Tiny Tales

Owly #5

by Andy Runton

Owly is a kind-hearted little owl who knows what it means to be human.

This fifth graphic novel in the amazing all-ages Owly series collects many unpublished and out-of-print Owly tales. Tiny Tales kicks off with a brand-new Owly adventure. Included are the Owly Free Comic Book Day stories Splashin' Around, Breakin' the Ice, and Helping Hands; the very first Owly mini-comics; and rare, never before seen drawings of little Owly before he met his best friend, Wormy, and grew into the character that is loved by fans and critics alike all around the world. Other bonus material includes a Sketchbook and "How To Draw Owly" sections.

Andy Runton's animated and heartwarming style makes Owly a perfect read for everyone.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Friendship, Fantasy

173 pages, Paperback

First published September 29, 2008

About the author

Andy is the creator of the breakout all-ages series of graphic novels, Owly, featuring a kind-hearted little owl who's always searching for new friends and adventure. Relying on a mixture of symbols and expressions to tell his silent stories, Andy?s work showcases both his gift for characterization and his love of birds, animals, and the outdoors. His animated and heartwarming style has made him a favorite of both fans and critics alike.

The Owly series has earned him multiple awards in the comics and graphic novel community, including the Howard E. Day Memorial Prize, the Harvey Award, two Ignatz Awards, and the 2006 Eisner Award for "Best Publication for a Younger Audience". He lives in the greater Atlanta area, where he works full-time on Owly comics, books, and graphic novels.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and endearing tales about the little owl who is always thinking of his friends.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable. The stories are all so cute and pleasing. I especially love that Runton included early drafts of Owly and a how-to-draw of Owly. The KitKatPandaBatWolf has always been interested in birds and birding and graphic novels, so these are pretty much a perfect fit.

Library copy

[Rachel Aranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

It seems only fitting that Book 5 of Owly gets 5 stars haha. I love that we got to see so many different adventures with Owly and his friends while still have a main story of looking at a photo album during a slumber party. What fun and unique ideas that each story had. It also showed us how great Owly and Wormy are together and their own personalities. This was a perfect read while being ill. I can’t wait for more.

[H. Givens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owly is always amazing, and I really like having collections like these. Keeping track of little bonuses and minisodes is the bane of my existence, so I appreciate them being published for those who missed out the first time!

[Jim Shaner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed the early drawings and history of how the author brought his idea of Owly to the printed page. This volume features a fun variety of animal characters. Reading the books, it is easy to see why Owly has developed such a devoted following. I get away from the negative forces present in the human world by immersing myself in Owly's world of friendly cooperation and creativity.

[Courtney Dyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

In volume 5 of Andy Runton’s charming wordless graphic novel series, Owly, Vol 5: Tiny Tales, we continue to follow the adventures of Owly and his best friend Wormy through a series of eleven mini-stories, some brand new and some others from his out-of-print comic originals. In the back, Runton explains how Owly came about and even includes a section on how to draw your own Owly character.

In Splashin’ Around, Owly and Wormy enter a contest to build the best bird bath to help the birds. In Aw Nuts!, Owly helps a chipmunk feel accepted when he prefers bird seeds over nuts. In Breakin’ the Ice, Owly and Wormy offer corn to the new geese in the forest, but Chipmunk gets upset and when he tries to fix his mistake, he causes the ice to break and two forest animals end up cold and wet. In Hangin’ Up to Dry, Owly discovers a nest of baby birds in one of his plants and has to find them a new home when he accidently waters them. In Bee Nice, a humming bird doesn’t want to share Owly’s garden plants with the other humming birds and bugs. But Bee comes up with a plan to help him stop fighting. In Gone Swimmin’, Owly and Wormy have some swimmin’ fun at the pond with a family of ducks. In Let’s Go Fly a Kite, Owly and Wormy lose their kite when they help a turtle who is stuck on his back. Who will help them get it back? In Helping Hands, Owly helps Rabbit come over her fear of getting her hands dirty as they work together to make a birthday present for her grandpa. In Missin’ You, Owly is going to a flying seminar and only birds are allowed so Wormy has to stay with Racoon. In the middle of the night, he really misses Owly and Racoon helps Wormy go back to sleep. In Hatchin’ Friends, Wormy comes across a nest of eggs and he hopes that they are dinosaur eggs. In the last mini-story, In a Fix!, the forest is having a picnic and Owly really wants to build a picnic table, but all of his friends need his help and keep pulling him away from his project. As time is running out, Owly is rushing to get it down and accidently loses all of the bolts. While he rushes to the store to buy more, his friends work together to find all of the missing bolts and finish building the picnic table for Owly.

