Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise
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| Author | Sean Taylor |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Jean Jullien |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's picture book |
| Publisher | Walker Books |
Publication date | 2014 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| ISBN | 978-0-7636-7578-3 |
Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise is a children's picture book by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Jean Jullien.
First published by Walker Books in 2014, it's since been translated into 6 languages and adapted into a children's theatre show. It became a Charlotte Zolotow Award Honor Book in 2016, and won the Hampshire Picture Book Award in 2017.[1][2]
Hoot Owl is hungry, and decides to disguise himself to catch some food. He tries a series of improvised costumes - a carrot (to catch a rabbit), and an ornamental birdbirth (to catch a pigeon). He believes, as do many young children, that costumes will make him unrecognisable.[3] But his disguises are laughably ineffective and all fail - he is not, in fact, a master of disguise.[4]
The comedy of the book comes from the self-important delusion of the hero, and the contrast between his puffed-up ego and his inept plans.[5] It's been described as a parody of old fashioned suspense fiction.[4]
Ultimately, Hoot Owl 'catches' a pizza, by disguising himself as a pizza waiter, and all is resolved.
Publication
Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise was first published by Walker Books in the U.K in 2014, and subsequently by Candlewick Press in the U.S. It has been translated into 6 languages, including French and Italian.[6]
