Rachel Schmidlechner: Rhyme Time with Brown Owl
- Apr 9
- 2 min read
We interview the author of the Brown Owl read and rhyme picture book series.
Rachel Schmidlechner tells us why rhyme is like a magic wand for learning English, and she invites us into her world of Brown Owl. We also chat about a brand-new song created in collaboration with LaLaOpenEdu, released to celebrate Brown Owl’s birthday!
From playful rhymes to fun stories, Brown Owl turns language learning into an adventure—whether at home or in the classroom. And with the new Brown Owl birthday song, children can sing, rhyme, and explore English musically, making words stick while having fun.
LaLaOpenEdu: Rachel, how did the Brown Owl Book series come to life?
Rachel: It’s funny how things start with just a little spark. About nine years ago, my daughter was showing an interest in reading, and I was scrolling through educational apps on the iPad, looking for something engaging. I couldn’t find anything I really loved, so I thought, “Why not make it myself?” I teamed up with my friend’s daughter, Nadja Grace Bodner, who was just starting university in illustration, and that’s how the first ideas for Brown Owl came together, and the first books were published in 2019.
LaLaOpenEdu: Why an owl?
Rachel: An owl is so iconic for wisdom and learning. It felt perfect as a guide for young readers. We imagined this character leading children through stories that built vocabulary naturally. From there, we created small word banks and started shaping the stories around language, in a way that felt playful rather than forced.
LaLaOpenEdu: Did you imagine teachers would use the books in classrooms?
Rachel: Honestly, no! I thought Brown Owl was for any child learning English at home. But teachers started saying, “These are great for class too! You could make resources to focus on the language in the stories.” That suggestion completely shaped the next stage of the series.
LaLaOpenEdu: I’m excited about our recent collaboration for Brown Owl’s birthday, on March 24th! Can you tell readers a bit about that?
Rachel: Absolutely! We’ve been working together on a special song inspired by Brown Owl, which we released on his birthday, March 24th. I love how music and rhyme naturally encourage language learning. You know, children pick up patterns, sounds, and new words almost effortlessly when it’s in a fun, musical form. Seeing your work with music for language learning made it a perfect fit.
LaLaOpenEdu: So rhyming and melody are part of the learning magic?
Rachel: Definitely. Just like your approach with music, rhymes in our stories—and now in the song—help children hear language rhythmically. It makes vocabulary stick and turns learning into something playful. That’s really the heart of Brown Owl: making language fun, accessible and easy to remember.
LaLaOpenEdu: Looking back, what keeps you going with Brown Owl?
Rachel: Honestly, it’s seeing kids light up when they read or sing along. What started as a personal project for my daughter has grown into something that supports teachers and families, and now it even has its own birthday celebration with a song! It’s a reminder that play, rhyme, stories, and music can make learning magical.
To find out more about the Brown Owl book series, please visit
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