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Wow! Said the Owl: A Book About Colors
Here's the story of a curious little owl determined to see what the world looks like during the day. And what does she discover? A wow-worthy symphony of colors―from red butterflies to orange flowers, from white clouds to green leaves.
This boisterous and bright book is the perfect read-aloud to savor with curious little owls everywhere who are exploring the world of colors for the first time.
This boisterous and bright book is the perfect read-aloud to savor with curious little owls everywhere who are exploring the world of colors for the first time.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published June 5, 2009
About the author
Tim Hopgood
67 books41 followersTim Hopgood is an award-winning illustrator whose work has been featured in magazines such as Esquire, GQ, and Harper’s. He lives in York, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 179 reviews
January 12, 2016
A little owl stays awake and discovers daytime and all the amazing colors nature has. She also stays awake at nighttime and finds out that stars are the most beautiful of all things!
Cute book and great for introducing colors to kids :)
Cute book and great for introducing colors to kids :)
September 18, 2017
Heidi’s favourite toy is a soft owl, and her favourite pastime is reading stories. So it should be no surprise that she has plenty of books about owls. There’s Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson. There’s Ten Little Owls by Renee Treml. There’s The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear, illustrated by Jan Brett. There’s Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris. Actually, how did that one get onto her shelf?
But by far her favourite owl book is Wow! Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood. In fact, if I told her she could only keep one of her hundreds of books and we would throw the rest out, I think she would pick Wow! Said the Owl to save. And then she’d cry and I would be a terrible parent. But my point is it’s probably her favourite book of all. Here’s a recent exchange that demonstrates just how much two-year-old Heidi loves this book.
Me: What does a sheep say?
Heidi: Baa-baa!
Me: What does a lion say?
Heidi: Rooooaar!
Me: What does an owl say?
Heidi: Wow!
Wow! Said the Owl is perfect for toddlers of Heidi’s age. A curious little owl stays awake during the daytime instead of going to sleep, and discovers all the vivid colours of the world around her. On each page she says “WOW!” as she sees a new colour – the warm pink sky, the yellow sun, the green leaves on her tree, the pretty red butterflies, the grey clouds when it starts to rain.
The day finishes with a rainbow, and then the little owl stays up all night, just like little owls are supposed to, and she decides that the night-time stars are the most beautiful of all. The final page, after the end of the story, shows a sort of colour wheel, and Heidi loves to point to each one and say the name of the colour – even if she calls both indigo and violet a generic “purple”. I mean, who ever uses the word “indigo” anyway?
I don’t know what it is about owls that Heidi loves so much. I guess the big eyes do make them look pretty cute. The big eyes also help owls to find the mice, voles and other small mammals and birds that they like to attack with their razor-sharp talons and eat. Not so cute now, are they? Maybe that’s what the famously mysterious Twin Peaks clue meant: “The owls are not what they seem”.
But back to Wow! Said the Owl. Sometimes Heidi likes reading stories on her own, and you can tell when she’s reading this one even if you're not in the room. You’ll just hear “wow” as she turns each page, then a lot of gobbledegook with the occasional name of a colour thrown in. When she gets to the page full of red butterflies, she says “owl?” – it’s the only page that doesn’t show the curious little owl.
I hadn’t heard of Tim Hopgood before we picked up a copy of this book. He has a background in graphic design and uses those skills in combination with his drawing ability to produce his works. He scans the various elements, including his drawings, into his computer and assembles the images digitally. All his work starts in black and white, and he colours it using his computer – this way he can test out different colour combinations.
Fascinatingly, he collects textures from unusual places – the clouds in Wow! Said the Owl have a pattern he scanned in from the inside of an envelope from his bank! What sort of creative mind comes up with that idea? Every time we read Wow! Said the Owl now – which is to say, several times a week – I’ll pay special attention to those patterned clouds and be reminded how a clever mind can see creative potential in the most mundane objects.
All of this creativity combines to be a cut above your usual toddler book. In fact, it has become so popular that in 2015 Wow! Said the Owl was adapted into a stage show using puppets in London, and received rave reviews.
Speaking of reviews, on the back cover of Wow! Said the Owl, you’ll see the following testimonial: “Just the right blend of vivid illustration and engaging text” – Daily Mail. For the first (and probably last) time in my life, I am forced to admit that the Daily Mail got something bang on.
https://dadreads.blogspot.com.au/2017...
But by far her favourite owl book is Wow! Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood. In fact, if I told her she could only keep one of her hundreds of books and we would throw the rest out, I think she would pick Wow! Said the Owl to save. And then she’d cry and I would be a terrible parent. But my point is it’s probably her favourite book of all. Here’s a recent exchange that demonstrates just how much two-year-old Heidi loves this book.
Me: What does a sheep say?
Heidi: Baa-baa!
Me: What does a lion say?
Heidi: Rooooaar!
Me: What does an owl say?
Heidi: Wow!
