Ozzy Ox: Moody Morning

Ozzy Ox: Moody Morning reminds children that their words and actions matter. In Ozzy Ox: Moody Morning, Ozzy Ox gets up on the wrong side of the bed, and takes his temper out on Finn the Cat, whose responding SCREECH is so shrill that it alarms his neighbors. A curious cow comes crashing through the window of the OxHouse, alarming a pair of horses who plow through the front door. As the door becomes airborne, an observant crow flying overhead passes out and drops, then flops, then caw-caw cries! As the crow regains his composure, he inquires about the menagerie that surrounds him, wondering how such clamorous characters stay together.

Chaos ensues as Ozzy reaches out to his neighbors for help in addressing the dilemma that began with his early-morning temper tantrum. His neighbors accept Ozzy's apologies and agree that only friendship and teamwork can begin to restore the OxHouse and all the damaged relationships stemming from Ozzy's early-morning antics. Ozzy is in disbelief how quickly the neighborhood comes together after an uproarious day in which so much in his life is falling apart. He appreciates that his friends stand by him even after he made incredibly poor choices, and that he must choose kindness and caring when relating to his friends and family.

Ozzy Ox: Moody Morning by Callen Kropp, published in 2023 in the United States by Corner Windows Publishing, is one of four books in the Ozzy Ox series. It is a 40-page rhyming picture book for children ages 3-8 that warmly embraces children and encourages them to make better choices. It shows children that acceptance and forgiveness are more possible when they admit mistakes. Ozzy Ox: Moody Morning is beautifully illustrated by Emily Erickson Hagen and is a book that introduces children to oxen, which have helped humans for 6,000 years! In the Ozzy Ox series, Ozzy Ox and MomOx will handle other dilemmas that children, and the people who love them, face in everyday life.