Owls Make Terrible Teachers - Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF

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Following the format and fun of her debut book Alpacas Make Terrible Librarians, Kristi Mahoney takes the kids on an after-hours adventure in the classroom with a sharply attired substitute teacher. Full of humor, this is a lively book which melds a bit of mayhem with a splattering of STEM about owls.

Book cover - three kids cheer as a an owl flys over them wearing a tie and spectacles.

Owls Make Terrible Teachers

Author: Kristi Mahoney

Illustrator: Chantelle Thorne & Burgen Thorne

Publisher: Gnome Road Publishing (April 28, 2026)

Ages: 6-8

Informational Fiction

Themes:

Humor, teachers, schools, owls, and STEM.

Synopsis:

The last thing you expect when you go to school is to see the substitute teacher is an owl. BEWARE! Owls make terrible teachers!

Prepare for laughs and learning in this humorous sequel to the award-winning book, Alpacas Make Terrible Librarians. Another round of surprises awaits when you find out what might happen when an owl takes flight in the classroom as a substitute teacher. From an impromptu pajama day and feather-filled social studies lessons, to hunting for a midnight snack and awkward bathroom breaks, this school day stretches into a night like no other. But just as you're about to tip-toe far, far away, your real teacher arrives to usher you home (allowing you to catch up on some much-needed sleep)!

With the same zany cast of characters brought to life by this award-winning team, Owls Make Terrible Teachers promises to be as hilarious and informative as the first story (and will make you appreciate terrific teachers everywhere).

Opening Lines:

If you stroll into school and

discover your teacher is out and

you have a substitute, don't worry.

Unless your sub happens to be...

an owl.

BEWARE!

You may think owls

are magnificent.

They are.

But owls make

TERRIBLE

teachers!

umm...

What I LOVED about this book:

This is a fun way to begin a silly book about an OWL as a substitute teacher. I appreciate that while this is an informational fiction book, the illustrators had a lot of fun stretching realism to play off the humor and while still giving kids lots of real owl insight. First, I don't know of any blue owls or any that wear ties and red-rimmed spectacles. The colorful, slight cartoonish illustrations perfectly match this madcap school adventure.

Internal spread - four excited kids look up at a whiteboard where a blue owl with a tie perched on it pointing to "substitute teacher."

Text © Kristi Mahoney, 2026. Image © Chantelle Thorne and Burgen Thorne, 2026.

After the initial surprise of an owl substitute, the eight kids spend the day tiptoeing about the room, trying not to wake their sleeping teacher - after all, owls are nocturnal. Strike one for being a good substitute. When everyone else heads home, your teacher is finally ready to begin teaching. "Thankfully, your parents were informed and packed your pajamas." What begins as an exciting pajama party . . .

Internal spread - as the sun sets outside the window and two shadow shapes run past, three kids put on pajamas as the owl (perched on the back of a chair) opens an eye, stretchs, and yawns.

requires hiding the class hamster and then beating your teacher in a hurdle race. Which if you win means no homework! Easy right, he's just an owl. Well . . . I love the way Kristi Mahoney conversationally works in larger vocabulary, which Chantelle & Burgen Thorne have highlighted in different colors. "If you're wondering what plumage is, you aren't alone. Psst....it's feathers." Kids will love the second person narration and the mayhem that ensues in the text and images, while also learning lots of interesting facts and owl information.

Just imagine the math, biology and science an owl sub could impart.

Internal spread - on the left, an owl perches on a shelf with a bunsen burner, test tube and container, above two kids, and lets loose a few pellets. On the right, a clock showing 12:00 is super-imposed on a school set on a moonlit starry night.

As the adventure continues, the kids are equally excited and slightly grossed out. But with a perfectly satisfying ending, they discover that maybe the occasional substitute teacher isn't soo bad and get a hint for a possible new adventure. It's a lively, fun way to highlight interesting facts about owls with an engaging twist that makes a familiar location (school) a little more chaotic than normal.

Resources:

make a flying, perched, or sleeping owl. Or maybe all three.

what animal would you choose for a substitute teacher? What silly things do you imagine would happen?

did you learn anything new about owls? How about something about them you'd like to explore some more?

If you missed my interview with Krisi Mahoney on Monday, find it (here).

This post is part of a series of blog posts by authors and KidLit bloggers called Perfect Picture Book Fridays. For more picture book suggestions and resources see Susanna Leonard Hill's Perfect Picture Books.