Wow! Said the Owl is perfect for toddlers of Heidi’s age. A curious little owl stays awake during the daytime instead of going to sleep, and discovers all the vivid colours of the world around her. On each page she says “WOW!” as she sees a new colour – the warm pink sky, the yellow sun, the green leaves on her tree, the pretty red butterflies, the grey clouds when it starts to rain.
The day finishes with a rainbow, and then the little owl stays up all night, just like little owls are supposed to, and she decides that the night-time stars are the most beautiful of all. The final page, after the end of the story, shows a sort of colour wheel, and Heidi loves to point to each one and say the name of the colour – even if she calls both indigo and violet a generic “purple”. I mean, who ever uses the word “indigo” anyway?
I don’t know what it is about owls that Heidi loves so much. I guess the big eyes do make them look pretty cute. The big eyes also help owls to find the mice, voles and other small mammals and birds that they like to attack with their razor-sharp talons and eat. Not so cute now, are they? Maybe that’s what the famously mysterious Twin Peaks clue meant: “The owls are not what they seem”.
But back to Wow! Said the Owl. Sometimes Heidi likes reading stories on her own, and you can tell when she’s reading this one even if you're not in the room. You’ll just hear “wow” as she turns each page, then a lot of gobbledegook with the occasional name of a colour thrown in. When she gets to the page full of red butterflies, she says “owl?” – it’s the only page that doesn’t show the curious little owl.
I hadn’t heard of Tim Hopgood before we picked up a copy of this book. He has a background in graphic design and uses those skills in combination with his drawing ability to produce his works. He scans the various elements, including his drawings, into his computer and assembles the images digitally. All his work starts in black and white, and he colours it using his computer – this way he can test out different colour combinations.
Fascinatingly, he collects textures from unusual places – the clouds in Wow! Said the Owl have a pattern he scanned in from the inside of an envelope from his bank! What sort of creative mind comes up with that idea? Every time we read Wow! Said the Owl now – which is to say, several times a week – I’ll pay special attention to those patterned clouds and be reminded how a clever mind can see creative potential in the most mundane objects.
All of this creativity combines to be a cut above your usual toddler book. In fact, it has become so popular that in 2015 Wow! Said the Owl was adapted into a stage show using puppets in London, and received rave reviews.
Speaking of reviews, on the back cover of Wow! Said the Owl, you’ll see the following testimonial: “Just the right blend of vivid illustration and engaging text” – Daily Mail. For the first (and probably last) time in my life, I am forced to admit that the Daily Mail got something bang on.
https://dadreads.blogspot.com.au/2017...
November 27, 2022
An owl spends a day exploring colors. Fun to read, sweet concept, just right for my 2-year-old.
May 3, 2018
My little guy loves this book to bits. He pours over the illustrations, shouting "moon", "star", "owl", "butter" (that's butterfly, by the way), "WOW!" and pointing to the corresponding pictures. He is completely absorbed when I read this to him too, sitting on my lap and only turning the pages when I ask him to. That is not at all common for my 18 month old who loves flitting around the room while I read or taking the book from me and having his merry way with it (which usually involves turning the pages too fast or taking the book for walks around the house). The best part is that I don't cringe every time he says "owl" and wants me to read this book to him again and again because it's quite a captivating little tale with illustrations that are enchanting and educational. I put on a t-shirt the other day and my kid was pointing and saying, "ow, ow, ow." I look down, and guess what, my shirt's got an owl on it. The book has also gotten my husband and I into a routine of taking the little guy outside before bedtime and showing him the moon and stars (which he loves), singing some nursery rhymes outside, and bonding with our little lovebug under the stars. It really has been all kinds of WOW!
September 20, 2018
Fun colors book. Good for storytime.
March 2, 2019
This book is good for reception children because it helps them to understand different colours and rainbows.
January 31, 2020
A book about colours. Little owl stays awake all day to see the beautiful colours.
February 12, 2023
It's a lovely book to read to children 6 older or younger...
September 2, 2022
A lovely book for children to learn colours through.
Brilliant, colourful pages with lots to discuss. Not a lot of reading to be done which leaves plenty of room for adding your own dialog and questions for the children.
At the end of the book there is a page with the colour wheel on, which my children really enjoyed naming the colours as I would point at them.
Useful that they also use the correct colour names rather than 'purple' to expand their knowledge and vocabulary.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with you children, probably age 2-4 years, for a cute bedtime story to enjoy and learn colours through.
Brilliant, colourful pages with lots to discuss. Not a lot of reading to be done which leaves plenty of room for adding your own dialog and questions for the children.
At the end of the book there is a page with the colour wheel on, which my children really enjoyed naming the colours as I would point at them.
Useful that they also use the correct colour names rather than 'purple' to expand their knowledge and vocabulary.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with you children, probably age 2-4 years, for a cute bedtime story to enjoy and learn colours through.