The illustrations follow Runton’s whimsical, animated style that perfectly capture the characters’ emotions and bring the stories to life. Through his framed images, a few sound words, and dialogue-like representations, the reader is instantly drawn in. He has a true gift for characterization!



After reading all five volumes in this graphic novel series, I can honestly say that I am still as completely in love with Owly as I was in the beginning, if not more. His gentle character, love of friendship, and acts of kindness are sure to capture the hearts of readers young and old. This book is perfect for all age levels as even the youngest of readers can easily understand what is going on. As a teacher, this book is perfect for introducing young children to skills such as “reading the pictures” and for teaching older children skills like inferencing. If you love sweet stories with characters that repeatedly overcome life’s many obstacles and happy endings, this series is a must read!

[Ashlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Owly book was broken up into different stories. Each story had very little to no words and focused on the images and movement of the panels to help tell the story. In each story Owly and Wormy were faced with some sort of issue and through the course of the story they worked together (sometimes with others) to find a solution.

This book was really cute. I was afraid to read graphic novels at first but this book really opened me up to them. It was fun to see how you could make so much sense reading a novel without there being words to tell each detail of the story. This also left room for their to be some variations in meaning for some parts, so each person reading will get the overall meaning of the story but might get there in slightly different ways! I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Some other books that could be paired with this one would be the other books in the Owly series. There are currently 6 volumes in the series. El Deafo by Cece bell is another popular graphic novel, but is just one continuous story instead of several short stories. Bone by Jeff Smith and Babymouse by Jennifer and Matthew Holm are also a great options.

A writing assignment that could come from this would be for students to come up with their own stories and then roughly draw them or or digitally put together their story in a similar manner to that of Owly, but instead of having no words, they can use speech bubbles to help tell their story.

[MissAnnThrope · Rating 4 out of 5]

14 February 2013

Owly, Vol. 5: Tiny Tales is a compilation of short stories about Owly and friends. These bite-sized portions are the perfect feel-good tasters to re-visit our favorite kind-hearted owl. I actually love the short-story format for this series. It keeps things short but sweet, and keeps the reader entirely engaged.

I love the insatiable little chipmunk. His over-stuffed cheeks and his mind constantly on food, I found him totally adorable... and relatable! But really, every single character is so sweet that you just want to hug them all.

At the end of the book, there is background given on how Owly came to be. I really enjoyed seeing Owly's evolution, and I particularly love how close this story is to Andy Runton's heart. It makes this series all the more special.

This is another wonderful addition to the series. I'm kicking myself for not getting a personal drawing from Andy Runton at Comic-Con 2012. I hope he will be there this year because I will be the first at his booth.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first thought was to say the Owly tales illustrate the power of optimism, but that’s true only so much as Owly’s attitude motivates his actions. Really, this is a series of stories about unrelenting giving, compassion, and friendship. Very simple, wordless stories with adorable art (I say adorable as someone who doesn’t do saccharine or cloying). Following the sequence and understanding all the messages implied by the symbols that stand in for words when dialogue occurs can still be a sophisticated reading task, but with the right experience or older helper, these are great for kids of all ages.

[Heather Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was our first Owly book and we really love it. I have to admit, my daughter (7) and I both were not sure about it at first. Owly is written in comic style, but there are no words (well, very few words). But it is a blast "reading" Owly's tales. It takes some time but eventually you get used to the format and you get better at interpreting the story. My daughter is even better at it than me. We look forward to reading more books in this series. The illustrations are great. Owly has big emotions, and his eyes are helpful giveaways to how he is feeling. His friend Wormie is adorable. Once you get started, you'll get hooked on Owly for sure!

