Old Hooty Tooty Owl

"Old Hooty Tooty Owl" by David Cory is a charming children's story that follows the adventures of a wise old owl named Hooty Tooty. Set in a vibrant forest, the tale unfolds as Hooty Tooty uses his knowledge and experience to help his young animal friends navigate various challenges and learn valuable life lessons. Through engaging illustrations and rhythmic prose, Cory captures the magic of nature while imparting themes of friendship, wisdom, and the importance of looking out for one another. Perfect for young readers, this delightful book encourages curiosity about the natural world and the bonds between its inhabitants.

• Children

								
    “When everything is going wrong
     Just hum a merry little song.
     Yes, hum it over twice again,
     You’ll find a rainbow through the rain.

     And soon the sky will turn a blue,
     The rooster sing a cockle-doo,
     And Bobbie Redvest from his tree
     A song of joy that is to be,”

sang Lady Love, the little rabbit’s pretty mother, as her bunny boy
hopped into the kitchen.

“How do you remember all your songs?” he asked.

“I just make them up,” replied Lady Love, with a smile:

    “Happiness is in the heart,
       Singing all the day.
     Nothing’s dull when one is glad—
       Work seems just like play.”

“Ha, ha!” laughed the little bunny boy, “I think you could write
wonderful fairy stories.”

“Maybe!” answered Lady Love, with a wistful smile, as she ironed her
little son’s blouse, “but I’ve only time to dream them. Perhaps some
day we’ll find time, you and I, to fill a book with songs of our
little white bungalow.”

Just then a knock came at the kitchen door. There stood the Yellow
Dog Tramp, his old straw hat over one ear and a little tin can in his
hand—I beg your pardon, I mean paw.

“Won’t you fill my old tin cup with coffee till it’s brimming up?”
asked the good old Bow-Wow in poetry. You see, he had lived in the
woods where the birds sing and the leaves rustle and had turned into
a dog poet without knowing it.

    “Come right in and you shall see
       A lady bunny make turnip tea.
     We have no coffee, but you won’t care
       If I give you tea and a chocolate éclair,”

answered Lady Love.

“No, indeed!” answered the Yellow Dog Tramp. “I’m not particular,”
and carefully wiping his feet on the door-mat, he trotted into the
spotless little kitchen.

“My, but you look pretty in your blue apron,” he remarked, as the
lady bunny put on the kettle.

“Mother always looks pretty,” agreed Little Jack Rabbit. “She just
can’t help it.”

“That’s because she’s always doing something for somebody,” replied
the Yellow Dog Tramp. “I remember my mother was just like her, but
that was long ago before I left the farm to become a hobo dog.” I
guess the Yellow Dog Tramp was right. All mothers are pretty to boys
and girls who love them.

“Well, I must be going back to the woods. It’s growing late,”
said the old dog, after finishing three éclairs and emptying five
tea-cups. “Thank you,” and away he ran.

“Cousin Cottontail has invited us over this evening,” said Lady Love,
as she put away the dishes. “She has a new radio set. We’ll go over
in time to hear the Jack Rabbit Man tell his stories.”

“Ha, ha!” cried the little bunny, “that will be fine!” and with a
skip and a jump he hopped out on the porch where the little canary
lived in her gold cage.

“Hello! Little Rabbit,” she twittered. “What makes you so happy?”

“Didn’t you hear what mother just said?” he asked, twinkling his
pretty pink nose.

“No, what did she say?” answered the pretty yellow bird.

“That we are invited over to Cousin Cottontail’s to listen to David
Cory’s bunny stories.”

Just then out hopped Lady Love and without waiting to tie her bonnet
string, hurried after her bunny boy who was already half way to the
little gate in the brambles.

But, oh, dear me, and oh, dear all of you little boys and girls! no
sooner had these two dear bunnies reached the Old Rail Fence, about
fifteen hops and maybe two skips from the Old Bramble Patch, than
they heard somebody or something go “Toot, toot, toot!”

“Look out, mother!” cried the little bunny, and with a skiptoe
sideways they both hopped into a hollow stump. Wasn’t it lucky that
there was a hollow stump close by? Well, I just guess yes three times.

“Who was it?” asked Lady Love, in a whisper.

“Old Hooty Tooty Owl, maybe,” answered the little bunny.

Then they both listened to hear again that disagreeable noise, but
all was still in the Shady Forest, so still that one could hardly
hear Billy Breeze among the treetops.

“Dear me, I’m afraid to hop out,” whispered the little lady bunny
rabbit mother.

“I’m not,” answered the brave little bunny, and out he hopped. But,
oh, dear me! I wish he had been more cautious and not so foolishly
brave, although I like brave little rabbit boys just the same, but
bravery and foolhardiness are two very different things, oh, my yes,
indeed.

All of a sudden, just like that, quick as the wind that blows off
your hat, Old Hooty Tooty Owl grabbed up the little rabbit and pushed
him through the window of his big Tree House.

“I’ll eat you when you’ve grown nice and fat,” tooted that wicked
night bird.

“Oh, please let me go home to mother! It will take me a long time
to grow big and fat. Maybe I’ll grow thin, instead. Yes, I’ll grow
thinner and thinner until by and by I’ll be as thin as a pin,” sobbed
the frightened bunny boy.

“Stuff and nonsense!” answered the old owl, “I’ll feed you on
lollypops and ice cream cones.”

Just then a great pounding and hammering shook the big tree.

“I wonder who that can be?” thought the bad owl, peeping out of the
window.

“Oh, I hope it’s mother with the brave Policeman Dog,” cried the poor
frightened little bunny boy.

“Keep quiet,” whispered Hooty Tooty Owl, with a scowl. “If you make
any noise I’ll twist off your head.”

Dear, oh, dear! that is a dreadful thing to hear from a big owl when
you’re only a little bunny boy rabbit.

All of a sudden the pounding sounded again, only louder than before.

“Oh, I hope it’s mother,” thought the little rabbit, as he cowered
and shivered in the corner of the wicked old owl’s sitting room. “Oh,
I hope mother knows where I am.”

The next minute there came a tremendous crash—the Old Tree House
shook from top to bottom.

“Rats and mice!” exclaimed the wicked owl. “Somebody means business.
I guess I’ll look out of the attic window,” and the old feathered
robber climbed up to the garret of his tree house, ’way up near the
topmost branches, and peeped down.

At the foot of the tree stood poor Little Lady Love, the bunny boy’s
mother, and the brave Policeman Dog.

Once again and then five times more this kind Protector of the Law
knocked on the door with his great big club. Oh, my! how he did
knock! What a thundering hub-a-dub-dub! Crash! smash! went the oak
panel, and in fell the door with a bang!!!

“Where are you, my little bunny boy?” cried Lady Love.

“Where are you, Little Jack Rabbit?” shouted the Policeman Dog.

“I’ll be down in a minute,” answered the brave little bunny boy,
“just as soon as I untie the rope.”

“Oh, hurry please,” cried Lady Love to the Policeman Dog, “my little
boy is tied fast upstairs.”

Up the rickety stairway three steps at a jump went the brave dog and
the little bunny’s mother. Pretty soon they came to a dark room, in
the farthest corner of which cowered the poor little rabbit boy bunny
prisoner.

“You untie the rope!” shouted the Policeman Dog, “I want to catch Old

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