Jill Tomlinson, The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark. Illustrated by Susan Hellard. (London, 1968).
The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark is one of a series Tomlinson wrote for young readers, all of which focus on animals facing unexpected challenges. This is one of the best.
Plop is a baby owl who is afraid of the dark--largely because he doesn't understand what it is. When his mother asks him what he knows about the dark, he answers that it is black, and she responds, "'Well, that's wrong for a start. It can be silver or blue or gray or lots of other colors, but almost never black.'" And so she decides that he must spend some time outside the nest to learn about the dark.
On his first night, he encounters a boy of seven who can't wait for it to be dark so that he can see the night's fireworks, and from this boy he learns that dark is exciting. Next, an old lady tells him that dark is kind, hiding age and wear and shabbiness from view. A Boy Scout tells him that dark is fun, enhancing children's games; a little girl, that dark is necessary for Father Christmas to arrive. Still other encounters provide other perspectives on the dark, until, at last Plop is convinced that dark is super.
If you don't mind the overt references to Christmas, this is a great book for newish readers--long enough to feel like a real chapter book, but not too hard, funny and engaging, with a charming protagonist. A lovel picture book edition came out recently, but I was disappointed to find that the text had been abridged. Fin the real thing if you can.