Owen

Rating:
Summary: I teach Pre-K and...
Review: ...I love this book! Once again the author Henkes created a loveble and real character that young children (especially ones with "blankies") can relate to!! I find "Mrs. Tweezers" (the nosy next door neighbor) absolutely hysterical as she constantly harasses Owens parents to get rid of his blanket... "Haven't you ever heard of the vinegar trick? The Blanket Fairy? Just saying no?" Owens mom ultimately saves the day in a way which even Mrs. Tweezers can't object! Owen is a book which children love... and adults don't CRINGE while reading!

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Summary: A prayer for Owen's Fuzzy
Review: Ah, Kevin Henkes. Is there anything he cannot do? From inspiring books like, "Lily's Purple Plastic Purse" to the far more adult (and Newbery Honor Award winning) "Olive's Ocean", this man is accomplished in the extreme.

With "Owen", Mr. Henkes has created the kind of story he excels in. Owen is a small mouse that is the proud owner of a yellow blanket named Fuzzy. Fuzzy goes wherever Owen goes and does whatever Owen does. Owen is nothing so much as Linus from "Peanuts" in mouse-form. Soon Owen will be going to school, and his parents attempt more than one possible solution to pry Owen away from his favorite blanket (with the help of the ever-nosy Mrs. Tweezers next door).

Owen's parents are a kind of new-agey type. Their not particularly comfortable telling Owen no on anything. They are certainly attentive, that's for certain. And Henkes's illustrations are delightful. There's nothing particularly ground-breaking in this book and the moral at the end is, if anything, that ingenuity is far better than untried advice. However, this is more a moral for parents than children.

Just the same, kids will like Owen and those with their own comfort blankets will perhaps be inspired by his mother's ingenious solution to their woes. In any case, any book that teaches children to love handkerchiefs (Fuzzy's eventual fate) has got to be doing SOMETHING right.

Rating:
Summary: A prayer for Owen's Fuzzy
Review: Ah, Kevin Henkes. Is there anything he cannot do? From inspiring books like, "Lily's Purple Plastic Purse" to the far more adult (and Newbery Honor Award winning) "Olive's Ocean", this man is accomplished in the extreme.

With "Owen", Mr. Henkes has created the kind of story he excels in. Owen is a small mouse that is the proud owner of a yellow blanket named Fuzzy. Fuzzy goes wherever Owen goes and does whatever Owen does. Owen is nothing so much as Linus from "Peanuts" in mouse-form. Soon Owen will be going to school, and his parents attempt more than one possible solution to pry Owen away from his favorite blanket (with the help of the ever-nosy Mrs. Tweezers next door).

Owen's parents are a kind of new-agey type. Their not particularly comfortable telling Owen no on anything. They are certainly attentive, that's for certain. And Henkes's illustrations are delightful. There's nothing particularly ground-breaking in this book and the moral at the end is, if anything, that ingenuity is far better than untried advice. However, this is more a moral for parents than children.

Just the same, kids will like Owen and those with their own comfort blankets will perhaps be inspired by his mother's ingenious solution to their woes. In any case, any book that teaches children to love handkerchiefs (Fuzzy's eventual fate) has got to be doing SOMETHING right.

Rating:
Summary: Blanket Coverage of Staying Connected with Security Objects!
Review: Almost all children have a favorite blanket or stuffed toy that makes any situation more comfortable. Children vary a lot in how long and how extensively they rely on these friendly objects. Social pressures to relinquish the objects often make the child even more insecure. In this worthy story, your child can learn how to keep this warm connection while reducing social embarrassment.

"Owen had a fuzzy yellow blanket . . . . He loved it with all his heart."

"Fuzzy goes where I go."

"Fuzzy likes what I like."

"He carried it.

And wore it.

And dragged it.

He sucked it.

And hugged it.

And twisted it."

You can see the close connection from these quotes.

The crisis is brought on when Owen announces, "I have to bring Fuzzy [no longer literally so] to school." What to do?

If you are a first-time parent, this book will suggest a solution that almost all parents rely on (or a variant thereof). As such, it is a great gift to parents and children.

The book was honored by Caldecott for its illustrations which rely on bright watercolor paints and black pen outlines. Owen and the other characters in the book are mice, and they have a visual sweetness that helps take the anxiety out of the book's subject. If the characters were humans, the book could feel threatening to the child who isn't ready to give up the blanket or other security object.

