a spread showing two owls, side by side in the hollow of a tree with closed eyes. Turn the page and we see one eye open. The drama of the page turns takes us on a nighttime journey in her engaging, dramatic illustration style. We swoop around encountering nocturnal animals that are puzzles to be figured out, delightfully surprised by, or pored over with an equally wondering grown up. Top this off with romping rythmic text and consistent monorhymes and you have a recipe for bedtime triumph like no other. It would make an enchanting addition to any little human's home library or any librarian's toddler book stack for story hour (especially jammies story hours).

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bold, dark illustrations and repetitive rhyming text make this picture book story time gold. Two owlets open their eyes when night falls and it’s time to explore. They wonder, “Whooo is still awake?” And in a pattern of ‘oo’ sounds we find out which nocturnal animals live in the owlets’ neighborhood: moths fly into view; there’s a raccoon crew; little skunks – “Pew! Pew!; coyotes – “Awooo! Awooo!” The repeating sounds works well and are fun to say aloud – kids will think so too.

I love the deep nighttime colors and the cute owlets’ big glowing eyes. When the sky starts to lighten, the owlets get sleepy and ask the reader, “Are you sleepy, too?”

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two owls encounter several creatures of the night including raccoons, possums, coyotes, skunks, a spider and bears. Brief text and illustrations in shades of blue, pink, purple, yellow & black, this one would be a hit in storytimes for littles.

Themes: owls, nighttime, stories that rhyme
Ages: toddler-K
Pub year: 2025

[Lauren M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great add on to nocturnal storytime, with rhyming and a fun prose!

I love how the creatures are bathed in darkness with glowing eyes; it makes for a fun conversation about the different nocturnal animals we can find!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adorable adventure featuring two owls as they fly through the forest and greet their other nocturnal animal friends. Which one is your favorite? Perfect for bedtime.

[Dylan Teut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for music class, the animal noises lend themselves wonderfully to pitch exploration activities with young singers. Can't wait to put it to use!

[Polly Crandall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Artistry is really lovely. The artist does a lot with a fairly limited palette.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story time book for nocturnal animals

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two owls wake up in the evening and fly around all night identifying other nocturnal animals.

Sweet story good for toddlers and preschools. Recommended for storytime.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice rhyming story. Loved the art.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

These illustrations are so fun. While this would be a really fun bedtime story, the text felt a little perfunctory for me.

[GS Dachslove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nocturnal animals

Short and sweet. Cute pictures

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rhyming tale follows two owls through the night as they fly and spot other nocturnal animals out and about.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rhyming throughout the book. Would work for a Toddler or younger Storytime, especially a bedtime themed one.