Home Bird Hoot
Smriti Halls and Lucy Fleming
Scholastic

Hoot is a home loving bird, never venturing beyond her perch in her snuggly treetop abode. The only drawback is she’s always alone. Until that is, Momo, a little mouse, calls one night and invites Hoot to hang out with him. Hoot invites him in and as they sit chatting a friendship begins to develop. One night Momo suggests the two of them explore further afield but Hoot is too scared of what might be lurking outside.

Then one night Momo doesn’t appear for their usual get together. A troubled Hoot summons up all her courage and little by little ventures out into the night. Hearing a squeak, she looks around and what she sees makes her tummy turn over. Can she now leave her perch, find her wings and come to the aid of her friend?

Smriti’s rhyming tale demonstrates how an important friendship can fuel empowerment and inner strength, making someone braver than they’d every thought possible when danger strikes.

Don’t be afraid to embrace the unknown, be a risk taker is the message: new experiences such as those of Hoot broaden a person’s horizons. There are some delightful details in Lucy Fleming’s illustrations: I particularly love the ‘Peckado’ home delivery service and all the minibeasts but young children will doubtless find other things that especially appeal to them.

A good story time tale to share and talk about.