[Soobie is expired · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I was a bit disappointed because this volume is a collection of short stories. In the end, I think it's the best Owly book so far, thus deserving five shining stars.

Owly's got many friends now. There's even a little she-rabbit who doesn't want to get her hands dirty with soil. There's a sort of chipmunk and some ducks migrating because it's winter. Everything is sooo sweet, but not too sweet.

My favorite stories are: Helping Hands and Breaking the Ice. Those are the longer stories but also the short ones are funny.

Looking forward to hunting down more Owly's book. Not an easy task, though!

[Eden Silverfox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fifth book in the Owly series and it has 11 short stories. This book continues the adventures of Owly, Wormy and other friends they have made.

In the back of the book, the author tells how he came to write the Owly books, which I really enjoyed reading. There are even pictures of early Owly drawings. And there is even a section that shows you how to draw Owly!

I enjoyed this as much as the other books I've read in this series. The books are enjoyable, the characters are so cute and I can't help, but to love them. Another great entry into this series.

[Mayda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of short stories feature Owly and Wormy and many of their friends. Each tale is enchanting in its own way, but all illustrate the caring friendship of the two main characters. Ready to help or to just have fun, this delightful duo is always ready to share with and assist others. This book also has the added bonus of Owly’s beginnings in a special section with the author’s first drawings. This series of graphic novels, told in creative drawings with symbols and a minimum of words, is great for all ages.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is a collection of short stories set in Owly's world. As usual, there's cuteness galore, but I like Runton's longer stories better. Short stories tend to emphasize the repetitious nature of the plots, which can broken down into the following: Owly sees a new animal; he wants to be friends; new animal is scared of Owly; disaster occurs during which Owly helps new animal; everyone becomes friends, yay! However, these are definitely still good stories, especially "Missin' You."

[Emkoshka · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet compilation of short Owly stories; my favourite was 'Missin' You'. It was also interesting to read a little more about Andy Runton's development of Owly from beginning sketches through to the happy, friendly, lovable little owl we know today.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

still super cute, but I like the longer stories better

[tony dillard jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owly and his adorable forest friends are back in this all-new collection of short stories!

It's game night at Owly's house. Only tonight, the gang decide to explore their host's photo album. Each picture sends the group of friends on a trip down memory lane in a series of 9 shorts. There's adventure, drama, comedy and above all, love in these tales that prove that Owly really is the world's best friend!

I've sung the praises of Owly before. Series creator Andy Runton developed this magical world filled with creatures that I am just in love with. My favorite character is Possey, an encouraging opossum who can wrangle Owly's friends behind any cause. In Tiny Tales, I was introduced to Scampy, the ever hungry chipmunk who will steal your heart.

I had worried for a brief while that there weren't to be any new Owly stories as Runton had gone an a bit of a long hiatus. Thankfully, that break seems to be over with this return of Owly and friends. Though I have got to wonder, why hasn't Owly received the animated series treatment?! Andy Runton's comics would make a great pre-school series that easily could be at home on Netflix or Nick Jr.

I feel like Owly has grown up a bit with this revival title. Maybe I'm wrong. But I seem to remember all of the characters speaking in pictograms with just the occasional word to help along the narrative. Here, Owly still speaks in pictures but his friends now all seem to speak a kind of pigeon dialect of pics and words. Plus, there's an unseen narrator who helps the stories to progress. If this is a new direction for the series, then I am all in.

One thing else that I noticed with Owly's return: the art. I've long since been a fan of it. But gosh darn it, it appears that Andy Runton's work has just gotten even more polished and oh that much more adorable. Runton's smaller characters such as Possey and Scampy look like what you'd imagine Charles Shulz's Peanuts characters would appear as if they were all woodland creatures. When Runton illustrates those characters with their tiny paws pressed together and their faces are glowing with joy, it just melts my heart and I wholeheartedly believe that it will melt the hearts of the young reader in your lives too

Ultimate fun for readers ages 5-9. The pictograms can make the stories fun for younger readers. However, the story 'Breakin the Ice' where Owly accidentally falls through a frozen pond may be a little too intense for them. Thankfully, it is an episode that ends with a happy ending.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Owly, Wormy, and their friends are looking at pictures in a photo album and reminiscing about past little adventures and events like when a watering can was leaky and they entered a bird bath competition, or when Owly fell through the ice, or when they helped Bunny make a gift for her dad's birthday.