March 11, 2017
A young owl stays awake all day so she can see all the colors of the day. So excited was she that she stayed awake all tonight too and discovered that nighttime is just as beautiful, if not more so, than the daylight.
A cute book with great illustrations. Good for young kids to learn their colors or if they're just starting to read.
A cute book with great illustrations. Good for young kids to learn their colors or if they're just starting to read.
July 3, 2012
Great book for introducing colors in nature.
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January 15, 2014这本是第一次读 里面是讲color。。。
August 1, 2015
Danny's favourite.
July 31, 2023
My little one did not like it one bit
August 4, 2019
I like this book, because "Wow," said the owl, "that's a lot of colors!" That includes red, yellow, blue, grey, and light blue, dark blue, shade of blues, shades of whites, yellows, every shade of any color. The shade of purple, like light, dark, medium, any piece of paint you can find. Like in Rufus: The Bat Who Loved Colors, sort of the same.
September 6, 2019
This book is all about colors. In WOW! Said The Owl, there is a young owl who is very curious about what goes on during the day. Instead of sleeping during the day and being awake at night, she takes a nap and wakes up just before dawn. When the little owl wakes up she begins to see the sun come up and all of the beautiful colors that appear in the sunlight. She sees orange flowers, red butterflies, grey rain clouds, and then all of the colors of the rainbow. This book would be great to read with younger aged children who are discovering colors.
December 1, 2019
Owl decides to stay awake to see what the daytime looks like, and in the process learns all about the different colours that they aren't able to see at nighttime. I'm not a huge fan of the art style in this book - it's quite slapdash and looks a little unfinished in places, but I'm sure a lot of people love it for exactly that reason! - but I do appreciate the way that it weaves the colours into the story instead of just listing them, as it makes learning colours far more engaging than a lot of the colour-focused picture books that we've read with our little one. A great storytime choice.
November 21, 2020
I love reading this book to Logan as it really makes you appreciate the natural world around you. It’s such a sweet premise that teaches us that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. I love the vibrant pictures and colours and the enthusiasm Hopwood makes the owl express when he first sees all the bright and beautiful colours and natural sights that the world has that he hasn’t seen until that moment. It is a truly wonderful book with an amazing message that we should all live our lives by.
March 14, 2026
Tim Hopgood is an author/illustrator who lives in England and this is his first title published in the United States in 2009.
It is a good basic book on colors featuring a young owl who stays awake to see the colors of daytime. Either a recurring a refrain of “WOW!” said the owl” which moves the story from page to page as the owl views a new object found in nature represented by basic colors. Great for the three and four year olds.
It is a good basic book on colors featuring a young owl who stays awake to see the colors of daytime. Either a recurring a refrain of “WOW!” said the owl” which moves the story from page to page as the owl views a new object found in nature represented by basic colors. Great for the three and four year olds.
June 11, 2018
Miss 3 wasn't interested in the book but she showed some interest in the colour wheel at the back.
Miss 3 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.
Miss 3 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.
August 9, 2018
A cute little children's book that is designed to blend learning with reading. This book dealt with learning colours and every page mentions a different colour highlighted within the story.
Simplistic for early readers it still had a lovely tale woven around teaching children about a mischievous owl who couldn't sleep and noticed all the beautiful colours in the world around us.
Simplistic for early readers it still had a lovely tale woven around teaching children about a mischievous owl who couldn't sleep and noticed all the beautiful colours in the world around us.
June 6, 2019
A sweet little story about an owl who wakes up at dawn one morning instead of sleeping through the day like owls usually do. This means she has the opportunity to see all the beautiful colours that are usually hidden in the dark. After a day spent admiring the view the sun goes down and the owl decides the night sky full of stars is wow-worthy as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2017
Cute illustrations and exploration of the different colours to be found in nature. Owl is a night-time bird, but decides to stay up and see what the day has to offer, exploring a rainbow of colours. Great for encouraging the IB attitude appreciation.
August 3, 2020
One of the great things about parenthood, is seeing everything through your child's eyes. Something I wish we all could just do. The little owl stays up during the day instead of at night, and just loves all the colors she sees in the daytime. Wow! A fun enjoyable read.
November 15, 2025
A baby owl stays up all day to experience the colors of the daytime. A simple and repetitive book that could work for a storytime about owls or colors, although its missing a certain je ne sais quais.
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February 8, 2026I like reading tis very sort book. It's aimed at children and shows off various colours using a female owl child as the main character.
The book is part of the children's collection in one of my local public libraries.
The book is part of the children's collection in one of my local public libraries.
February 9, 2017
Owl defies his nocturnal nature to see what the day is like. As a result he gets to experience all kinds of beautiful new colors!
June 12, 2017
great story that teaches the colors.
July 19, 2017
Cute book with beautiful colors
October 4, 2017
Used in TT storytime on 10/4/17. The "WOW!" refrain is cute but this book didn't hold the kids' attention particularly well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 179 reviews