Good-Night, Owl!

Pat Hutchins' Woodland Friends

by Pat Hutchins

Owl can't get to sleep in Pat Hutchins's beloved Good-Night, Owl!

How is Owl supposed to sleep the day away with the bees buzzing, the woodpecker pecking, the doves cooing, and the squirrels crunching? But when night falls and everything is finally quiet, suddenly there's a new sound--and it's coming from Owl!

From author-illustrator Pat Hutchins, this cumulative bedtime story with a surprise ending will send little ones off to sleep with a smile.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Birds, Childrens, Storytime, Fiction, Classics

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Pat Hutchins is an English illustrator and writer of children's books.

She won the 1974 Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a British subject. The work was The Wind Blew, a picture book in rhyme which she also wrote. It shows how "a crowd of people anxiously chase their belongings" in the wind.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Night, Owl was first published in 1972 and, despite the fact that over 40 years have passed, this still looks as fresh and new as it did when it first appeared. One of the things I love about Pat Hutchins work is how timeless it is – a good story is still a good story and this still has huge appeal to children.

This is a simple story and takes place in a single tree, where poor Owl is trying to sleep. However, of course, Owl is trying to sleep during the day, when all of the other trees inhabitants are up and about and he is constantly disturbed by buzzing bees, a squirrel eating nuts and noisy birds. This is very engaging and wonderful to read aloud, as there are lots of different noises for small children to join in with; as well as counting fun as more and more birds and small creatures appear in the tree. This also has a really good ending, which will make all children smile. A really good bedtime story for children.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A picture book classic about an owl trying to sleep during the day. This will pair well with Little Owl's Day by Divya Srinivasan and Papagayo: the Mischief Maker by Gerald McDermott.

[Jennifer B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute with distinctive illustrations.

[Michele H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute bedtime story about an owl who is trying to go to sleep but all of the other animals are making to much noise. The surprise ending will make kids laugh.

[Liana Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book hahahah

[Allison Stoltz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book for its story line and the ending I didn't see coming, to the beautiful illustrations. Pat Hutchins author/illustrator for this book did such a wonderful job making us feel like we were up in the tree with the other animals who unwittingly kept Owl awake with all their noises. Anyone who has ever worked nights and tried to sleep in the days knows how frustrating poor Owl was.

The book I read did not have a dust jacket. However, the front cover contains a tree where the whole story takes place. She uses this establishing shot to show us from the beginning where the story is going to be. There are no borders or frames in this story. At the end of the book the pages bleed from one page to the next as night falls over the tree and its animals.

In almost every page the gutter is drawn across to show continuity of story. The tree also acts as a motif as it extends across the page. I did some research on the author and she used funny stories from the lives of her boys to come up with her material. This book is dedicated to Morgan's grandpa. No doubt he never let his grandpa sleep.

I loved the illustrations and the colors and the way Hutchins drew her animal characters. This is a great bedtime story book for all to read.

[Luisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good-Night, Owl!
By Pat Hutchins
Reviewed by Luisa Daniel

This book “Good-Night Owl!” is a story about an owl who tries to sleep, but the animals around him keep him up. Until… he decides to have revenge on every animal.

This book by Pat Hutchins has many different colors but there are two main items on each page of the book that stays the same the tree and the owl. Each page adds another animal on each branch until it if filled up. The animals are very detailed with the colors of the specific animal. There are no borders on any of the pages, the left page is filled with little white space but the right side of the page has a lot of white space with the text as well.

This book makes you look at the details of the tree and the each additional animals added on every page. The last two pages are full bleeds to represent the night time. The letters also turn white to be able to see them.

Overall, I liked this book and reading the book you do not expect that kind of ending to happen and it was sort of funny to read.

Goodreads Rating:5 stars

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pat Hutchins both wrote and illustrated this children's book. Hutchins effectively uses reduplication in this text. While the images do not change that much from page to page, other than a new set of animals joining the illustration, many of the words in the story repeat. This book would be useful for an early reader, especially for one to two syllable words. The book has a portait layout with a very straightforward font making it more accessible for new readers.
The book reminds me in a way of A Partridge in a Pear Tree due to Hutchins illustrations of a tree that is clearly becoming too crowded. The images are vibrant and the owl's expressions are entertaining.
This book would also be useful for introducing onomatopoeia.
My favorite part of the book, without giving it away, is the ending... although it might not necessarily help someone fall asleep.

[Makaley Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this a great book for beginning readers as well as a fun book that can be read out loud to the entire class. The book is about an owl who is trying to sleep during the day but all the other animals that are awake during the day keep it up. Kids are able to observe the animals and join in with animal noises as well as counting as more and more appear in the tree. The art was really colorful and eye-popping as well. This has a good story and makes you pay attention to the detail of the tree as well as the characters that are added on each page. Overall I thought it was a good book and the ending added a bit of humor I did not see it coming.

