Independent Reading Level: Grades PreK-3
Awards:New York Times Bestseller ( )

This is a BEAUTIFUL book, in both story and images, that shares a tale of unexpected adventure, holiday spirit, and the kindness of strangers.

Our little owl friend wasn't expecting to go to sleep one night and wake up to a road trip far from home, nor was she to know that the holiday her and her animal friends were contemplating was about to be revealed in all its splendid magical glory. She'd come to understand Christmas just THAT much more as she journeys from woodlands to city to rehabilitation center and back home once again. With her new moniker that would forever earmark her story in our hearts, Rocky was returned to where she belonged thanks to the help of perfect strangers turned newly made friends that saw an animal in need an made it their mission to help her.

If the story itself wasn't enough to bring a gleam to your eye, the illustrator does a wonderful job of visually bringing the story to life. Page after page of woodland beauty, cityscapes, and that gloriously lit up Rockefeller tree, not to mention our little Rocky herself, appear right before you eyes as the tale unfolds, bringing you to the touching conclusion AND your chance to explore the full real life story on your own! That's right. At book's end, it includes a section that details Rocky's story with real life pictures of her fluffy feathered self, and a bit about the Ravensbeard Wildlife Center that helped our young owl friend recover fully in order to return to her wilderness friends.

All in all, it's a wonderful chance to indulge both your fiction and your nonfiction sides this holiday season, while sharing that love of reading with even the youngest amongst your family and friends. It imparts beautiful messages that touch the heart, while perhaps also sparking that interest in wildlife recovery in the next generation for further exploration off the written page.


**copy received for review; opinions are my own ( )