Whooo knew there were so many adorable owl books for kids? Explore this ultimate collection of books about owls with your child. Plus a few owl book extension ideas using fun and easy owl activities and crafts.
Let’s read about owls….
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One fun animal to explore with kids are owls. They are an interesting bird of prey that somehow can become an adorable storybook character. And to be honest, there are many books about owls!!! I’m excited to share with you our collection of owl books to read with your child.
But before we get started let’s talk about why you should focus on learning about owls with your child.
Owl play a large role in the balance of the food chain in many forests across the country. They help the environment by controlling small animal populations and are also a tourist attraction for birdwatchers in many areas. Because mammals are a primary prey item, this can be especially beneficial to humans, reducing the amount of food lost each year to rodents. Did you know you can even buy a Owl Nesting Box on Amazon to invite your local owls to your tree to next?
Harry Potter fans experience that throughout the books and movies, there are lots of owls. However one owl stands out as Hedwig wins our hearts over as Harry’s owl.
In many cultures, owls are even seen as good luck symbols.
In the past few years we’ve started to notice barred owls living in our neighborhood in North Central Florida. It’s pretty amazing to hear them at night and even more when you see them around our subdivision on the light poles, fences, houses. One night I was packing up for our road trip and even discovered an owl on the lifted tailgate of my minivan. Quite a moment I’ll remember forever.
With all that said, there are many reasons to read books about owls with your child.
Owl Books for Kids
There are so many adorable owl books for kids. We’ve highlighted them here for you.
They are broken down over 80 owl books into various categories of books for you to view from fiction and non fictions to boards books and books series about owls.
These owl books focus on some of the challenges many our children deal with like problem solving, shyness, fitting in, being afraid, making friends and more.
You can click on the book cover image for more info and to read the reviews on Amazon.
Fiction Owl Books for Kids
The Christmas Owl by Gideon Sterer & Ellen Kalish
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
Night Lunch by Eric Fan
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
The Barn Owls by Tony Johnston
So You Want to Be an Owl by Jane Porter
Knight Owl by Christopher Denise
A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na
Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book by Britta Teckentrup
The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark by Jill Tomlinson
Little Hoot by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Owling: Enter the World of the Mysterious Birds of the Night by Mark Wilson
Wow! Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood
Littlest Owl by Caroline Pitcher
Good Luck Baby Owls by Giles Milton
Brave Enough for Two: A Hoot & Olive Story by Jonathan D. Voss
Imagine That: A Hoot & Olive Story by Jonathan D. Voss
Counting Creatures by Julia Donaldson
Hoot and Peep by Lita Judge
Hooray for Today! by Brian Won
Snowy Owl Family Animal Adventures by Sarah Toast
10, 9, 8…Owls Up Late! by Georgiana Deutsch
Hoot Owl Master Of Disguise by S. Taylor
Owly by Mike Thaler
Oliver the Curious Owl by Chad Otis
The Little White Owl by Tracey Corderoy
Owl Sees Owl by Laura Godwin
Molly the Owl by Eric Blehm
Owls by Sarah Courtauld
Cock-A-Doodle-Hoooo! by Mick Manning
Little Owl in the Big City by Marcia Mogelonsky
Wise Up, Silly Owl! by Steve Metzger
“I’m Not Sleepy!” by Jonathan Allen
Oola the Owl Who Lost Her Hoot! by Thomas Nelson
The Sleepy Owl by Marcus Pfister
Lacey Walker, Nonstop Talker by Christianne C. Jones
Owl Howl by Paul Friester
Series of Books with Owls
It’s always fun as a reader to discover a book series. I’ve noticed it quickly captures the attention of beginning readers. Here are a few that are focused on owls that your child may enjoy reading.
Little Owl’s Snow by Divya Srinivasan
Little Owl’s Night by Divya Srinivasan
Little Owl’s Day by Divya Srinivasan
Eva’s Treetop Festival: A Branches Book (Owl Diaries #1) by Rebecca Elliott
Owl Diaries, Books 1-5 by Rebecca Elliott
Owl Diaries Five Branches Books Collection Set ( Books 6- 10 )
You can purchase the whole Owl Diaries Series Set, Books 1-16 too, which would be a great collection!
Bear’s New Friend by Karma Wilson
Max and Marla Are Going on a Trip by Alexandra Boiger
Little Owl’s Egg by Debi Gliori
Max and Marla Are Having a Picnic by Alexandra Boiger
Max and Marla Are Flying Together by Alexandra Boiger
Max and Marla by Alexandra Boiger
Wallace and Grace Take the Case by Heather Alexander
Wallace and Grace and the Cupcake Caper by Heather Alexander
Wallace and Grace and the Lost Puppy by Heather Alexander
The Way Home: A Graphic Novel by Andy Runton
Just a Little Blue: A Graphic Novel by Andy Runton
Flying Lessons: A Graphic Novel by Andy Runton
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Owl Board Books
There are quite a few board books about owls for our youngest readers. I’ve picked on the best owl board books to read with your toddler or baby.
