Owl lives by himself in a warm little house. But whether Owl is inviting Winter in on a snowy night or welcoming a new friend he meets while on a stroll, Owl always has room for visitors.

2018: Oh gosh. How have I never read this yet? I mean, welcoming winter and being scared of the two bumps near the bottom of your bed are bemusing enough, and I don't know if Lobel or Frank Asch did the moon as friend & follower better, and upstairs/ downstairs is classic... but, erm, "Tearwater Tea?!" Wtf? Deep, man.
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2023: Reread. Even better this time. Thank you.
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2024: Reread. I mean, we know right off the bat that this is a different sort of owl. Not so wise, you see. At night he's supposed to be hunting, and he is supposed to sleep during the day. Is he just foolish, or is he an iconoclast? Are these stories just funny, or are they surreal & philosophical? I dunno; I just know that I never get tired of them. ( )

An excellent read-aloud for 2 and 3 graders! They enjoyed the silly mistakes Owl makes. ( )

This is an early chapter book that is a collection of short stories about Owl and his adventures in his home. It would be good to use for first or second graders, there are a lot of sight words in it with a few illustrations that can help children visualize the story. I would use this book in my reading center or for SSR times

This book is about an owl and has five different stories about him. Each story faced the Owl with a challenging obstacle, but in the end he was always able to face that challenge and figure out what was best for him. Although it seemed very challenging and almost impossible for the Owl to figure out a solution, he did.

I recommend this book to a 2-3 grade classroom. I think this is a great book to show to kids to help them understand bad and unfortunate things happen to everyone. And in the end we can always find a solution to make the situation feel much better. I think this book is really encouraging for a younger read.

Owl lives by himself in a warm little house. But whether Owl is inviting Winter in on a snowy night or welcoming a new friend he meets while on a stroll, Owl always has room for visitors!

2023 - ‘70’s Immersion Reading Challenge

Owl At Home by Arnold Lobel (1973; 1975 ed), Paperback, 64 pages.

READING LEVEL: 2.7 AR POINTS: 0.5

Super, super cute short stories for beginner readers about owl’s adventures at home.

(1) As he sits by a warm fire, he feels sorry for winter stuck outside in the cold. So, he invites winter into his home.

(2) When he goes to bed, Owl sees two strange bumps near the end of the bed that keep moving when he moves, scaring him all night long.

(3) One day he makes tear-water soup by thinking of sad, sad things and making himself cry. (But they made me giggle.)

(4) Owl wonders what’s going on downstairs when he’s upstairs, and vice versa. So, he tries to be both upstairs and downstairs at the same time by running up and down as fast as he could all day long until he finally gives up.

(5) He met a good friend, the moon, who kept trying to follow him home.

Available to read FREE at Internet Archive:

https://archive.org/search?query=owl+at+home ( )

Short, amusing chapters for my early reader. ( )

Owl is a plump little home-body.

Somehow I missed this one when my son was little, but upon the recommendation of my mother-in-law, who had the privilege of being read this book by her granddaughter (my niece), I picked it up recently. Lovely. Arnold Lobel never disappoints, but Owl is such an endearing character, and these stories are full of juicy thoughts for lucky kids (and grown-ups too!) to absorb. ( )

Owl at home provides great information on the main character, Owl, and how he goes about his day. Great early reader picture book for young readers. Artwork is very simple and detailed. ( )

Lobel's great stories make even an owl in pajamas who is scared of bumps in the bed very endearing. ( )

The Guest
Strange Bumps
Tear-Water Tea
Upstairs and Downstairs
Owl and the Moon

The toddler loves this one, and it holds up well to many re-readings; the stories can be read in any order. The audio version is also very good. (The Arnold Lobel Audio Collection, narrated by Mark Linn-Baker) ( )

little owl is out and about in his house during a scary night
1 book

Although the pictures are lacking and the words seem cumbersome on each page, young readers will delight in the antics of Owl in these chapter like stories that occur throughout this book. The word choice is appropriate yet challenging due to the limited picture supports, however, the reader is still left smiling at how literal Owl sees and understands the works around him. It is in fact his character that draws the reader in and keeps them wanting to see what happens next to Owl. ( )