An adorably illustrated collection of little adventures for Owly and forest friends. Owly does not talk with words, just mental pictures (kind of like a rebus). The other characters use words but there are often illustrations to go with them. I can see that being helpful for ESL students or students with visual acuity issues (like dyslexia), although sometimes it does make the frames a bit busy. It's a very approachable graphic novel for reluctant readers and animal lovers.

Notes on content:
Language: None (there is one gosh if that registers for you/the kid you know)
Sexual content: None
Violence: There's a push and two falls through ice, but everyone is ok and the incident is resolved well.
Ethnic diversity: N/A all are animals
LGBTQ+ content: None specified
Other: Someone being selfish and overreacting puts others in danger. It is resolved well. Kids who don't like to get dirty are the topic of one story line, they learn to be ok with it while gardening after a while (and using gloves first).

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very cute selection of a number of short stories as told through reminiscing while looking at Owly's photo album! A few stories are predictable—notably the birdbath competition—but that doesn't make them any less fun! The birdbath story in particular is a good lesson in showing what really matters, too.

About the only thing that bothers me is Scampy is too greedy and can't even resist eating a gift GIVEN TO SOMEONE ELSE, but without Scampy's bad behaviour, there's no story. Also a good lesson in how to behave properly.

The ending is particularly lovely, since I tend to be like Owly in this respect—the photographer rather than the subject. For the most part, that's fine with me, since I'd rather spend time making memories than reminiscing. I also just struggle with keeping proper albums, especially in the digital age when everything I photograph gets dumped into a "to be sorted" folder, where it stays... haha.

Recommended for Owly fans, old and new! Owly is rather nice as a series in that you can read the books in any order, too!

[RunningRed NightBringer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owly is an adorable series from Andy Runton about an owl and his small friends that include worms, butterflies, chipmunks and the like.

Owly and his friends encounter small problems and difficulties but overcome them through friendship, understanding and inclusiveness. It's like if Mister Rogers was a small owl who lived in the woods.

While there is sometimes text, on signs and papers, the dialogue between the characters is done with symbols and icons. It's a very nice touch that adds to the cute wholesomeness of the comics.

Are these books intended for kids? Yes.
Are they intended only for kids? Heck, no. I'm in my 50s and I still enjoy them. They are fun and adorable and anyone can read them.

Tiny Tales is a collection of shorter length stories from other publications like the Free Comic Book Day, and some behind the scenes by Runton on where Owly came from and his early creation.

The lesson from that is never give up on your small ideas, you never know where they'll lead you.

[Dorthe Svendsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Det var virkelig ett vakkert univers. Følelsene sitter så utenpå og i lynene. Gøy å se hvordan tegneren får det til. Masse empati å lære gjennom serien, særlig vis det å rydde opp etter hendelser. Digger at det er så tillatt med følelser og så lett å føle med! Den siste boka inneholdt mange små historier, jeg foretrekker nok de litt lengre i alle de tidligere bøkene.

[Kayla Zabcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

still cute, however what I loved about the previous ones was how little was actually written; the characters would primarily communicate through hieroglyphs that the reader would interpret. In this one, it felt like too much was explained when the images alone would have been enough

[Monica Hocking · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Awesome book! Like that he tell about the beginning of this comic!

[Clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for inference and drawing conclusions lesson

[Kiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved learning more about how Owly came to be too in the section "Early Owly"!

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was my favorite of the series so far.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

So adorable!

Most of the tales are really tiny (except for Helping Hands), but the good-heartedness continues, and there is some background on how the character came to be.

[Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of tiny tales starring Owly and Wormy and their friends as they go on different adventures.

[Aryanna Tunstall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Owly is such a helpful sport with cute friends. He just wants to help the environment and the creatures that live around them

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always appreciate this sweet little series. Fun to see some behind the scenes of Owly's development!!