about the book
No ordinary owl, Hoot Owl thinks he is a master of disguise. He sees his prey in the blackness of night and designs his own disguises and dastardly tricks in order to get close and grab a tasty meal. Look! A rabbit, one of Hoot Owl’s favorites… What should he disguise himself as? A carrot, of course!
Then he waits.
The rabbit hops off.
Never mind! Hoot Owl’s next tasty target will surely fall to his clever disguises! There is a lamb over there. And what is that? A pigeon! Maybe Hoot Owl can disguise himself as an ornamental birdbath?
Or should Hoot Owl just take that pizza over there?
about the author
Sean Taylor was born in Surrey, in a village called Fetcham, but his family moved when he was one and so he grew up in a town called Cobham (in England). His childhood home was a big, quiet house, with tall trees outside. It was a good space for him to think in.
When he turned seven he began going to a boys’ school in Wimbledon, where he had to wear a blazer, tie, and cap as a uniform. He remembers loving to read amazing Greek myths, but was puzzled and disappointed that being amazed wasn’t the goal of education. Remembering how to spell “Aphrodite” or “Cyclops” was what he was being taught, and he didn’t like it.
As a boy, Sean’s parents read stories to him. His dad read Treasure Island often, and his mom would take him to bookstores and let him pick out two books he liked and buy them for him every time. Thinking back on this amazing childhood, Sean decided to write books for children, too. He wants to help young students realize that going on adventures to wild, amazing, imaginary places in stories is just as important—or more important—than knowing how to spell!
Sean is married to a beautiful woman from Brazil named Adriana, and throughout the year they and their sons, Joey and Rafael, spend time living in Sao Paulo, a much crazier place than the big quiet house in which Sean grew up.
Source:
Author website
Also by Sean Taylor:
Don’t Call Me Choochie Pooh! Candlewick Press. August 2016.
A Brave Bear. Candlewick Press. April 2016.
Goal! Henry Holt & Company. 2014.
That’s What Makes a Hippopotamus Smile!I Frances Lincoln Children’s. 2014.
Robot Rumpus. Andersen Press. 2013.
Huck Runs Amuck! Dial. 2011.
Crocodiles Are the Best Animals of All! Frances Lincoln Children’s. 2009.
When a Monster Is Born. Roaring Brook Press. 2007.
about the illustrator
Jean Jullien grew up in Nantes in France, earned a graphic design degree in Quimper, then moved to London, England. There he graduated from Central Saint Martins and from the Royal College of Art.
Now his work includes illustration, photography, costumes, video, installations, books, posters, and clothing. His goal is to always be eclectic, but still coherent, in his body of work. He and his brother, the musician known as The Coward, work together on music and video projects, too!
Sources:
Illustrator website
Jullien Brothers website
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