Tiny Owl on the Ramshackle Farm

Written and Illustrated by: Lotte Wotherspoon

Published by:  Clay Press, Auckland New Zealand 2016

Ages:   3 – 7 years

Theme: Bravery, Fear, Farm animals

Opening Lines: High in the branes of an old macrocarpa, Tiny Owl snoozes with his mama and papa.

All is still on the ramshacklefarm, just the babble of the brook in the midnight calm.

Synopsis: The ramshackle farm at midnight is full of spooky sounds. It’s enough to scare Tiny Owl right out of his wits. Luckily Papa Owl is there to reassure him that the night is nothing to be feared. Instead, it is the perfect time for owls to hunt and play.

Why I like this: Tiny Owl listens to the noises of the farmyard at night and imagines that there is a snaggle toothed monster and hairy chinned guts-gobbler lurking in the dark. Tiny Owl on the Ramshackle Farm explores children’s common night time fears. This delightful, humorous tale shows readers that the scary sounds Tiny Owl hears are in fact being made by the farmyard animals as they sleep. Tiny Owl on the Ramshackle Farm is Lotte Wotherspoon’s latest venture that comes after her 2015 publication Pukeko Dancing on the Old Dirt Track. This delivers another jaunty rhyming story with a recognisable New Zealand landscape like macrocarpa trees, picket fences and babbling brooks captured in her stunning hand drawn illustrations. There are pigs and a bull and some clucky hens, a rusting Bedford, high heels on the porch and a tired old moggy. Take a closer look and you’ll see the bull shakes maracas on his tail and a ‘farty-pants guts-gobbler’ glides past on a skateboard, wearing fancy sneakers. Hilarious true kiwi style in pencil and ink. Hopefully you can pick up your own copy at one of the links below.

Resources/Findings:

About Lottie and Clay press…   https://www.claypress.co.nz/pages/about-me

One place where you can buy a copy…   https://www.fishpond.co.nz/Books/Tiny-Owl-on-Ramshackle-Farm-Lotte-Wotherspoon/9780473353285

How to make cute paper owls…  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqjh3BSuoWk

Tiny Owl on the Ramshackle Farm is a 2017 NZ Award for Best Children’s Book FINALIST

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