Here are a few tips for reading with little ones and which books are best for them.
Where’s the Owl? Board book – Lift the flap by Nosy Crow
Peek-a Who? by Nina Laden
Little Owl’s Colors by Divya Srinivasan
Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton
Owl Always Love You Board book by Patricia Hegarty
Sleep Tight Little Night Owl by Marilee Joy Mayfield
Grandma’s Christmas Wishes by Holly Berry-Byrd
Grandma Wishes Love You Always Padded Board Book by Julia Lobo
Grandma & Me Children’s Finger Puppet Board Book by Brick Puffinton
Little Owl’s Bedtime Board book by Karl Newson
What a Hoot! Board book by Frann Preston-Gannon
In My Tree Board book by Sara Gillingham
Hoot (My Little World) Board book by Jonathan Litton
Little Owl’s 1-2-3 Board book by Divya Srinivasan
Where Is Owl’s Scarf?: A Lift-the-Flap Book Board book by Brandy Cooke
Non-Fiction Owl Books
I find the non-fiction books about owls so fascinating. Here are my top picks to explore and read with your child. Try this fun Owl Facts Lapbook to go along with these fascinating books.
You may enjoy doing this owl science experiment do go along with the owl books too.
National Geographic Readers: Owls by Laura Marsh
Owls by Gail Gibbons
National Geographic Readers: Hoot, Owl! by Shelby Alinsky
Snowy Owls by Melissa Ann Hill
Snowy Owls Are Awesome (Polar Animals) by Jaclyn Jaycox
Birdwatching Books for Kids: Looking for Owls by Sue Breeden
Exploring the World of Owls by Tracy C. Read
Owls of the World: A Photographic Guide by Heimo Mikkola
Owl: A Year in the Lives of North American Owls by Paul Bannick
Spotted Eagle-Owl or Snowy Owl by Eric Geron
Whooo Knew? by Annette Whipple
Greta The Great Horned Owl: A True Story of Rescue and Rehabilitation by Christie Gove-Berg
Owl Facts for Kids
- Did you know that there are over 200 different owl species?
- 19 owl species are found in the United States.
- Owls have powerful claws called talons which help them catch and kill prey.
- The color of owls’ feathers helps them blend into their environment.
- Owls must swivel their heads to look since their eyes are set in place.
- Owls are nocturnal which means they are active at night.
- For food, most owls hunt insects, small mammals, and other birds.
- Some owl species hunt fish.
- Very few owls actually hoot.
- You can find owls living in forests, deserts, mountains, and prairies.
- Owls do not make nests, instead sheltering inside trees, ground burrows, caves, and barns, or using other birds’ old nests.
Owl Activities for Book Extensions
- Printable Owl Themed Alphabet Game
- Pine Cone Owls from Rainy Day Mum
- Owl Handprint Craft
- Owl Story Puppets from Sun Hats & Wellie Boots
- Acorn Owls from Curly Birds
- Owl Name Activity for Kids
- Painting Owls from Learn Create Love
- Dissecting Owl Pellets
- Making your Own Scenes from Little Hoot from Inspiration Laboratories
- Leaf Owl Craft Project
- Owl Art Painting
- Owl Rubbings Art Project
- Owl Finger Puppets from Playing with Words 365
- Flannel Owl Puppets from Story Time Katie
- Owl T-shirt
- Owl Apron
- Owl Paper Craft from JDaniel4’s Mom
- Owl Headband Tutorial
- Owl Costume
- Night Owl Art Project
Owl Snacks Ideas for Storytime
- Owl Shaped Pizza
- Owl Snack from Mommy and Me Book Club
- Owl Smores from Living Locurto Owl
- Cheese Sandwich from JDaniel4’s Mom
- Owl Themed Waffles
- Owl Rice Cakes from Fun Food for Kids
- Owl Cupcakes from Delish
For more owl activity ideas, take a look here at our 17 Owl Activities for Kids!
Books About Owls for Kids
Which owl book was your favorite? Did I miss one on my book list, tell me in the comments below.
We hope that you found this book list about owls helpful as you look for the best owl books to read with your child. Owls are such a magical creature to learn about as a child.
After reading a few of your favorite owl books you can find a local spot to observe them in person. Our local zoo has one that we enjoy visiting.
Nature centers, nature clubs, bird clubs, and bird observatories sometimes offer “owl prowls” or guided walks. These outings are normally led by a local owl expert and include visits to areas where owl sightings are likely to occur. These programs are a good intro to the basics — where to go, when to go, how to look, how to listen, and how to identify the various owl calls.
After reading a few owl books…..let me know which owl species live in your area!
