Owl Moon [Hardcover]

Jane Yolen (Author), John Schoenherr (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: October 23, 1987 | Age Range: 3 - 8 years | Lexile Measure: 630L (What's this?)

"As expansive as the broad sweep of the great owl's wings and as close and comforting as a small hand held on a wintry night . . . The visual images have a sense of depth and seem to invite readers into this special nighttime world."--School Library Journal, starred review. Full color. 1988 Caldecott Medal Book.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Among the greatest charms of children is their ability to view a simple activity as a magical adventure. Such as a walk in the woods late at night. Jane Yolen captures this wonderment in a book whose charm rises from its simplicity. "It was late one winter night, long past my bedtime, when Pa and I went owling." The two walked through the woods with nothing but hope and each other in a journey that will fascinate many a child. John Schoenherr's illustrations help bring richness to the countryside adventure. The book won the 1988 Caldecott Medal.

From Publishers Weekly

A girl and her father go owling on a moonlit winter night near the farm where they live. Bundled tight in wool clothes, they trudge through snow "whiter than the milk in a cereal bowl"; here and there, hidden in ink-blue shadows, a fox, raccoon, fieldmouse and deer watch them pass. An air of expectancy builds as Pa imitates the Great Horned Owl's call once without answer, then again. From out of the darkness "an echo/ came threading its way/ through the trees." Schoenherr's watercolor washes depict a New England few readers see: the bold stare of a nocturnal owl, a bird's-eye view of a farmhouse. In harmony with the art, the melodious text brings to life an unusual countryside adventure. Ages 2-6.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 3 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Philomel; 4th Printing edition (October 23, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399214577
• ISBN-13: 978-0399214578
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (109 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,087 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Birds
  • #96 in Books > Children's Books > Classics

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 82 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Owling owling through the night July 27, 2004

By E. R. Bird HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

I think it's entirely possible that Jane Yolen may be the most prolific children's author living today. Don't believe me? Try clicking on her name to pull up a list of the books she's written. Then take a gander at the literally hundreds (if not, dare I say it, thousands) of books alive today because of her. It's a bit of a relief then that at least one of them won the Caldecott Medal. "Owl Moon" deserved it too. It is a sweet yet not overly sentimental tale about a nighttime owling trip taken by a girl and her father.

In this tale we first get a spectacular view from above (owl's eye view, I should say) of a small farm in the country. Two figures leave the warm home to tramp in the snow. The moon is brightly lit above so that (as the book says), "the sky seemed to shine". The girl has never been owling before but she understands the rules intrinsically. One must be especially quiet on these occasions. Once in a while the girl's father calls a deep, "Whoo-whoo-who-who-whooooooo" into the woods, but he does not receive a reply. They walk on through the cold until they come to a clearing in the woods where the snow is so clean and pure that it looks like a bowl of milk. The father hoots again and this time receives an answer. An owl comes closer and closer, finally landing on a nearby branch just as the father shines his flashlight on it. There, the reader sees a magnificent two page spread of an owl, its large wings open beside it, regarding the girl and her parent. Then it's off and the adventure is done. Says the girl, "I was a shadow as we walked home".

A couple remarkable occurrences marked the creation of this book. Jane Yolen's husband would often go owling with their three children, and she felt (quite rightly) that it would make a great picture book. By coincidence, illustrator John Schoenherr was an owling fellow himself. And though he had given up book illustrating in favor of his own personal paintings, Schoenherr was convinced to try his hand one more time with "Owl Moon". The fact of the matter is, it's a very good thing he did. Though the story in this book is lovely and telling, the pictures really bring it to life. You can read a sentence like, "I could feel the cold, as if someone's icy hand was palm-down on my back", but its only going to strike home if the accompanying picture is appropriate and evocative. Here, fortunately, Schoenherr excels. It must be very difficult to paint nighttime scenes that are lit by snow-reflecting moonlight, yet the book displays this very particular style perfectly. Now to be perfectly frank, I found myself grumbling for about half this book about its medal. I thought the pictures were lovely but I hadn't yet seen anything that really stood out or took my breath away. Then I came to the aforementioned two-page spread of the owl sitting on a branch. In that single picture Schoenherr completely gives away how talented he is. The owl is completely realistic yet overwhelmingly majestic. There's energy and life to this bird as it crouches in the unfamiliar light. For the girl and her father, the simple act of seeing this animal as close as this makes the entire trip worthwhile. Schoenherr understands this, and so the picture makes reading the entire book just as worthwhile as well.

