For families exploring the ripple effects of actions and the journey toward making amends, this Caldecott winner offers a captivating West African pourquoi tale.
A parent might reach for this book when a child's small fib or thoughtless act has unintentionally caused a much bigger problem. This Caldecott Medal-winning West African folktale masterfully illustrates the concept of cause and effect through a captivating, cumulative story. It begins when a mosquito tells a silly lie to an iguana, setting off a chain reaction of animal mishaps that tragically results in the death of a baby owlet. When the grieving mother owl refuses to wake the sun, the animal king calls a court to unravel the mystery. The book is a powerful, though gentle, introduction to complex themes like honesty, consequences, collective responsibility, and guilt. The stunning, stylized art and rhythmic storytelling make it an engaging read-aloud for ages 5-8, but parents should be prepared to discuss the owlet's death with sensitive younger children.
A mother owl's grief over her baby's death is a key part of the story.
Sensitive Topics
The book deals directly with the death of a child (a baby owlet). The death is accidental, not malicious, but is a central plot point. It is presented metaphorically through animal characters in a secular, folkloric context. The mother's grief is a primary driver of the story. The resolution focuses on justice and assigning blame rather than healing from grief. The mosquito's story ends not with forgiveness, but with perpetual shame and hiding, which is a realistic but ambiguous outcome for young readers.
Ideal Reader
A 5- to 7-year-old who is beginning to understand complex chains of cause and effect. It is particularly well-suited for a child who has recently told a fib or done something seemingly small that had larger, unintended consequences, and needs a narrative to help process the experience.
Parent Prep
A parent must preview the page where the monkey explains what happened to the owlet. The illustration shows the small, still bird at the foot of the tree, and the text is direct: "one of the owlets was killed." Parents should be ready to talk about death, accidents, and sadness. Providing context that this is a traditional story from West Africa can enrich the reading experience. A parent witnesses their child tell a lie that snowballs, or hears their child say, "But I didn't mean to!" after their actions have caused harm. The parent is looking for a way to explain how even small, dishonest, or thoughtless actions can have big, unforeseen ripple effects.
Age Experience
A younger child (4-5) will latch onto the rhythmic, repetitive structure of the blame-chain and the vibrant animal illustrations. They may find the death sad but might not fully grasp the abstract chain of responsibility. An older child (6-8) can engage with the more complex moral questions about intent versus impact, the function of justice, and why the mosquito feels perpetual guilt instead of just being punished.
What Makes It Special
This book's uniqueness lies in its marriage of a classic cumulative tale structure with a serious moral investigation. Unlike simpler fables about lying, the consequence here is tragic and accidental, prompting a deeper look at responsibility. The Dillons' sophisticated, award-winning illustrations, with their use of white space, stylized patterns, and airbrush techniques inspired by West African art, set it apart visually. The ending is also more nuanced than many children's stories, focusing on unresolved guilt rather than a neat and tidy forgiveness.
Read plot summary
A mosquito tells a lie to an iguana, who plugs his ears with sticks and doesn't hear a snake's warning. This kicks off a cumulative chain reaction: the snake frightens a rabbit, the rabbit startles a crow, the crow alerts a monkey, and the monkey's leaping causes a dead branch to fall and kill a baby owlet. The mother owl's resulting grief is so profound she won't hoot to wake the sun, plunging the jungle into darkness. King Lion convenes a meeting, and the animals trace the chain of events back to the original lie. The guilty mosquito, discovered, hides and to this day buzzes in people's ears, asking "Zeee! Is everyone still angry at me?"
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
The monkey says he didn't mean to kill the owlet. Do you think he is still responsible for what happened? Why or why not?
2
At the end, the mosquito hides instead of facing the King. What do you think would have happened if she had stayed to hear her punishment?
3
Each animal in the story blames the one that came before it. Do you think only the mosquito is to blame, or does everyone share a little bit of the blame?
4
Why do you think the mosquito told the iguana a fib in the first place? What could she have said instead?
