Jonathan Allen’s Baby Owl has been not scared, not cute, and even not Santa, in previous picture books, but this time he’s definitely not sleepy! The idea of children resistant to bedtime has been played with many times, but the difference here of course is that it’s day that brings sleep time for owls, rather than night. Baby owl comes up with some interesting excuses for stretching, (“I will be learning to fly soon, you know.”) yawning (“I am bored. Owls need lots of excitement, you know.”), and having drooping eyelids(“I was  thinking.”) Eventually his father, with the wisdom owls are renowned for, says he’s thinking too, and “sleepy or not, you are certainly very grumpy. Come in now and I will read you a bedtime story.” Baby Owl insists it’s “a nice long story, because I’m not at all slee…..” but he’s asleep before he can finish his sentence. Lovely illustrations including endpapers covered with sleepy/non-sleepy baby owls.