Dedicated to "children in hospital," this fourteenth picture-book devoted to the adventures of Meg the witch and her feline and strigine companions sees Owl injured when one of Meg's spells, intended to produce a telephone in the house, also produces a telephone line directly in his flight path. Rushing the wounded Owl to the vet, Meg and Mog are dismayed to hear that he has a broken wing, but comforted to learn that an operation can set things to rights. His subsequent recovery in hospital takes a while, but Meg and Mog are faithful visitors...

I enjoyed this entry in the Meg and Mog series, which, following upon the earlier Owl at School, is the second to focus on Owl's experiences. Helen Nicoll's simple text, split between straightforward narrative and exclamations and sound-words, is well-matched by Jan Pieńkowski's vivid illustrations, which always accentuate the humor in the story. I thought the scene in which the various animals wait to be seen by the vet - the bear has his head stuck in a pot of some kind (perhaps of honey?), an ostrich has swallowed a teacup, the outline of which can be seen in his slender throat - was especially charming. I also appreciate the fact that the vet here is a man of color, something unremarked upon in the text. Recommended to young children who enjoy witchy fare, who are approaching a hospital visit, or who are fans of this series. ( )