The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark

by Jill Tomlinson, Paul Howard

Plop, the Baby Barn Owl, is like every Barn Owl there ever was, except for one thing—he is afraid of the dark. "Dark is nasty" he says, and so he won't go hunting with his parents. Mrs. Barn Owl sends him down from his nest-hole to ask about the dark and he meets a little boy waiting for the fireworks to begin, an old lady, a scout out camping, a girl who tells him about Father Christmas, a man with a telescope, and a black cat who takes him exploring. He realizes through these encounters that dark is super after all.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Animals, Fiction, Novels, Adventure, Family

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Jill Tomlinson never intended to be a writer. She trained as an opera singer, and then decided to have a family whilst her voice matured. But illness intervened, and she had to find another outlet for her energies. She started on a journalism course, and by the third lesson decided she wanted to write for children. So she did! Jill Tomlinson’s animal stories are much-loved and have been best-selling children’s books for nearly four decades.

Reviews

[Simona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4/5



Sunt momente când orice cititor înrăit se găsește într-un book slump de toată minunăția, sau pur și simplu este prea obosit și leneș pentru a se apuca de o carte mai mare, mai complexă. În aceste clipe cred că cel mai bine este să vă apucați de o carte care v-ar putea relaxa, și pe care o puteți citi lejer, fără a vă obosi mintea.

Un bun exemplu îl reprezintă Bufnița care se temea de întuneric de Jill Tomlinson, o cărticică minunată care a reușit să îmi detensioneze mintea. Chiar dacă povestea este una pentru copii și tineri, ea poate fi citită de oricine, ideea lecturii și ilustrațiile ținându-te curios până la final.



Protagonistul nostru este un pui de bufniță de hambar pe nume Buf. Toți știm că bufnițele sunt niște păsări de noapte, însă Buf are frică de întuneric și nu îl înțelege.

Încăpățânarea sa de a percepe frumusețea întunericului dispare pe parcurs, el fiind ajutat de o serie de personaje auxiliare care, rând pe rând, îi prezintă diversele minunății care fac nopțile speciale: focurile de artificii, sclipirea stelelor, fulgerele nopții, putința de a te ascunde, de a medita, apariția lui Moș Crăciun, etc.



Nu mă așteptam să îmi placă așa mult această cărticică, și chiar mă bucur că am reușit să trăiesc clipe frumoase alături de micuțul Buf care evoluează văzând cu ochii, devenind o adevărată bufniță de hambar.

Ilustrațiile mi s-au părut extrem de frumoase, hazlii și potrivite pentru poveste. M-am amuzat de multe ori când am văzut ce rotofei este Buf în viziunea ilustratorului Paul Howard.

Vă recomand cartea cu mare drag pentru acele momente când doriți o lectură ușoară, destresantă, plină de învățături mărunte de care nu doar un copil ar trebui să ia aminte. :)



Citate:

"- Cred că e prietenul meu, cu un artificiu scânteietor. Ah! E un eu!
- Poftim?! făcu tata.
- E un artificiu rotitor. Când am aterizat, băiatul a crezut că sunt un artificiu rotitor. O, nu-i așa că e frumos? Și el a crezut că eu sunt un asemenea artificiu.
Domnul Hambar privea atent cercul scânteietor care prinsese viteză în timp ce se rotea.
- Trebuie că a fost o aterizare cu totul specială, zise el." (p.18-19)

"- Ce păcat! Toată lumea ar trebui să aibă Moș Crăciun, E nemaipomenit să te trezești dimineața și să pipăi ciorapii, încercând să ghicești ce e înăuntru.
- Ei, mai termină, spuse Buf. Acum aș vrea să vină și la mine.
- Închide ochii. Haide, îl încurajă fetița, închide-i și s-ar putea să ai o surpriză.
Buf închise ochii strâns și așteaptă. Fetița își scoase repede o cizmuliță, apoi își dădu un ciorap jos. Mai avea o pereche fiindcă cizmele îi erau prea mari.
- Deschide ochii, îi zise ea lui Buf, stând într-un picior, cu ciorapul în mână, în timp ce încerca să-și încalțe la loc cizma.
Buf deschise ochii, apoi îi închise la loc, pentru că nu-i venea să creadă.
- Nu-l vrei? întrebă fetița. Știu, e puțin cam vechi, dar nu cred că Moș Crăciun o să se supere.
- Oh, mulțumesc, spuse Buf apucând ciorapul cu ciocul, apoi prinzându-l într-o gheară. Mulțumesc foarte mult. Mă duc să-l atârn chiar acum. " (p.56-57)

