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Ollie is a young owl who lives deep in the forest. From his home in a tree, he interacts with friends like Betty the Bunny and watches all his neighbors going about their daily lives. He ponders how he fits into his beautiful world and imitates other creatures, pretending to fly like the bees and carry wood like the beavers. However, then he gets inspired while reading books to try art and enjoys it very much. Later that evening, Betty the Bunny begs for his help in finding her way home, and he overcomes his fear of flying too high to guide her there, assisted by Fred the Firefly. Back home, as his mom greets him, Ollie is happy and proud to be himself.
The illustrations by Nuno Alexandre Vieira for this children's book are stunning. They help to draw young readers into Ollie's tale just as much as the rhymes about his journey of self-discovery. He is a sweet little owl who sets a good example through his steady optimism and desire to learn as much as possible about himself and his fellow forest dwellers. While it would have been nice to see more of his clear love of art, it is also understandable that he is just beginning to work in that craft. Besides, his friend Betty needed him, and he used his own special abilities as an owl to help her out. As such, Ollie is shown as an adventurous little soul who doesn’t hesitate to help his friends, which is a very nice way to be. The messages of being comfortable with who you are and of overcoming one's fears to help someone else makes this work an inspiring read.