The text is quiet and elegant, the watercolors evocative and intense. For the bedtime story that is realistic while retaining fantastical elements, this book is an excellent choice. Consider it highly recommended all around. Two enthusiastic thumbs way way up.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Parenting and instills love of nature May 5, 2000

By J.S.P.

Format:Hardcover

Owl Moon is a wonderful story of a young girl's first hunt for the Great Horned Owl with her father. As they trek through the snowy forest, Jane Yolen's text and John Schoenherr's illustrations work together to create a realistic adventure and to express good parenting. The picture book comes to life through a peaceful countryside and a still forest. The child's continual silence and concentration add to the hunt. Within the text the child says, "I put my mittens over my mouth and listened hard." This displays her constant effort to remain quiet and to take the adventure seriously. Each illustration depicts a calm forest dominated by snow and nature. I feel that this book contains ideas that are "simple but not necessarily simplistic" much like Perry Nodelman's analysis of children's literature (221). For instance, in many scenes animals can be found hiding without the knowledge of the characters. The animals all sit calmly. This shows that the intent of the father and child is not to disturb nature but to quietly observe and to be apart of it just while they pass. This idea can not be found written within the text yet, it is understood when they see an owl and do not shoot it. This peaceful respect for nature that the father is instilling in his child is shown when they came to the clearing in the dark woods. She speaks of how the fit it exactly "and the snow below it was whiter than the milk in a cereal bowl." This emphasizes her grasp of the beauty and enjoyment natural world in a child-like way. It brings to mind games equal to finding shapes in clouds. The illustrator has also gone through the trouble of presenting the field in the shape of a large bowl. I feel that the most important aspect of the work is the example of good parenting it delivers. He spends quality time with his children, while he instills important morals. Pa has also taken all of her brothers owling and they have told her "sometimes there's an owl and sometimes there isn't." This reveals a sense of close family unity in which can be seen as the positive message of the story. However, the tone is not didactic. Pa even uses onomatopoeia to make the adventure more intense. He calls the owl with a long "Whoo-whoo-who-who-who-whooooooo." All of this helps emphasis the joy of the communion with nature. Her father has been instilling a respect for the owl and natural world, while strengthening the father child relationship.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical Encounters with Nature for Father and Daughter! April 11, 2001

By Donald Mitchell HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Let me clear up one mystery. The dust jacket of this book clearly indicates that this is a story about a girl and her father ("Pa"). The illustrations also clearly show a little girl. The story's appeal relates to this because the experience described is one that crosses nicely between what many think of as the "feminine" worlds of beauty and the moon and the "masculine" worlds of tracking animals and rambling around at night in the snow during winter. I do think that boys will like the story too. Owling would be a great adventure for any child.

The experience is a magical one. The daughter is going owling for the first time. This is a type of bird watching that must occur at night, because owls are nocturnal. You have to have a full moon (or close to one) so that you can see the owls. The silvery moonshine creates great contrasts of light patches on the snow against a backdrop of treed shadows.

"When you go owling you have to be brave." There are other requirements. "If you go owling, you have to be quiet . . . ." "When you go owling you don't need words or warm or anything but hope."

The book also evokes primitive sound. Her father calls out: "Whoo-whoo-who-who-who-whooooooo . . . ." to simulate the call of the Great Horned Owl. That's how you find an owl. You hope one will be attracted by the call.

Then, the magical moment occurs, and an owl comes. You are face to face. Can such a moment be forgotten? The owl leaves. The relief is palpable. "I knew then I could talk, I could even laugh at last."

As you can see, the story is a wonderful metaphor for going out to find opportunities in the wide world and creates an optimistic expectation of the sort that will serve your child well. It is thrilling to read the story because the excitement and suspense are so strongly captured by the words and images. This book will be a favorite among those that you read to your child. As you do, you will be creating a similar bonding experience.

This book has won the Caldecott Medal for outstanding illustrations. You will enjoy its subtle watercolors and minimal inking of line. The illustrations create the perfect mood for this magical tale of nature and bonding.

After you read this book, I suggest that you take your child bird watching even if owling isn't available to you. But if you can get to a forest (or an area where there are barn owls), an owling trip could be an enormous joy. You may want to read up on how to find owls first.

Seek out what you want, and do it with people you love.