"- Este... este... oh, nici nu am cuvinte, zise Buf. Dar ai dreptate, Orion. Sunt într-adevăr o pasăre de noapte, până la urmă. Făceam pe interesantul dormind toată noaptea. Nici n-am știu ce pierd.
- Iar asta e doar o noapte de un anumit fel. Dar sunt de multe feluri... și toate sunt frumoase. Sunt nopți calde și parfumate de vară; nopți reci și cu vânt în care norii aruncă umbre furioase pe pământ; nopți tunătoare, care-ți iau respirația și în care întunericul e brăzdat de fulgere albe; nopți proaspete de primăvară, în care nici măcar păsările de zi nu pot dormi; nopți albe și liniștite de iarnă, când zăpada acoperă tot pământul cu o pătură și îngheață casele și copacii." (p.97-98)

[blueisthenewpink · Rating 5 out of 5]

2024
Nyolc évvel az első olvasás után is nagyon szerettük mindhárman. Eleget felejtettünk ahhoz, hogy ismét remekül szórakozzunk. A korábbiakat is csak megerősíteni tudom.

2019
A Nagy türelmetlen volt, előolvasta magának, aztán jött, és hallgatta a Kicsivel együtt, fejezetenként. Kedves és nagyon jó humorú történet, jól elkülönülő hangú, szerethető szereplőkkel (Hupp és szülei hangját is nagyon szerettem). És milyen jó név már egy macskának az Orion! Azt nem mondom, hogy meggyőzte őket, hogy nem kell félni a sötétben, de ismét nagyon jól szórakoztunk. További Tomlinson-újraolvasások tervezve.

2016
Az Ovis azt mondta, ezt még jobban szerette, mint a cicásat. Nagyon jó olvasni; a szöveg választékos, és itt is megvoltak a ritmust adó, finom ismétlések. Az öt és fél éves figyelmét végig leköti az éppen olvasott fejezet, és gurulva kacag a vicces részeken. Érdekes, szokatlan történet ez is, amelyet csendesen, nyugodtan olvas az ember. Barátságos légkört teremt. Nagyon nagy kedvenceink lettek a Tomlinson-állatmesék, ajánlom mindenkinek! “Mi a következő?”

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story about a baby owl, learning through meeting various people, that the dark isn't always as scary as it seems.
I still remember reading this in primary school, this time read with my daughter 🦉

[Sandra Deaconu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Povestea lui Buf este foarte, foarte simpatică și educativă în același timp. Îi învață pe copii cum să își învingă fricile, să își facă prieteni și să se accepte așa cum sunt, fără să lase o temere să îi schimbe. Deopotrivă îi învață pe părinți cum să îi lase pe copii să descopere singuri viața pentru a se maturiza și a învăța din propriile greșeli, dar fără a-i lăsa vreodată singuri cu adevărat. Ilustrațiile sunt atât de drăgălașe, încât îți vine să îl iei pe Buf de pe hârtie și să-l smotocești, iar dialogurile dintre Buf și părinți sunt savuroase. De câteva ori chiar am râs cu voce tare, când Buf îi tot cicălea, iar ei voiau doar să doarmă după o noapte grea în care au fost la vânătoare. Nu-i deloc de mirare că povestea asta a rezistat atâția ani. Recomand pentru toate vârstele. Recenzia aici: https://bit.ly/3sw90PZ.

,,La revedere, Buf, îi spuse, și multe, multe nopți bune."

[Steven Walle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute read. My little cousin enjoyed me reading it to her very much. It is about just what the title says it is about, an owl who is afraid of the dark.

Enjoy and Be Blessed.

