Ten Owies: A Silly Picture Book About Counting Boo-Boos and Healing for Kids

by Tony Johnston, Annabel Tempest (Illustrator)

A hilarious story about ten silly children who accidently end up with ten silly owies. This big-hearted, positive-minded picture book is an irreverent ode to the most universal of all childhood experiences--the "boo-boo"--and a perfect book to share with anyone recovering from a scraped knee or stubbed toe.

Ouch, that hurt!

From ice-cream induced brain freezes to bee stings to stubbed toes and bruises, ten children get ten owies that can only be cured by the following: a kiss, a hug, lots of love, and as many colorful Band-Aids as possible.

Full of rhythm, repetition, playful language, silliness, and love, Ten Owies introduces young readers to numbers from one to ten, as well as the notion that everyone gets a "boo-boo" every now and then. Tony Johnston's silly text, combined with Annabel Tempest's lively illustrations, captures all the drama of childhood while also offering plenty of humor, sympathy, and healing. The perfect book to share with a child needing a little tender love and care!

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Childrens, Counting, Health

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2022

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Tony Johnston has written many acclaimed books for young people. She and her husband lived in Mexico for fifteen years, where they raised their children. She now lives in San Marino, California.

Reviews

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richie’s Picks: TEN OWIES by Tony Johnston and Annabel Tempest, ill., HarperCollins/Greenwillow, June 2022, 40p., ISBN: 978-0-06-264460-2

“Yowie, Zowie! I've got an owie!
Owie! Owie! Ouch, ouch, ouch!”
–learned at a long-ago, early childhood workshop

True story: So, I was in Whole Foods the other day, and the pineapples were on sale. I saw a big, juicy one toward the back of the pile, but when I reached out to grab it, a sharp, pointy leaf in its crown sliced my finger. It didn’t bleed, but it really, really stung. Owie!

“Anita picked some posies.
She picked a pink sweet pea.
She chose a rose
and–uh-oh–
got stingered by a bee.
FIVE OWIES”

We love sharing our tales of woe, especially young children at a circle or sharing time. The rhythmic and rollicking TEN OWIES by Tony Johnston features a catchy series of rhymes about the delightful variety of owies that befall ten kids in the book.

You could easily read this book on a monthly basis, and the kids will be forever ready and excited to recount their own latest experiences with scrapes, bangs, bites, itches, sprains, or hair pulls. And err...I guess plenty of us grownups with our own aches and pains like to talk about the same things too.

TEN OWIES will reassure kids that occasional pains are just a normal part of life and will go away. Talking about owies may make them less scary.

I would follow up by encouraging them to illustrate their owie experiences. Older kids might even try writing a verse about themselves in the same A-B-C-B pattern.

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
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richiepartington@gmail.com

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could be a good storytime book for an older crowd. It has a rhyming feel to it, but I don't think everything rhymed.

[Margie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ten Owies is a counting book with ten children encountering different mishaps which lead to, yes, you guessed it, owies. Some of the situations and words are contrived silliness which young children will enjoy. The illustrations are bright and colorful which will distract from the owies. Daddies and Mommies play a pivotal role in soothing the owies away.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ten children get injured while they play, and each one ends up with an "owie." Many of the injuries are relatable to children. Some of the words used are more unusual than what appear in most picture books, so it's good to build vocabulary, but grown-ups be prepared! The funny words contrast against the sad injuries to make it a more light-hearted story.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

A diverse group of children are illustrated receiving multiple types of injuries. Parents are displayed at the end giving kisses to make it better.

Clumsy rhyming made up words make this book a no-go for me.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute book about different kinds of owies which range from an ice cream headache to falling off your tricycle--nothing too gross or scary for little ones and very relatable. A great choice for a storytime theme of "Boo-boos and Achoos."

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ten silly children end up with ten boo-boos.

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Might be fun for storytime or as a bedtime read. Although I liked it, it was a little too sing-songy for my taste.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute book

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting list of ways that children can hurt themselves. Colorful, bright, fun and weirdly funny

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a silly counting rhyme that names several common bumps and bruises of childhood.

[Colorado Buck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Counting. Boo boos. Alliteration. Rhyming. Diverse characters. Vocabulary. Great.

[Kelly]

Interesting book on many ways you can get hurt, not that kids really need more ideas on that. But it wraps up on a good note.

[kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the words in this book made me want to check the dictionary because they seem clearly fake but I’m not 100% sure!

[Norshakila Makmon · Rating 3 out of 5]

perfect for my plaster lovin kid.

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

What kind of language is this??