OWL'S FALL FEAST FIASCO

An aim to please isn’t enough when preconceptions rule.

Owl, a somewhat pompous old-guard avian gentleman given to phrases such as “egads” and “my good man,” holds an annual autumn banquet for his animal friends. (All are anthropomorphized, recognizable from two previous books, and, on a non-naturalistic scale, almost all are the same size.) Famous didgeridoo player Platypus unexpectedly accepts a dinner invitation, putting fanboy Owl in a dither: What to serve? Reasoning that “Platypus is a bit like a reptile, but also a bit like a bird, and also a bit like a mammal,” Owl makes several assumptions about what the guest of honor would like, asking his friends for confirmation. Surely Platypus will enjoy beetles added to the cricket chutney (“for extra crunch”)? And certainly milk—something all mammals drink—should be on the menu? Owl’s friends gently disabuse him of his notions—and point out that they haven’t exactly been enjoying the food he’s been serving up. Bear proposes asking Platypus what he wants, but Owl prefers to dictate the menu; ultimately, a shortage of side dishes prompts a potluck and a sensible resolution. Rendered in an autumnal palette, the colorful illustrations are amusing and accomplished, the plot brisk enough, and the point obvious but worth making. Owl’s problems are self-created: perfectionism, an inability to accept help, and untested beliefs.

A clever tale of a know-it-all who at last learns to listen.