From the splintered trunk of an old broken tree, a fluffy gray face appears. It’s a spotted owl chick, and the hungry baby bird is waiting for its parents to return with a tasty meal of mice or woodrats! It’s dusk in the cool, quiet evergreen forest, and the parent owls are hunting. They will soon be back, however, to check on their chick in a treetop nest. Filled with information perfectly suited to the abilities and interests of its second-grade audience, this colorful, fact-filled volume introduces young readers to the everyday life of a spotted owl. What does the owl eat? How does it catch its prey? Where do spotted owls make their nests? And how does a pair of spotted owls care for their chicks? Throughout the book, readers are encouraged to make scientific observations based on the book’s images and answer questions about the lives and physical characteristics of these nocturnal birds. This innovative approach to teaching about wild animals gives young scientists the chance not only to read and learn the facts, but also to develop their own powers of observation and critical thinking.