Time for Bed, Little Owls

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Author(s)

Katja Alves

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Polly Lawson (Translator)
Andrea Stegmaier

Publisher Name

Floris Books

Genre(s)

Activity Book

Age Range

Release Date

May 20, 2025

ISBN13

978-1782509110

ISBN10 or ASIN

This cozy and hilarious interactive picture book asks YOU to help put ten adorable little owls to bed!

It's bedtime for the little owls… but they're not tired! Mama Owl asks for your help to get Speedy Owl, Tall Owl, Small Owl, Hooty Owl, Cheeky Owl, Wise Owl, Hoppity Owl, Snoozy Owl, Wide-awake Owl and Teeny Tiny Owl to sleep. Can you FLAP your arms and HOP around to show the little owls how to get tired, or SING the restless owls a soothing lullaby? And don't forget beak brushing!

This engaging read-aloud book gets children involved in in the little owls' bedtime routine as they are asked to clap, call, count and more. Grown-ups will smile wryly as before long their little ones will be ready for a good night's sleep too.

Editor review

1 review

Help put the little owls to bed

March 05, 2025 (Updated: May 31, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Ten little owls live in a tree and have a delightfully cosy bedroom with a triple decker bunk bed, baskets on the floor, and even a hammock on the wall. When bedtime comes around, they aren’t very sleepy, especially when the Mama Owl has to take Hugo the bat home. She leaves a note for the reader to put the owls to bed. The owls hop and flap, and even hide, but come out when they hear clapping. We’re also instructed to call them in our softest voice, and they come inside to brush their teeth. Eventually, they all go to bed, except for Wide-Awake Owl, who is looking for his blanket. Once that is found, Mama Owl is home, and everyone drifts off to sleep.

Good Points

I’ve had a soft spot for owl picture books since Waddell and Benson’s 1992 Owl Babies. This German import (I love the original title: 10 Kleine Eulen Wollen Nicht Schlafen), offers up an entire family of adorable owls who frolick across the pages, defying our attempts to get them to sleep. Their tree house home is cozy and full of items to find; it’s especially fun to look for the owls when they are hiding. I do have some questions about the size of the bathroom; it looks bigger than the bedroom for the ten siblings!

The owls are all very differently portrayed, and have different names; these are shown at the beginning and at the end of the book. It would be fun to assign an owl to a young reader and see if the bird could be located in every scene. I was especially fond of the owls bedroom, and loved that they are cozied up together.

Apparently, animals have as much trouble sleeping as toddlers do, if we look at Teague’s You Are Not Sleepy, Lacasa’s Sheep Number 19, and James’ Nana Loves You, Sleepyhead, and even Burton’s similarly themed Hey Little Night Owl. Time For Bed, Little Owls has a fresh approach to the trope of not getting to sleep by involving the readers in getting the owls to settle down.