[Kitty G Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rediscovered this last night on YouTube as an audiobook and it brought back all the feelings of being a child. I used to listen to the Audio cassette of this almost every night and I loved it. I helped me bit be afraid of the dark and it's a wonderful story with a lot of excellent moments for Plop, the baby barn owl.
Honestly I can't say this book has become worse with time, it may even be more fun to go back and reminisce now. I loved it :) 4/5*s.

[Nata · Rating 4 out of 5]

O cărțulie educativă și amuzantă, potrivită pentru un copil-cititor începător sau pentru un părinte care vrea să discute mai multe cu copilul său despre anumite temeri sau frici, cum ar fi: frica de întuneric.

Despre curajul de a-ți învinge teama de necunoscut. Cartea are ilustrații alb negru pentru a spori atenția copiilor și pentru a-și imagina unele situații vizual. Toate cărțile din această serie sunt faine și abordează diferite teme sau subiecte cu care se pot confrunta majoritatea copiilor. Picilor mei le plac personajele acestor cărți. Avem acasă printre jucării: bufniță, gorilă și chiar o găinușă.

Unele cărți le-am citit de cel puțin 5 ori. Cartea e potrivită pentru vârsta 5+ ani.

[Simona Stoica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recenzie completă: http://palarisme.ro/chef/carti/recenz...

Mi-am dorit cartea de când am aflat că protagonistul este o bufniţă. Iubesc bufniţele. Am pandativ cu bufniţă. Tricou. Cană. Râdeam când unul dintre profesorii mei de la facultate ne numea bufniţe. Să îţi mai spun şi de Hedwig?

Buf este un pui de bufniţă de hambar care doarme noaptea şi nu se simte (încă) pregătit să plece cu părinţii săi la vânătoare. Întunericul îl sperie şi nu vrea să îşi înfrunte teama. Aşa că se comportă ca o pasăre de zi, spre neliniştea părinţilor, care vor să-l ajute să accepte ceea ce este, fără să-l certe sau să pară lipsiţi de compasiune. Cum Buf nu merge la vânătoare, aşteaptă în cuib sosirea „adulţilor”, devorând toată prada adusă. Mănâncă orice. Mănâncă tot. Nu pare să observe că părinţii lui sunt din ce în ce mai obosiţi, că tatăl său îşi pierde răbdarea, iar mama sa vrea să doarmă, în loc să călătorească împreună cu el prin lume, la revărsarea zorilor.

[Mathew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published before I was even born; lying in wait until I had my own children; I have no idea why I chose not to pick this up before now. Tomlinson's 1968 well-loved little book of an owl who would rather be out during the day than the night, is charming. Each chapter has little Plop sent off by his parents (who I adored for their subtle humour) to find out why the dark can be a good thing.
Although my eldest (4) was instantly drawn to the repetitive element of the chapters (who will Plop meet next), he was also tickled by Plop's nature: inquisitive, innocent, silly and quirksome. It didn't take him long to notice that Plop's descent from the trees gradually improves or that each person Plop met, taught him something about the night: this structure was a comforting aspect of the narrative for him. For me, a review cannot be completed without a nod to Paul Howard's wonderful pencil illustrations which brought to life Plop's world.

[Neli Krasimirova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karanlıktan korkan bir baykuş fikri kendi içinde hem çok saçma hem de çok sempatik olduğu için dikkatimi çekmişti.
7-10 yaş arası çocuklar için kendi janrında çok tatlı bir kitap.
Resimli olduğu için korku yenme konusunda sıkıntı çeken daha küçük çocuklara da okunabilir.

[HR Habibur Rahman · Rating 4 out of 5]

প্রত্যেকটা জিনিসের সৌন্দর্য আছে। তা প্রত্যেকের কাছে ভিন্ন ভিন্ন। রাতের সৌন্দর্য আমার কাছে যেমন অন্যদের কাছে তেমন নাও হতে পা���ে।

He is afraid of the dark

[Andreea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised by how invested I was in this book, even though it's a children's story. I had bought it as a gift for a kid because of another review, and thought I could give it a read to see if it makes a good present.

This book follows Plop the baby owl, an unusual night bird - he's afraid of the dark - and the little adventures he goes on in order to overcome his fear of darkness. Plop is pushed by his mom to go talk to people about the darkness - such as the old lady, the girl, or the boy scout. These characters teach him small lessons and show him reasons not to fear the darkness: the fireworks, the fun, the stars.

As a character, Plop the little owl is adorable, and so are the illustrations of him. In fact, all of the illustrations in the book are cute and Paul Howard did a great job on them.

I recommend this book and I definitely think that every kid could benefit from reading or being read this story.

[Zebici · Rating 5 out of 5]

e musai de citit cand sufeltul pereche este bufnita :D
daaa, e o carte simpatica pentru copii

[Iqra Jabbar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book for little one’s who are afraid of the dark, will have them cured in 7 days!
The story is about a young barn owl called Plop, who is terrified of the dark. The plot is divided into seven little chapters. Through each chapter Plop learns something new about the dark: dark is exciting, dark is kind, dark is fun, dark is necessary, dark is fascinating, dark is wonderful ... and dark is beautiful. Plop isn't convinced immediately, but by the seventh night he's looking at the dark through new eyes! He is no longer afraid!

[Mădă · Rating 4 out of 5]

O poveste frumoasă, inteligentă despre frica de întuneric. Cred că ar putea fi o alternativă excelentă de a risipi teama micuților de întuneric, o terapie prin povestea de noapte -bună ,drăgălașenia lu Buf simplificând totul :)

[Lexah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aveam nevoie de o carte ca aceasta, mă gândeam că o să fie ceva boooooring, dar Buf este o bufniţă tare agitată și plină de viaţă.❤

[Gabe Mellow · Rating 5 out of 5]

O poveste despre o bufniță ce învață cum funcționează noaptea. Un apetit uriaș și o teamă de întuneric pe măsură, îl îndeamnă pe Buf să descopere lumea întâi prin ochii altora și apoi prin al lui realizând că într-adevăr să fii pasăre de noapte nu e atât de rău.

[Audrey Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cea mai drăguță bufniță din lume. :D

[Sarah Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of illustrations to keep children engaged. Provides a large scope for comprehension tasks i.e. creating their own chapter spinning off or adding to the story, exploring empathy towards the characters. Opening up opportunities for the children to really engage with the thoughts and feelings associated with this story.

A really lovely story about a baby barn owl called Plop who does not follow the stereotypical owl instinct of being nocturnal due to the fact that he does not like night time, and dread being out in the dark. The story is set as Plop being the main protagonist, in which he describes the world at night is ‘nasty’ and repeats the phrase “I don’t like it AT ALL", adding extra emphasis to the fact he doesn't like the dark. As the story goes on, Plop meets many different characters, and experiences many new things, helping him to move beyond the negative mage he has previously built up about the dark.

Each chapter titles proves to be very interesting, portraying the many good qualities about the dark: dark is exciting; kind; fun; necessary; fascinating; wonderful; and beautiful. Plop explores these qualities from different characters and experiences during the day time, when he enjoys being outside, gradually changing his perception of the dark throughout the story.

As a barn owl that is always crashing into things, I found Plop to be a suitable but clever name for this character. The use of this onomatopoeic vocabulary entices the reader into the world of the character, imagining sounds and feelings associated with the story. Thus, this makes the story perfect for young age groups, in particular, key stage 1. Particular interest of the use of adjectives can introduce and create a bank of ‘wow’ words in children’s minds and increase their vocabulary, which is important particularly for foundation stage and year 1 children as they begin to develop their writing to become more interesting.

[Katy Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remembered this vaguely from childhood, and bought a copy for my son for us to read together.

It could be a lovely warm and helpful read for children scared of the dark, but for any child, animal books are a hit, and to read about an owl being afraid of his natural environment is a novel idea and intriguing.

My son didn't sound keen when we started, but very soon warmed to the main character. It certainly helped that he had the name 'Plop'!

Plop's parents are rather nonplussed that their (barn owl) son is afraid of the dark, won't come out at night, won't go hunting with them. They send him out to talk to other creatures about the nighttime. Plop meets humans and animals who all talk to him about their experience of life after dark. Can they change his mind?

This is a lovely read for a parent, I really empathised with Mr and Mrs Barn Owl. I enjoyed the repetition of the hunting expeditions and their never-endings quest to fill their son's stomach.

