Owl Babies
Over two million copies sold - a heartwarming bedtime picture book story that comforts and reassures - also the perfect gift for birthdays, new parents and baby showers
Age 3+
Picture Books Picture Storybooks
"A perfect bedtime story." Irish Times
A gentle tale of three baby owls reassures young children that Mummy will always come home, perfect for children with separation anxiety.
Owl Babies is a comforting read for any toddler who has ever worried about mum leaving them alone, or any child starting pre-school for the very first time. Sarah, Percy and Bill the baby owls wake one night to find their mother gone. And as the darkness gathers and they perch patiently on their branch waiting for her return, oh how they worry! Never has the plight of young ones who miss their mum been so sensitively told or so beautifully rendered as in this tale from picture book masters, Patrick Benson and Martin Waddell.
"Touchingly beautiful ... Drawn with exquisite delicacy ... The perfect picture book." Guardian
Creators
Born in Belfast, Martin Waddell is widely regarded as one of the greatest living children’s writers, and has over 220 published titles to his name. In 2024 he became the recipient of the An Post Irish Book Awards’ Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to children's literature. He is perhaps best known for Owl Babies, illustrated by Patrick Benson and Farmer Duck, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury; as well as the 1989 Kurt Maschler Award-winning The Park in the Dark and the Little Bear series, both illustrated by Barbara Firth. In 2004, Martin received the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for his lasting contribution to children’s literature, the highest career recognition available to a writer or illustrator of children’s books.
Illustrator Patrick Benson has won many awards for his work, including the Mother Goose Award, the Christopher Medal and the Kurt Maschler Award. His picture book Owl Babies is a modern classic and has sold over two million copies worldwide. His other work includes artwork for The MinPins by Roald Dahl, The Little Boat by Kathy Henderson, The Sea-Thing Child by Russell Hoban and Soon by Timothy Knapman. He lives in Scotland.
Reviews
Touchingly beautiful… Drawn with exquisite delicacy…The perfect picture book.
The Guardian
Benson’s fabulous illustrations delicately capture the fear and longing of the irresistible baby owls.
The Guardian
…a book every child should read by the time they’re 11.
Big Issue - Scotland
