Imagine that A Hoot & Olive story

PreS-Gr 2--What to do on a rainy day? In this second "Hoot & Olive" story, the young owl can't seem to summon his imagination when his friend suggests a pretend adventure. Convinced that it is either lost or broken, he struggles to regain it, but while Olive sees floods, giants, and fairies, Hoot can only see a puddle or an old shoe. A metal colander "unscrambler," hypnotism, standing on his head, and "perhaps, one or ten other somethings" are no help at all. "Why is it, when my imagination is the thing that's broken, it's my heart that hurts the most?" wonders Hoot. "'That's it!' shouts Olive. 'Should I try again?' asked Hoot. 'You should always try again…' " His wise friend explains that he must imagine with his heart. And sure enough, the pair finally, "… sailed to far-off places…built castles and tamed dragons…" The illustrations, rendered in watercolor with pen and ink and digitally added color, depict the waif-like girl and her somewhat bear-like feathered friend in a dark house with backgrounds that are alternately cluttered, stark or whimsical. VERDICT This tale of friendship and imagination will brighten any rainy day.--Barbara Auerbach, Cairo Public Library, NY

What to do when imagination fails on a rainy, indoor-play day?That's the dilemma Olive faces when her best pal, stuffed-toy-owl Hoot, can't enter her flights of fancy when she wants to play pretend. Is Hoot's imagination lost, broken, jumbled, gone? Olive proposes inventive scenarios the pair can enacttheir house floating away, a lurking giant, fairies in the cellar. She offers Hoot a colander (as an "antenna" to unscramble mixed signals) and poufy earmuffs (to prevent "leaks"). Nothing works. When a dejected Hoot mentions his heart hurts, there's an aha moment: Olive remembers one must use the heart to imagine. Hoot does, and an imaginative play day ensues. In an aw-shucks ending, Hoot suggests he and Olive imagine being friends forever. The premise positions literal-minded Hoot as "broken" and inferior, a troubling notion that the obscure assurance that imagination springs from the heart does not dispel. Furthermore, readers will recognize that Olive and Hoot are already besties, so they won't see the need for them to imagine continuing their friendship. Overall, the amusing, energetic pen-and-ink-and-watercolor illustrations fare better than the thin, unengaging text. Olive and Hoot are endearing, though Olive (who presents white) isn't very expressive. A variety of perspectives throughout and lots of white space focus readers' eyes on the protagonists.One needn't imagine there are better books about using the imagination. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.