The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer (Owly (Graphic ... (ISBN 1891830627)

A Time to Be Brave:
It's very hard not to adore Owly. The drawings, charmingly rendered in black and white, effectively communicate entire stories with very few to no words. They're great for young kids who still don't know how to read that well, but all ages can appreciate the genuine heart-felt nature of the simple stories and the delicate ways in which they are told. The remarkable thing here is that Owly, in volume 4, shows no signs of slowing down or losing ideas. Each book teaches a new idea or lesson. A Time to Be Brave is about being brave when it's the, well, right time. It's wonderful, children will love it, and adults will treasure it.

Wonderful.:
Andy Runton, Owly: Just a Little Blue (Top Shelf, 2005) Owly and Wormy find themselves besieged by a pair of blue jays. In order to mollify them, Owly builds a nesting box, but they reject it in favor of the dead hollow tree they've been nesting in. All is well, if uneasy, until a big storm hits the valley, destroying the tree and causing one of the jays' babies to go missing. Once again, Andy Runton has done a fantastic job of conveying a world of feeling in very simple drawings; Owly is a great series for all ages and, as Runton says on his website, for people who think they don't like comics. If you haven't discovered Owly yet, it's definitely worth searching out. ****

Still awesome.:
Andy Runton, Owly: Flying Lessons (Top Shelf, 2005) Owly and Wormy meet a flying squirrel; after some false starts, Owly, who was always last in his class at flying school, befriends the squirrel and tries to get himself off the ground. Another very cute entry in the series, and just as highly recommended as the first two. ****

Cutest series ever.:
Andy Runton, Owly: The Way Home and The Bittersweet Summer (Top Shelf, 2004) The first book in Runton's widely (and justly) praised Owly series, this wonderful little book contains two stories: "The Way Home," in which Owly meets Wormy, who gets lost in a storm and wants Owly to help him find his way home, and "The Bittersweet Summer," where Owly and Wormy become friends with some hummingbirds. Owly is, for the most part, wordless; everything is conveyed with expressions and thought bubbles. It's clever and funny and heartwarming, a definite change of pace from most of the graphic novels that have been appearing for the past few years. Definitely recommended for when you need a pick-me-up. ****

A very warm and very sweet story:
Probably five stars for enjoyment and four for overall execution. Owly is such a cute and sweet little owl! Owly makes friends with everyone, and has a huge, warm heart. "Just a Little Blue" is filled with warmth and action, as Owly tries to make a birdhouse for the bluebird family that lives near by. Characters must overcome preconceived notions about each other, and not only learn how to offer help, but how to accept it as well. While there were a few times the drawings were a little vague (mostly just on a few expressions though) it was a highly entertaining book and very sweet!