The Mixed-Up Owl, story by Marzena Sowa, Pictures by Joanna Lorho
This charming children’s book takes on stereotypes—including an owl who starts out anything but wise.
“…all the world will be in love with night
And pay no worship to the garish sun.”
—William Shakespeare
Okay, it may seem odd to start a review of a children’s book with a quote from Romeo and Juliet. But bear, or perhaps I should say owl, with me. My point is to applaud writers who refute stereotypes. In the Bard’s case, it’s the stereotype of a sunny day being preferable to a dark, supposedly dreary night.
Move over, Will. In The Mixed-Up Owl, writer Marzena Sowa and illustrator Joanna Lorho join you in celebrating night. The advantage of taking on stereotypes in a children’s book is that it opens up to readers at the most impressionable age the idea of questioning attitudes. Because, as with night vs. day, there are perspectives beyond received wisdom or slightly too-common sense.
If stereotypes ruffle your feathers, this owl is for you. Moreover, Sowa and Lorho also take on the cliché of the wise owl. As their title suggests, this particular owl is anything but.
The story begins at night. Is Owl ever in a flap! Unable to sleep, his eyes bright and round as the hovering moon, he can’t understand why no one else is awake. Well, “Owl was going to find out.”
Off he goes to investigate. Peeking, some might say snooping, through leaves he sees squirrels, ducks, foxes, and a swan emitting big ZZZs into Lorho’s lyrically noir rendering of a vivid, mysterious night. Quite the snooze-fest they’re all having, Owl notes crossly.
Through the dark trees, a beige-gold dawn glimmers. The snoozers awake. “Maybe now Owl could find some answers.” No such luck. The other animals either ignore our querulous hero or, in the case of a mother duck, squawk out a reprimand at him.
But that’s nothing to the ruckus that erupts when, exhausted, he falls asleep in a crow’s nest. His ZZZs don’t last long. Mom crow tosses him out. Down he tumbles, splash! into a stream. In the commotion, a fox and small bird are knocked askew and join him.
Owl obviously has an epiphany coming about different sleep strokes for different folks. No spoilers about how this occurs, except to say that a prickly, in both senses, friend helps provide it.
But back to Owl being such an annoyance to his fellow forest-dwellers. If he were wise, like the stereotypical owl, young readers would find him tedious. A troublemaker is much more fun to read about—and to learn along with. This troublemaker is a real hoot.
About the Author
Born in Poland in 1979, Marzena Sowa arrived in Bordeaux, France in 2001 to complete her studies in modern literature at Michel de Montaigne University. In 2004, she wrote the first volume of her internationally recognized comic autobiography Marzi, which was nominated for both the Angoulême Comics Festival and an Eisner Award. She lives in Brussels, Belgium.
About the Illustrator
After having made in-house animated films, Joanna Lorho now draws comics and illustrations. She cultivates small musical projects on voice and piano, and has taught in art schools for about 10 years. Originally from Brittany, France, Joanna has lived and worked in Brussels for 20 years. The Mixed-Up Owl is her first children’s book. Visit joannalorho.com.
About the Reviewer
Melanie Jackson is a freelance Vancouver writer/editor. She’s also the award-winning author of middle-grade/YA suspensers, including Orca Books’ Dinah Galloway Mystery Series, and several chillers set in amusement parks. Visit Melanie at The Writers’ Union of Canada.
Book Details
Publisher: Hippo Park, July 29, 2025
Language: English
Hardcover: 80 pages
ISBN: 9781662640933