Fly by Night

Blink, a restive fledgling owl, must wait out an interminable day for his first chance at flight. As butterflies flutter and a falcon soars, the owlet wonders, ``When will it be my time?'' ``Soon,'' his mother replies, and urges the nocturnal creature to go back to sleep. Blink's protracted day, sadly, might seem neverending for the reader as well. Lambert's feathery chalk pastels, moreover, miss obvious opportunities for embellishing or otherwise augmenting the stagnant narrative. Still, fidgety youngsters who identify with Blink's impatience might find this tale cathartic, and the twist supplied by Blink's daytime slumbers will amuse those who must suffer the indignities of a nightly bedtime. Ages 3-up. (May)