Mr. Owliver’s Magic at the Museum

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Title: Mr. Owliver’s Magic at the Museum
by Carolyn Bracken
Publisher Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
Schiffer Kids
Arts & Photography , Children's Fiction
Pub Date 28, Nov 2017
Edition Hardcover
ISBN 9780764354274
Price $16.00 (USD) 
FTC Reviewed ARC for Schiffer Publishing Ltd. and Net Galley

Description
Mr. Owliver loves his job as nightwatchman for the Animaltown Art Museum, partly because he's an owl and is up at night anyway, but mostly because he's proud to protect such beautiful works of art. His friends think he must be lonely, but he has the company of the all subjects in the paintings. One in particular, the lovely Ms. Wren in Auguste Wrenoir's The Loge, is his favorite. One night on his birthday he has a feeling things aren't as they should be. That's when he makes a startling discovery that begins a night full of surprises. This is definitely a birthday Mr. Owliver will never forget! This book is designed to introduce children to some famous masterpieces while entertaining the adult reader with visual puns.

 My Thoughts

 If you look at my book blog you will see that I'm doing a lot of picture book reviews and much of that is my own choice because I personally love picture book art. 

 Reviewing an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) about Mr. Owliver's job as a nightwatchman for Animaltown Art Museum was just fun...fun...fun.  

 I immediately fell in love with it. The concept is adorable! The writing is sweet and the watercolor style illustrations are delightfully hilarious and at the same time very intricate. I love the museum crew and in all honesty, I wanted to spend more time at the museum and view more original paintings being reworked. And I'm sure children will feel the same way. 

 At 40 pages, it is a good length for this type of children's picture book. It will be a must-read for story time as kids can sit back and watch as Mr. Owliver walks throughout the museum. But, be advised you may hear an abundance of laughter. This book will also be excellent for classroom discussions on the various masterpieces. The back of the book does provide the necessary details on the original works of art. I highly recommend this book.

 Of Note:  If you spend any time looking through children's books as I do, you will easily recognize the name Carolyn Bracken (Franzoni) as she's illustrated hundreds of children's book. Some of her licensed characters include Clifford, Eloise, Fancy Nancy, and Magic School Bus. She also worked on Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, Fisher-Price Little People, the Muppets, and the list goes on and on.