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Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise
Hoot Owl is no ordinary owl—oh no!—he's a master of disguise! And he will use his expert camouflage powers to trick his unsuspecting prey into succumbing to him! Tiny animals of the night ... beware! But, somehow, Hoot Owl's prey keeps escaping... Hmmm, perhaps he isn't quite as masterful as he believes. Will he ever succeed in catching himself some dinner?
48 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
5 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
About the author
Sean Taylor
76 books54 followersSean Taylor started writing poetry as a teenager. In 1993, he came across a newspaper article which reported that a goat slaughtered in Iran had been found to have teeth made of gold. He tried writing a story for children. It was called 'The Goat with the Golden Teeth' and it won second prize in a competition run by the British newspaper 'The Independent' and Scholastic Children's Books. Since then, Sean has focussed on writing for children and has published over forty books for young readers of different ages. As well as writing, he has many years’ experience visiting schools, where he works with poetry and storytelling to encourage young people to write themselves. He lives partly in England (where he was born) and partly in Brazil( where his wife is from.)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 341 reviews
April 20, 2017
Hoot Owl by Sean Taylor is a cute picture book for children. Hoot Owl spends the entire story swooping down for prey he can't seem to catch, until...
We loved the narrator, Rick Adamson. He really makes the story spark.
a juicy little lamb stands, helpless,
in the cool of the night!
The lamb looks cuddly,
but soon I will be eating it.
The illustrations are cute and we loved the ending.
4****
We loved the narrator, Rick Adamson. He really makes the story spark.
a juicy little lamb stands, helpless,
in the cool of the night!
The lamb looks cuddly,
but soon I will be eating it.
The illustrations are cute and we loved the ending.
4****
February 25, 2015
Hoot Owl narrates his nighttime search for prey in cliched super-hero voice over as he spots one potential meal after another, always failing to feast upon the hapless animals due to his desire to lure them into the trap of his cunning disguises rather than swooping upon them in the standard owl manner.
February 27, 2015
I had never seen a noir picture book before.
November 18, 2014
Who, oh who is Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise? He's kind of a superhero, and kind of a spy, and kind of a comedian. First I nodded in appreciation at his cleverness, then I chuckled, then I finally hooted out loud. Hooray for Hoot Owl!
January 26, 2016
There is so much that I adore about this little picturebook. I like the compact, almost square size which is a little unusual in picturebooks as well as the little owl himself who's like a little painted egg with overly large eggs and a tiny, rather insignificant-looking beak. The book as a whole is near-perfect in terms of picturebook format with a mutual (and I would say respectful) balance between words and pictures. Sean Taylor is an accomplished writer and illustrates himself but I am overjoyed that it was Jean Jullien's who illustrated this book (please visit his instagram site). Neither artist or illustrator steal the limelight. Instead, there is a respected partnership.
The first page introducing Hoot Owl, as he peeks from the bottom right corner of the page to warn the reader of an impending attack is humorous in itself and is an insight, perhaps, into the almost Milne-esque approach to this character. Here we have, as Hoot tells us, an owl who is known to be wise yet throughout the book, he over-complicates his methods for hunting his foes, taking an almost Looney Tunes approach to ensnaring, and failing, in the capture of his meals through various over-the-top disguises (much to the amusement of his prey).
The book is a series of lovely, dark double-page spreads with Hoot Owl swooping through the night (as black as burnt toast) 'as quick as a shooting star' and 'like a wolf in the air'. As the story progresses, his disguises and methods of trying to catch the various animals as well as the language used to describe his movement from page to page become more absurd and nonsensical yet remain within an effortlessly poetic repeating rhythm with Hoot Owl constantly swooping to the right inviting us to turn the page just as the text does: Text and image working together in harmony :)
The fact that the only prey he manages to capture using his various disguises happens to be an italian-sausage-flavoured pizza only adds to the humour and joy of the story. (It seems that no animals, not even Hoot Owl's self-esteem) were harmed during the making of this book.
Hoot Owl is wholly endearing in his language and appearance: how anyone could not find his 'ornamental birdbath' disguise hilarious would be beyond me. More Hoot Owl adventures please!
The first page introducing Hoot Owl, as he peeks from the bottom right corner of the page to warn the reader of an impending attack is humorous in itself and is an insight, perhaps, into the almost Milne-esque approach to this character. Here we have, as Hoot tells us, an owl who is known to be wise yet throughout the book, he over-complicates his methods for hunting his foes, taking an almost Looney Tunes approach to ensnaring, and failing, in the capture of his meals through various over-the-top disguises (much to the amusement of his prey).
The book is a series of lovely, dark double-page spreads with Hoot Owl swooping through the night (as black as burnt toast) 'as quick as a shooting star' and 'like a wolf in the air'. As the story progresses, his disguises and methods of trying to catch the various animals as well as the language used to describe his movement from page to page become more absurd and nonsensical yet remain within an effortlessly poetic repeating rhythm with Hoot Owl constantly swooping to the right inviting us to turn the page just as the text does: Text and image working together in harmony :)
The fact that the only prey he manages to capture using his various disguises happens to be an italian-sausage-flavoured pizza only adds to the humour and joy of the story. (It seems that no animals, not even Hoot Owl's self-esteem) were harmed during the making of this book.
Hoot Owl is wholly endearing in his language and appearance: how anyone could not find his 'ornamental birdbath' disguise hilarious would be beyond me. More Hoot Owl adventures please!
August 22, 2016
Cute lil' book with pretty illustrations that are simple and colors that compliment them perfectly.
February 6, 2017
A silly story of an owl that's trying to disguise himself in order to "catch" dinner. Illustrations are reminiscent of Bryon Barton.
November 5, 2015
since when do owls eat lambs? but I guess this book isn't going for scientific accuracy lol. pictures are bold, story is okay, a little funny, but not enough to really make it fun.
September 7, 2016
This book was super super cute. Our fourth graders loved it!
March 18, 2019
A cute book with a cute twist. Any book with owls is all right by me!
October 3, 2017
Hilarious book about an owl and his different disguises
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2017
This is an enjoyable book.
I like the irony that although Hoot Owl keeps saying that owls are wise and masters of disguise, yet owl struggles to catch any food.
I like the irony that although Hoot Owl keeps saying that owls are wise and masters of disguise, yet owl struggles to catch any food.
September 17, 2021
This book is hands down our family's absolute favorite read-aloud.
September 8, 2017
Hoot owl was great. He is indeed a master of disguise - his best effort being an ornamental bird bath. Genius.
October 17, 2018
The pictures really save this book! I enjoyed the plot twist at the end of trying to catch a pizza, however, I was not a fan of the books sentence structures and its half attempt of rhyme? the pictures, however, were beautiful and funny. I enjoy the cartoon-style and the attention to detail.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2025
Hoot Owl cracked me up! I love how he has these over-the-top, purple-prosey descriptions of the night and himself (a wolf in the air!), and how he takes himself so seriously. His voice in my head was very dramatic film noir, which made his disguises (and their results) just that much funnier.
This one would be a fun storytime read, no matter what you use it for. The illustrations are bright and bold, and like I said, Hoot Owl's voice would be a fun one to read. There's even a repetitious part that the kids could echo with you. I'd use it for storytimes on owls or disguise/costumes or food/meals. Even Halloween (not specifically a Halloween story, but owls often feature at that time of year, right? I think I just want to find an excuse to pull this one out!)
This one would be a fun storytime read, no matter what you use it for. The illustrations are bright and bold, and like I said, Hoot Owl's voice would be a fun one to read. There's even a repetitious part that the kids could echo with you. I'd use it for storytimes on owls or disguise/costumes or food/meals. Even Halloween (not specifically a Halloween story, but owls often feature at that time of year, right? I think I just want to find an excuse to pull this one out!)
September 12, 2015
This book would be great for teaching figurative language to young children as the author uses lots of similes and metaphors. There's even an example or two of alliteration. Uncommon vocabulary in this book is also a plus. Words like devise, bleak, ornamental, and transform, which you don't normally see in picture books for young children, add to its effectiveness as a teaching tool. Really liked the illustration style too.
February 6, 2017
So many things I love about this book! Dry, witty humor...figurative language that is easy to understand (this could be an outstanding mentor text for similes and metaphors)...bold, funny pictures that complement but don't overshadow the text. Love it and can't wait to share it. Some of the more advanced vocabulary will have to be explained (i.e. "ornamental birdbath"), but that's how kids learn! 4.5 stars
January 5, 2025
This is a great book for introducing or reading examples of similes. Hoot owl is like a wolf in the night. Before reading this book I played a 3-4 minute video several times of how to draw and owl. And the students drew as many owls as they could fit on a page. Then when I read the book we talked about how easy it would be to draw hoot Owl, but how the illustrator created him using negative space. They are now obsessed with drawing owls.
December 2, 2019
The dark illustrations of this book drew me in as a reader. I enjoyed that the first page has a simile for a shooting star on it. There is more than one simile in this book, so it could be good for the children to attempt to identify these. There is also rhyme with wise and disguise which runs through the book. It does create the misconception that owls eat pizza which I think the children may find funny.
February 24, 2017
This is fun to read to a group too. Hoot Owl is hungry and disguises himself to catch his dinner. However, each of his disguises fail, and he keeps trying until he finally gets to eat...a pizza. I love the humor, repetition, and vegetarian ending. Kids learn a little bit more about owls and the plot development is spot on and engaging. The illustrations are simple and big.
March 2, 2015
"Everyone knows owls are wise. But as well as being wise, I'm a master of disguise." Hilarious story about a cocky owl & his futile attempts to hunt. Bold, fun illustrations.
5 stars according to Emma.
5 stars according to Emma.
February 22, 2015
Gorgeously designed and illustrated, with thick, bold lines and vibrant colors. An owl schemes how to get its next meal in this slightly scary, mostly humorous picture book. Great for kids who like main characters with lots of bravado.
April 19, 2015
I cannot stop laughing at this book, and I know my storytime kids will get a hoot out of it too. The repetition, short length, and simple illustrations pair with the hilarious story to make storytime gold.
December 2, 2015
More humor than I expected from this story. Cute, funny, repeated phrasing will engage younger kids.
June 4, 2015
I found this book to be hysterical and really fun to read out loud! Lots of nice vocabulary as Hoot Owl hunts.
March 26, 2015
Just delightful, love the big bold illustrations and the personality of the owl. Has some great figurative language which makes it great for classrooms.
May 15, 2015
YES.
July 30, 2015
Hilarious! I love this book. And there is a lot you can do with it like similes, food chain, animal camouflage, habitats...
October 7, 2016
Perfect for storytime, alas I have 2 year olds and it is too long. 3-5 year old storytimers rejoice.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 341 reviews