I’ve always admired the odd charm of Andy Runton’s “Owly.” Here is a series that is not flashy. It’s not epic. It’s not in color. It barely even has any words. It’s unquestionably made for children, but it’s so charming I get into it anyway. There’s just something about Owly and his good-natured personality. I think the reason the charm is so undeniable is because the author seems to know the right balance of innocence and artwork that makes this series magical. “Owly: A Time To Be Brave” is very much the same as previous books. It involves a bedtime story that is giving his worm friend nightmares and moves into a story about loving those who might not look very cuddly.
In this case the “scary animal” is a possum who obviously wants to play with Owly and his friends but can’t seem to find the courage to do so. Though giving a spoiler free review seems silly, let’s just say the conclusion involves a little bit of in-the-middle compromise. If there is a flaw to the Owly series is that the books seem longer then they need to be sometimes. This book is a particular good example as there are pages of the series that only has a single panel on it. I can’t help but feel many of these panels could be condensed into a couple of pages and the book could be smaller and more environment friendly. But don’t let politics get in the way of this purchase. While the appeal may be limiting to adults, “Owly: A Time To Be Brave” is easy to recommend to kids.
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