I suggest that you also ask your child what you can do to help make new situations feel more comfortable. The process of becoming more separate from home and parents is a difficult one. Although almost everyone will make it, there's no reason why the transition has to be a harsh and unpleasant one.

Provide an inner sense of security in all the loving ways you know!

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Summary: What to do about Owen and his beloved fuzzy yellow blanket?
Review: For every parent who tried to get their child to give up their favorite blanket, and who had no response to the observation that Linus never gave up HIS blanket, there is the story of "Owen." Written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes, Owen is a young mouse who has a fuzzy yellow blanket he has had ever since he was a baby and which he loves with all his heart. Mrs. Tweezers lives next door and she thinks Owen is too old to be dragging a blanket around. Owen's parents are forced to agree and so Mrs. Tweezers has a series of suggestions on how to get Owen to give up his fuzzy yellow blanket. However, Owen REALLY loves that blanket. Still, school will be starting soon and Owen cannot bring the blanket to school. Fortunately, Owen's mother is a lot smarter than either Owen or even Mrs. Tweezers know. What makes "Owen" a great story for families trying to deal with separation anxiety because of a beloved but well worn object is that in the end, everybody wins, and if Owen thinks the solution is mother comes up with is a great one then maybe your child will have a similar reaction to YOUR great solution.

But unless we are talking about a blanket, you are probably going to have to come up with an idea all on your own. After all, there is no Blanket Fairy and "Owen" is one of those books that a wise parent might have to choose for their child.

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Summary: Not Just for Children Any More
Review: I LOVE this book in fact my wife and I have named one of our cats Owen from the character in the book. Infact Owen is the book that we give all of our friends when we find out they are expecting a first child.

Owen is a incredibly cute mouse who has a beloved blanket which he takes everywhere and plays with, not unlike my little brother used to. He is getting old enough to go to school soon and his mean old neighbor thinks he shouldn't be carrying it anymore and tries to get his parents to get him to get him to give it up. Luckily Owens mother finds a rather ingenous way to make evetybody happy.

Long live Captain Plunger...he alone is worth the price of the book! ;-)

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Summary: my six year old: the henkes fan
Review: little did i know when i breezily picked up this book at a bi-monthly library run that my six year old son was already a huge kevin henkes fan. he saw the book and was ecstatic: "we read these at school, kevin henkes has lots of cal-cott awards!" he enthused. he proceeded to rattle of several character names and story lines. then, with his tattered, nearly-stuffingless-and-quite-bedraggled little cloth elephant grasped tightly, he read to me the cute story about a mouse who has his own special 'lovey'. any child with their own version of a Linus blanky will just love this story - so will his/her parents. now excuse me while i begin acquiring a kevin henkes library.

Rating:
Summary: Blankie book
Review: Owen (a mouse) has a wonderful blanket named Fuzzy. He takes it everywhere and Fuzzy enjoys everything Owen does, like peanut butter and bath times. A pesky lady who lives next door shares some ideas with Owen's parents about how to separate Owen from Fuzzy, but none of them work, and Owen and Fuzzy get to stay together. The story is rather fun, with a little tension, but no scary bits. The book has about 550 words.

Rating:
Summary: Blankie book
Review: Owen (a mouse) has a wonderful blanket named Fuzzy. He takes it everywhere and Fuzzy enjoys everything Owen does, like peanut butter and bath times. A pesky lady who lives next door shares some ideas with Owen's parents about how to separate Owen from Fuzzy, but none of them work, and Owen and Fuzzy get to stay together. The story is rather fun, with a little tension, but no scary bits. The book has about 550 words.

Rating:
Summary: Owen, My Hero
Review: Owen is one of my favorite characters of all times...probably because like Owen, I was very attached to my blanket. How I wish this book had been published when I was a child! As usual, Kevin Henkes' story is charmingly written and illustrated. There is a lot of humor, plenty of which will make parents laugh as hard as(or harder than) their children.

When Owen's busybody neighbor, Mrs. Tweezers, convinces Owen's parents that he's too old to carry around his beloved, yet tattered, blanket, his parents begin a campaign to separate Owen and the blanket. Little do they know the lengths to which Owen will go to protect his blanket. Owen's Mom comes up with a solution that makes everybody happy, even that annoying busybody Mrs. Tweezers! Owen is a spunky, loveable little guy!

Enjoy!!