Item - Little Owl Leaves the Nest

This is a very simple start to the series, with choices that aren't really as meaningful as in later titles like Little Panda gets Lost.

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The quality of stories in the original Choose Your Own Adventure series and its spinoffs ranges from terrific to terrible, but Your First Adventure transcends that inconsistency. Designed for prereaders as young as two, each book presents a single decision, and both pathways lead to the same ending. In Little Owl Leaves the Nest, you are a young owl living in a maple tree, who spots a blue balloon snagged in the branches. You'd like to go grab it, but haven't learned to fly. Should you ask your friend Squirrel to help, or traverse the branches yourself?

Squirrel doesn't seem to be in his nest, but appearances can be deceiving. He's more nimble than you at running the narrow branches, but Squirrel prepares a branch bridge for you when the going gets hard. Together you'll track down the balloon in no time. If you set out after the balloon on your own, you mistake a nest of blue Robin's eggs for it, but Robin isn't too upset. She points you to where the balloon is caught in the tree limbs. You're elated to claim your prize...but what will happen when you lose your balance and fall out of the tree?

This book is a wonderful introduction to the general arc of life. Everything is puzzling and new as a little owl venturing from your nest the first time. Something special is bound to catch your fancy and impart a yearning for adventure, but leaving the safety of the nest is unnerving. You may be scolded by a stranger, or team up with a friend who is also experiencing the world for the first time, but life can't begin when you’re tucked away in a nest. Fear of falling is natural...but when you inevitably tumble out of the tree, you'll find you are ready to spread your wings and fly.

Marcia Leonard authored all twelve original Your First Adventure books, and under her watch the series met its full potential. Each book takes an aspect of being introduced to the world and crafts a story around it to show us that life is worth the trouble. Carol Newsom's illustrations for In Little Owl Leaves the Nest exude vintage charm, and liftable flaps enhance the storytelling. As template setter for the series, this book could not have been much better.

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