I'm Not Scared!

Baby Owl is a fierce, fearless, night-prowling predator...but everyone seems to think he shouldn't be out late at night.

In "I'm Not Cute!" (2006), Baby Owl told all the big, nurturing animals that he was huge and scary, until his loving mama took him home to bed. Now he steals out for a stroll in the moonlit woods, and he insists to Badger, Bear, and Bat that he is not scared of them or of the dark. It is not past his bedtime. Owls stay up all night. He can see perfectly well in the dark. Big, bright, clear cartoons show the real story: despite his protests, the small, huge-eyed owl is scared stiff as the animals loom large from the shadowy trees, even though he is rebellious when they nurture him. It all climaxes in his screaming temper tantrum, until Papa takes Baby Owl home and tucks him, along with his toy, Owly, into his warm, cozy bed. Toddlers will see themselves in the Owl's fear and denial, and they'll embrace the story's reassurance: "It's OK to be a little scared of the dark." Hazel Rochman
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