Plop, the Baby Barn Owl, is like every Barn Owl there ever was, except for one thing - he is afraid of the dark. "Dark is nasty" he says and so he won't go hunting with his parents.

Mrs Barn Owl sends him down from his nest-hole to ask about the dark and he meets a little boy waiting for the fireworks to begin, an old lady, a scout out camping, a girl who tells him about Father Christmas, a man with a telescope and a black cat who takes him exploring.

He realizes that through these encounters that dark is super after all. Filled with gentle humour and comfort, Jill Tomlinson's animal stories have been enjoyed by children who want to snuggle down with a good read for decades.

This edition of The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark is beautifully illustrated by Paul Howard.