To See an Owl by Matthew Cordell (Random House Studio, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Janie is a birder whose ultimate quest is to see an owl. Her patient mother (“Mama doesn’t look for birds the way I do”) takes Janie on trips to meadows and forests where she can look for birds. This year, Janie has a teacher who shares her passion. Mr. Koji shows the class pictures from his birding expeditions and maps he made as a child and tells the class, “To see an owl is magic.” When Janie shares her owl drawings, journal, and maps with the class, Mr. Koji is impressed by her determination and tells her where he’s recently seen a pair of great horned owls. Back home, Janie convinces her mother to take her on one more outing, and when they get to the place Mr. Koji described…there are the owls. Magic.

Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell clearly shares Janie’s passion for owls (read about it on the book jacket’s back flap), and he conveys that passion, as well as the persistence needed and the amazing rewards that come from finally seeing that owl. His illustrations capture the beauty and majesty of nature, and show readers how to use art to record their outdoor adventures like Janie does. As someone who shares Mama’s indifference to birding, I admired her for being willing to keep taking her daughter out on various excursions. This book would go well with Owl Moon by Jane Yolen or Night Owl Night by Susan Edwards Richmond

Octopus Ocean: Geniuses of the Deep by Mark Leiren-Young (Orca Book Publishers, 104 pages, grades 4-7). The author introduces octopuses with the story of his first meeting with an octopus named Storm at the Salish Sea Centre in British Columbia. From there, he moves on to five chapters describing many aspects of octopuses’ lives: anatomy, reproduction, intelligence, food, defenses, and homes in the ocean. The second half of the book includes stories of amazing “octopus celebrities” who carried out elaborate escapes or predicted the outcome of soccer games with amazing accuracy. There’s a chapter about the effect of the documentary The Octopus Teacher on educating the public on this amazing animal, which has led to a decrease in human consumption of octopus meat. The final chapter gives readers suggestions for helping octopuses survive in the wild and keeping oceans cleaner and healthier. Includes a glossary, an index, and a list of resources.

I learned a ton about the octopus from reading this book, and anyone doing research will not have to go much further to get everything they need on the topic. I found the second half of the book a bit more engaging than the first half, particularly the chapter on octopus celebrities. The book is pretty text-heavy, and It would be nice to have a companion picture book, which I think would find a wider audience.