My son loved Plop's method of getting out of his tree, his 'eeks' and his new friends all confusing him for other falling objects (a Catherine Wheel, a role-poly pudding, a woolly ball).

The black and white illustrations complement the story beautifully, and kept my son doused on the story. We read it in four or five nights, and chapters are a good length for listeners as well as readers.

Such a sweet story, wonderfully written with patterns and rhythm throughout, a real classic children's book, and I expect we will re-read and order some more of Jill Tomlinson's animal stories.

[[ J o ] · Rating 3 out of 5]

My copy of this book is probably as old as I; it is bashed, bruised, torn and tattered and there is cellotape holding the pages in, as well as some of the pages together as a whole.

It is, quite delightfully, a wonderful children's tale about a Barn Owl named Plop who is afraid of the dark. He simply hates it, but his mother and father are tired of him always waking them up during the day (when they are, of course, fast asleep) and asking them to feed his never-ending appetite.

"So Plop shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and fell off his branch."

Plop is no good at landing, so he mostly just falls. He visits various people and animals and asks them about the darkness and in turn, they each give him a reason why the darkness is not a foe but instead a friend. It's beautifully written and it's quite a rare thing to come across a children's book that is quite as lovely as this one. Definitely a childhood favourite; definitely.

[Dana Cristiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the cutest middle-grade books out there! :)

Aaand it also has a recipe at the end.

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baby barn owl Plop doesn't want to be a night bird, 'Dark is nasty,' he tells his mummy. She tells him that he doesn't know that for sure, so he ought to go and find out.

Mrs Barn Owl, therefore, sends him down from his nest to ask a little boy about the dark. The boy is waiting for the fireworks to begin and he tells Plop that dark is exciting. When Plop gets back to his nest he tells his mummy what he has learned but he still says, 'I still do not like it AT ALL! But I will watch the fireworks if you will sit by me.' So they watch the fireworks together.

The next morning, after his mummy has been hunting, she sends him down to an old lady sitting in a deck chair to ask about the dark. The old lady tells Plop that dark is kind as she can forget how old she is and can sit and remember all the good times. Plop returns and tells his mummy what the old lady had said but he still insists that he doesn't like it AT ALL.

That evening Plop is brave and flies down to a boy scout who is guarding the camp-fire and he tells Plop that dark is fun as he and the other scouts sing around the fire; Plop stays with them until the fire has sunk to a red glow and then he flies home. The same conversation as before ensues with his mummy; although the scout says dark is fun, Plop still doesn't like it AT ALL.

Next Plop flies down to a little girl who tells him about Father Christmas and gives him a sock to hang up on Christmas Eve and she tells him that dark is necessary because of Father Christmas coming. Plop goes home tells Mrs Barn Owl the news but still doesn't like the dark AT ALL but he does decide to hang his sock up when Christmas Eve arrives.

When his parents are out hunting the following day, Plop flies down to see a man with a telescope who tells him that dark is wonderful as when it is dark he can see lots of stars in the sky and he points out such as the bright Pole Star and Orion the Great Hunter along with many others. He returns to tell his parents how the man thinks dark is wonderful but does not repeat his dislike of it.

Finally he flies down to join a beautiful big black cat who takes him exploring up on the roofs and who tells Plop that dark is beautiful. When the exciting exploration is over Plop flies back to his nest.

He tells his parents of all his experiences and tells them that he has realised that through these encounters dark is SUPER after all ... and then he flies off, in the dark, to go hunting with his parents! Plop has arrived as a true barn owl - he is no longer afraid of the dark!

Paul Howard adds delightful illustrations to Jill Tomlinson's lovely text, which, taken together, are a lovely antidote for calming night-time fears.

[Rocio · Rating 3 out of 5]

So cute! I think is perfect for kids who don´t like the dark.

[Soumya · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars actually. One of those books I��m going to make my younglings read for sure!

[Moony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful little children tale ❤

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightfully wholesome 🖤

[Sarah James · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 star rating from every child in my class 🦉✨!

[Miriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was about a little barn owl called Plop who was afraid of the dark. He goes on an adventure to learn about the dark and meets a lot of characters along the way.

Very enjoyable and funny read. Would recommend

[Nicoleta]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FcxG...