I had mixed feeling about this book after reading it. I liked the book because I thought the plot was very organized. The storybook was compiled with short stories of Owl dealing with various situations, and how he was able to overcome each obstacle. I thought this type of plot was interesting, and it allowed for multiple opportunities for suspense. During each story when Owl was confronted with a difficult situation there was suspense in how he was going to be able to overcome it. For example, when he invited winter in the house and it was causing chaos there was suspense in how he was going to get it to leave. Each story was completed in this manor, and this helped to create a well-paced flow to storybook. I thought that the short stories also would help to keep the readers engaged. With having a new story every few pages students would be able to keep their interest and their engagement. The language was also very clear throughout the story. It was patterned and easy for students to read. One example of a typical sentence is, “who can it be? Said Owl. Knocking and thumping at my door on a night like this.” These sentences could be easy for students to read and do not have too many complicated words. The reason I had mixed feelings about the story was because I thought some of the stories were a little bit too unreasonable. They were playful stories for children, but some of them were a little too unrealistic for my own personal taste. For example in one story Owl was scared of the bumps at the end of his bed. He kept moving his feet but still did not understand that the bumps were being created by his very own feet. The story would be interesting for young students, but I thought it was a little too naïve, but could be good for students in the primary grades. Another reason I did like the story was that the character was well-developed in my opinion. Owl was able to display many emotions throughout the story. And handled the situation in ways that made him more developed. Another reason that I liked the story was that the illustrations were able to really enhance the story in my opinion. For example, in the first story Owl invited winter into his house and winter created havoc on the house. But the illustrations really show how much chaos winter is causing in the house. Having the illustrations was able to really show what was happening, and in this way enhanced the story. The illustrations also fit the written text quite well. The stories were written in almost a whimsical way, and the illustrations also were drawn that way. I believe the big message of the story is that bad situations can be overcome with some ingenuity and willpower. Owl is able to overcome each new situation by thinking clever and trying new things. ( )

A beginning chapter book. Th. is book is about an owl who lives alone and how his imagination runs a muck. A great reading book and it can open the minds up to creative writing. I would use this book just for that purpose.

Story 1.)The Guest:
Focuses on the idea of having good manners as a house guest by exemplifying bad manners using the season of winter as a story character.
Story 2.) Strange Bumps:
A funny story demonstrating the need for logic when faced with a situation that seems scary and unexplainable.
Story 3.) Tear-Water Tea
Demonstrates that it is okay to be sad about things sometimes and how people need to go through a period of sadness to in order to feel better.
Story 4.) Upstairs and Downstairs:
Classic story of the grass is greener on the other side. Illustrates how you can't be in two places at once and need to choose a side or compromise and find the middle.
Story 5.) Owl and the Moon
Shows the quality of reciprocation necessary to have a good friendship. Also shows that by just being there as a friend you can make others happy.

All five stories offer students a richer understanding of the world around them through the whimsical eyes of owl. Lobel did a great job of passing along mature lessons and ideas in very simple and understandable stories. ( )

This book has four chapters/stories in it about Owl and some of the funny things he deals with. The stories are short and cute passages that help teach students differnt things. I think it also helps with discussing things the students might be going through in their lives.

Wonderful if sometimes a bit absurd book. Upstairs-downstairs is a favourite with my grandson, making tea with tears is a bit too much for ( )

Good for preK - 3. Very brief story about life in general that makes interesting reading.

This book is a time honored classic by award winning author and illustrator Arnold Lobel. Owl at Home is a hilarious look into the misunderstandings of an Owl who is not quite as wise as you would think. The book is composed of five stories: The Guest, Strange Bumps, Tear-Water Tea, Upstairs-Downstairs, and Owl and the Moon. In each story, Owl shows his childlike nature by doing things that a young child might do (i.e. - trying to be upstairs and downstairs at once, befriending the moon, getting afraid at bumps under the blanket which turn out to be his knees). It makes this story the perfect book to read to young children, or to give them practice beginning to read on their own because it's something that they can relate to. It's unfortunate that this book was written nearly twenty years ago and has fallen out of circulation with today's current trends. But, for me, it will always be a classic that can be used as anything from a early reading challenge to a bedtime story. Two thumbs up! ( )

Arnold Lobel's "Owl at Home" is comprised of several short chapters, each its own story, about Owl's escapades in his cozy little home. In the first, Owl invites winter into his house to warm by the fire and winter quickly freezes it, prompting Owl to make him leave. In the following story, Owl sees bumps at the bottom of his bed and begins to fear them, not realizing they are his own feet. Next, Owl makes tea out of his own tears. In another story, Owl keeps running up and down the staircase is in his home, trying to be in two places at once. Lastly, Owl goes for a night walk in the woods and becomes convinced his new friend "moon" has followed him home.

Each is a short, easy-to-read, and charming tale of the child-like owl. He is a character who can easily be described as "special." He sees the world differently, and everything is somehow magical or mysterious. Although adults may chuckle at Owl's silliness, children will undoubtedly relate to his worldview. The chapter concerning Owl's fear of his own feet is especially telling of the character. Lobel writes with mostly short, "easy" words, but his sentences are more complex than the traditional "see Jane run" style of early readers. In addition, because each chapter is a separate story, children can read only one at a time and feel a sense of accomplishment and closure. I would recommend this book for children ages 4-8, who are beginning to read on their own. ( )

This book relates five delightful adventures of Owl….at home

This is a short chapter book about the misadventures of an Owl staying at home all alone. Children will find the book interesting and easy to follow. This book will give students the confidence that they can read chapter books with ease! The reading level for this book is 2.7. For more about this author, parents and teachers should visit www.eduplace.com/kids/hmr/mtai/lobel.html .