Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark

“One of our absolute favourites” – Zoe Ball ‘‘Utterly beguiling’ – Lucy Mangan, Guardian 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. Perhaps there is magic in the dark after all . . . Filled with gentle humour and giving comforting reassurance to nightime fears and anxieties, Jill Tomlinson’s animal bedtime stories have been enjoyed by children for decades. This edition of The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark is beautifully illustrated by Paul Howard.

‘Utterly beguiling’ – Lucy Mangan, Guardian ‘One of our favourites’ – Zoe Ball

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. Her animal stories have been bestselling children’s books for nearly four decades. Paul Howard has illustrated many award-winning books from authors such as Allan Ahlberg, Jeanne Willis and Michael Rosen, delighting children and reviewers across the world. Paul is probably best known as the illustrator of Jill Tomlinson’s animal stories. Paul lives with his family in Belfast.