KidLit Review: The Owls of Wickenden Wood by Shauna Kramer Barnes

Landing in a different reality, the hero of our story is challenged by wise and mysterious owls.

Welcome to one of the January 27th stops on the blog tour for The Owls of Wickenden Wood by Shauna Kramer Barnes with Goddess Fish Promotions! Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, more reviews, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

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About the Book

The Owls of Wickenden Wood
by Shauna Kramer Barnes

Published 23 October 2024
Tellwell Talent

Genre: Children’s Fiction
Page Count: 34
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

Landing in a different reality, the hero of our story is challenged by wise and mysterious owls.

Will the storyteller be able to face their doubts and fears?

Or will they forever remain in the Wickenden Wood?

An inspiring, rhythmic tale, encouraging readers to believe in themselves and to trust in their own innate talents and abilities.

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK

My Review

My Rating: 4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Consider “liking” my review on Goodreads

I was granted complimentary access to a PDF copy of The Owls of Wickenden Wood as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with Goddess Fish Promotions. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

The Owls of Wickenden Wood tells the story of the narrator’s odd and whimsical day, stumbling deep into the Wickenden Wood where a group of guardian owls demand stories in exchange for freedom from the woods. It’s whimsical (sorry for the repetition, but it truly is,) beautiful, and thought provoking.

In terms of “who is this for?” I think this is best as a classroom story time book or a book that families read together. The vocabulary and amount of text per page is at a level where most independent readers wouldn’t necessarily be interested in reading a picture book. I can honestly see a honours English class in high school analyzing this as poetry.

In terms of the writing itself, it is written in verse and has a rhyme scheme, but the metre and number of lines per stanza aren’t consistent. There’s a label for every type of poem and they’re all valid, but there were a couple lines that made me stumble and read it again. For example: “When I finally stopped, / I stood up in surprise for there was / an owl before my eyes.” Why break the line so late? I wanted to stop at “surprise” and I had to push through the line.

Now, the illustrations. Overall the work is beautiful and the more I look at it, the more I want to keep looking at it. It’s dynamic and interesting and really conveys the tone of the story. With that said, I’m confused by the contrast of styles/time put into the pieces between the cover, the front and back pages, and the rest of the illustrations. The cover is a stunning photo-realistic painting of a barn owl (or similar species) in exquisite detail. The front and back full-art pages are more impressionistic but still high detail oil paint or oil pastel paintings of lovely BC temperate rainforest scenery (that reminds me so much of home!) The story illustrations are loosely drawn with sketch lines left as part of the artwork, done in pencil and watercolour (possibly watercolour pencils.) It lacks the detail, clarity, and demonstration of skill that the other pieces do, and when I first received my review copy I was a little disappointed to see what was inside behind that stunning cover, but I think it really fits the work and adds the right interest and eerie feeling.

Overall I really liked this one and I love experiencing great nature-appreciating art from my home province. Thanks again for the opportunity!

About the Author

Shauna Kramer Barnes lives in Deep Cove, BC, with her husband and daughter. Surrounded by mountains, forests, and the owls who reside in the true Wickenden Wood, she was inspired to write this story and hopefully tell a tale that entertains.

Website | Instagram

Giveaway Alert!

Shauna Kramer Barnes will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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