by Sam McPhillips and Clemency Pearce, Top That! Publishing, paperback, 5.99
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Owl never utters a word despite the best efforts of all the other woodland creatures to cajole him into explaining why he remains silent. Stag demands that owl at least gives some sign that he is fine, and all the creatures gather round in anticipation. Owl produces a trumpet and drum, then gives them a performance on the piano, bongos, guitar and flute, and while he manages a wink, he still doesn’t speak. The rhyming text and bold collage illustrations work well together to make this a fun and intriguing little tale.