[Sarah Hartman · Rating 3 out of 5]

In “Good-Night Owl,” the story follows an owl struggling to find rest during the noisy daytime. Perched in a tree, the owl is disturbed by the sounds of bees buzzing, crows cawing, and cuckoos calling, all of which disrupt its sleep. The illustrations vividly depict the owl surrounded by these lively creatures, each contributing to the cacophony. As day transitions to night, the scene shifts; the other animals settle down for sleep, allowing the owl to finally awaken and take its turn to make noise. The narrative highlights the contrast between day and night in the animal kingdom, making it fun and informational for young readers.

[Mia Fireheart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a nice book for beginner readers as it has onomatopoeia and cute illustrations of different kinds of birds. This is a simple story that shows a struggling owl who just wants to go to sleep but cannot due to the distracting birds, squirrel, and bees that surround the owl. However, once all the other animals are asleep, the owl decides to act upon revenge and wakes them up. I do understand that this book is targeted for young readers but I felt that it had been odd to end the story with retribution.

[Alexis Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

It can be very annoying when all you want to do is sleep but everyone around you is being loud! “Good-Night, Owl!” is a funny story about the different sleep schedules in animals and how there can never be a sense of peace. As the owl tries to sleep during the day, all the other animals are awake, then when it’s time for them to go to sleep, the owl is wide awake. Hutchins uses double-paged pictures and single-paged pictures while allowing the large text to take up the other page. The images of this book mostly stay the same throughout with a few background color changes.

[Samantha Chafin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a story about an owl who is trying to go to sleep, but it constanly battling the noisy guests. After many failed attempts at trying to fall asleep, the owl never succeeds. When night falls, the Owl seeks his revenge by allowing the noisy animals to fall asleep and then proceeds to create a commotion and wakes them all up. I feel that this book is a great choice for young children who are learning about animals and animal sounds.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok I had no idea this book was written in the 70s even though the cover jacket looks like it, lol This was a great story. Owl can't sleep because everyone is hanging outside and making noise and yelling and doing daytime things. But what will happen at nighttime?

Oz thought it was hilarious and enjoyed it.

[Sunny]

Light hearted easy read. The pictures are bright and stylishly detailed. Something interesting with the text is that on the last page, it is on the on the left page with the picture on the right. So the author probably wants the reader to see the owl and the tree before reading the ending that ties the book together.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple story of an owl who is continually woken up by birds visiting the tree during the day. As you can imagine, when night comes the tables are turned. The illustrations are lovely and I enjoyed the 60s style and colour palette. A nice introduction to some bird species and the concept of diurnal and nocturnal creatures.

[Jessie Polson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good-night Owl is a cute little story that is about an Owl who tried to sleep all day, and all of the animals and insects were making noise during the day! Owl then woke up at nightfall, and screeched and woke up all of the insects and animals that woke him! This story is very cute and funny, because the roles reverse at the end of the story!

[Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read. Overall, good character development for the owl, but the other birds were pretty one-dimensional. *Spoiler alert* Anyone else concerned about their child internalizing the ending and waking everyone else up in the middle of the night?

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this sound-making adventure as all the noisy birds annoy owl until night time when he returns the favor. A shortened version (paperclips) would be great for toddlers and the full length would perfect for preschool storytime!

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was daytime when Owl should be sleeping, but there was too much noise from the daytime birds and animals. Nighttime came when all the others were sleeping. Owl did pay back.

A cute cumulative story with wonderful illustrations.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this during my preschool storytime. For some reason, I thought the kids might not really pay attention. I was wrong. I encouraged them to make the sounds of the different tree animals with me, and they did, with great relish. It was fun.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poor owl just wants to sleep.But everyone is making so much noise. This book has beautiful pictures and simple sentences which makes it good for reading aloud. Kids can learn the names of several birds from this book.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations with repeating patterns are very interesting, and lend kind of a geometric interest to the art. I love that there are many different kinds of birds and tree-dwellers represented, and that each one makes a unique sound. This would be good with a room full of preschoolers.

[Brandon Extrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this story for its illustrations and it's a very easy read. I would bring this book to my classroom and dead it aloud to my students. The words are repetitive so it will teach the children how to pronounce, spell, and further their reading experience and levels.

[Abby Peskin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Owl is trying to fall asleep but all of the other animals are awake, so they’re making noises. Bugs are buzzing, squirrels are eating, and all of the noise makes it hard for owl to have enough quiet to fall asleep.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nobody likes it when others are making noise when they are trying to sleep--including when they're nocturnal! The illustrations are a delight--I didn't enjoy them quite as much as the author's '60s pop-art books, but they were still fun to look at.

[Clarissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely read aloud with animal noises for young children.

[DeNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read Pat Hutchins in years, but my 3 year old and I are huge fans, so we're raiding the library for all things Pat Hutchins and have not been disappointed.

[Casandria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, the problems that come from being nocturnal...
Birds
Owls

[Marisa Severin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is perfect for early readers. The fonts are big and there are not many words on the page. The illustrations were ideal as well.