(2) K-3 As dawn breaks, sleepy Mama Owl urges her not-tired, curious Tiny Owl to rest, warning, "Days can be scary for a small owl." Unfazed, Tiny Owl tiptoes out to explore a sunlit morning. The owlet, who is still covered in fluffy white down and has yet to develop predator skills, meets other birds, explores meadows and riverbeds, and soaks up the beauty of daytime. Dangers, too, emerge: a cat and a fox lurk and creep nearby. She escapes them just in time, but readers will note Mama pursuing each threat to her oblivious offspring's safety. Finally, Tiny Owl, weary of all the scary daytime sounds, returns home -- where she hears one more: "WHOOSH!" But it's just her equally tuckered-out mama. "Being out during the day is scary for owls...I'm glad to be home," Tiny Owl admits. "Nighttime is owl time," Mama replies as they snuggle together for their day's rest. Then, as the moon rises, they fly through the quiet, star-filled night, just as owls are meant to do. Lush, textured mixed-media illustrations contain details to be discovered on subsequent reads, such as the reactions of the birds Tiny Owl attempts to befriend. This lovely, quietly humorous picture book is likely to be equally successful at bedtime and storytime.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2025

(2) PS Black Bear is lonely and sets out into the forest to find a friend. When he runs into Brown Bear, also in search of a pal, they join forces. They look everywhere, but "it was difficult to find a friend." They decide to practice their observation skills by playing hide-and-seek, enjoying themselves and the game immensely. But then Brown Bear hides so well that Black Bear can't find him, and he worries that he has lost Brown Bear forever. When the two are reunited, they finally realize that they have found a friend in each other and set off together happily, paw in paw. Horácek's mixed-media illustrations in rich forest-y colors bring out the bears' sweet, naive personalities and capture their varying emotions as the day unfolds. Young readers will of course catch on long before the protagonists do that the extended friend-search is unnecessary, but that superior knowledge (and the bears' cluelessness) is part of the story's appeal.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(4) K-3 Two lonely worms meet when eating the same pear; they become entangled--literally. After a bird pecks off their tangled tails, they realize how much they liked being together. The color scheme, milieu, bird's-eye view of the happenings, die-cut pages, flaps--Horácek owes quite a debt to The Very Hungry Caterpillar; what's missing is Eric Carle's masterful eye and ear.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Clueless Suzy Goose heads into the woods to find some quiet. She's soon followed by a hungry fox, wolf, and bear, and things don't look good in Horáček's menacing illustrations. All ends well when an angry owl frightens away the predators. There's an uneasy tension between the dramatic illustrations and the simple text, but a cheerful tone helps downplay the potential bloodbath.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) PS Lucy chases a rainbow-colored butterfly. The next day, she can't find it, but her search reveals a pink earthworm, brown spider, green beetle, etc. On the last spread, a large pop-up butterfly hovers above the pages. With his painted paper collages and sturdy die-cut pages, Horáček will be compared to Eric Carle. Mixing suspense and predictability, this concept book only seems simple.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2007

(2) PS Searching for a bigger home that will fit the big, juicy apple she's found makes Little Mouse hungry. By nightfall, she and her now smaller apple fit perfectly inside her tiny, familiar-looking hole. Color-rich collages add much to the simple story, and die-cut holes, integral to the story, also allow alternate views from inside and outside various animals' homes.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2005

(4) PS The moon lights one star to put the dog to sleep, a second star to wake up the two cats, and so on, until all the farm animals are either awake or asleep for the night. Though it's not clear why the stars induce sleep for some and prevent it for others, this counting story's bright, cheerful watercolor and crayon art, with its accumulation of die-cut stars, has child appeal.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann