There's an Owl in the Shower [Paperback]

Jean Craighead George (Author), Christine Herman Merrill (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

Borden's father, Leon, was a logger in the old-growth forests of California. That is, until the spotted-owl lovers interfered. One day, frustrated by his father's unemployment, Borden sets out on a mission of revenge against the spotted owl but returns home with a half-starved owlet instead.
The family soon discovers that the owlet, whom Borden names Bardy, loves to take showers and watch late-night TV. Only after the whole family has fallen in love with Bardy do they realize that the conflict between nature and human industry is not so easily resolved.
Award-winning nature writer jean Craighead George tells a heartwarming story about a family and their love affair with a special little owl.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-Set in a small logging town in northern California, George's book focuses on the conflict between loggers and environmentalists over the northern spotted owl. Young Borden Watson plunges into the woods, planning to kill one of the creatures, believing they are directly responsible for his father losing his job as a logger. He returns, however, with an owlet that has fallen from its nest. Caring for it is no easy task; other family members are drawn into the situation, especially the out-of-work father, who has lots of free time. (Because young spotted owls have no spots, the family thinks their pet is a barred owl.) Though she is clearly on the side of the endangered birds, George's writing skill and knowledge of animal behavior turn what could have been nothing but message into an absorbing story that shows both sides of the controversy, leaving readers with a clear understanding of the issues involved. Perhaps the conflict is too neatly resolved, but the story ends on a somber note. The owlet is returned to its nest, but when the male owl calls for his mate, there is no answer. Merrill's drawings perfectly capture the engaging bird and the family's affection for it.
Ruth S. Vose, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 3^-5. Because his father has lost his job logging in the old-growth forests of northern California, Borden vows to destroy any spotted owl he sees. When he discovers an owlet lying on the ground, he decides to rescue it, assuming it is a barred owl and, therefore, not his sworn enemy. The whole family takes a liking to Bardy, especially Dad, who plans to use him in court to demonstrate what a kindhearted soul he is when he must fight charges of assaulting a conservationist. As the owlet matures, it becomes clear that it is really a spotted owl, but by this time, Dad and Borden have both come to realize how important the creature is to a healthy ecosystem. Although the plot is predictable and George's environmental views are well known, Bardy's antics are engaging and informative. A good choice as a read-aloud for classes studying owls or endangered species. Kay Weisman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1ST edition (March 14, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590065343
• ISBN-13: 978-0064406826
• ASIN: 0064406822
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #163,790 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( G ) > George, Jean Craighead
  • #83 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Birds > Fiction

More About the Author

Jean Craighead George was born in a family of naturalists. Her father, mother, brothers, aunts and uncles were students of nature. On weekends they camped in the woods near their Washington, D.C. home, climbed trees to study owls, gathered edible plants and made fish hooks from twigs. Her first pet was a turkey vulture. In third grade she began writing and hasn't stopped yet. She has written over 100 books.Her book, Julie of the Wolves won the prestigious Newbery Medal, the American Library Association's award for the most distinguished contribution to literature for children, l973. My Side of the Mountain, the story of a boy and a falcon surviving on a mountain together, was a 1960 Newbery Honor Book. She has also received 20 other awards.She attended Penn State University graduating with a degree in Science and Literature. In the 1940s she was a reporter for The Washington Post and a member of the White House Press Corps. After her children were born she returned to her love of nature and brought owls, robins, mink, sea gulls, tarantulas - 173 wild animals into their home and backyard. These became characters in her books and, although always free to go, they would stay with the family until the sun changed their behavior and they migrated or went off to seek partners of their own kind.When her children, Twig, Craig and Luke, were old enough to carry their own backpacks, they all went to the animals. They climbed mountains, canoed rivers, hiked deserts. Her children learned about nature and Jean came home and to write books. Craig and Luke are now environmental scientists and Twig writes children's books, too.One summer Jean learned that the wolves were friendly, lived in a well-run society and communicated with each other in wolf talk -- sound, sight, posture, scent and coloration. Excited to learn more, she took Luke and went to the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory in Barrow, Alaska, where scientists were studying this remarkable animal. She even talked to the wolves in their own language. With that Julie of the Wolves was born. A little girl walking on the vast lonesome tundra outside Barrow, and a magnificent alpha male wolf, leader of a pack in Denali National Park were the inspiration for the characters in the book. Years later, after many requests from her readers, she wrote the sequels, Julie and Julie's Wolf Pack.She is still traveling and coming home to write. In the last decade she has added two beautiful new dimensions to her words beautiful full-color picture book art by Wendell Minor and others and - music. Jean is collaborating with award-winning composer, Chris Kubie to bring the sounds of nature to her words.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lessons from our feathered friends, October 2, 2003

By 

Wong Ee Lynn (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: There's an Owl in the Shower (Hardcover)

I came across this book while hunting for books suited to the educational needs of my nine-year-old cousin. This book explores the age-old conflict between economic progress and environmental concerns. The argument for both sides is presented in a manner easily understood by children of grade-school age, and although the book heavily and undisguisedly favors conservation, the humans in this story are warm, believable and not portrayed as selfish destroyers of old growth forests.
The protagonist of this story is young Borden, whose father, a lumberjack, loses his job following a government directive to preserve old growth forests in order that the habitat of the Spotted Owl may be saved. Borden's family is understandably angry, as it appears to them that the government cares more about owls than about people. Here we get the usual argument from the loggers' point of view that logging puts food on the table, that logging has always formed a substantial part of the economy, that the legislators have forgotten the role of the loggers in nation building (i.e. by providing timber for construction), that the extinction of the Spotted Owl would be no great loss to the human population and that the government should strive to protect the interests of people rather than of birds.
Borden enters the woods with the intention of killing the spotted owls that took his father's job. He finds, instead, an owlet that has fallen out of its nest. Assuming that it is a Barred Owl, Borden takes the owl home and names it Bardy. His out-of-work father develops affection for the owl and observes every stage of its growth. When Borden's father receives a summons for assault and public disorder after hitting an ecologist, he decides to bring the owlet to court with him to win over the sympathy of the judge and to convince the public that loggers are not enemies of owls. Soon, true love for the young owl wins him over and he decides to free the owl and pay the fine rather than capitalize on the owl for his own selfish motives. The family learns the consequences of forest loss when a family friend loses his job as a fisherman because the river is too polluted. Borden's father decides to retrain himself for other, more sustainable professions after he understands that change is inevitable and the welfare of the Planet is in his hands as well as the ecologists'.
The environmentalists' side of the story is that the destruction of wildlife habitats and the decrease in the number of Spotted Owls are indications that people are not managing the forests right. Indeed, the exploitation of natural resources does not mean that humans will be able to live better - it might mean that it will help people (poachers, loggers, wildlife traders etc) put food on the table for the time being, but natural resources would be dissipated quickly and human health would suffer more than if measures had been taken to sustainably manage rather than exploit resources. Every action has a consequence, this book teaches us, and if there are no more spotted owls, the rodent population would increase. If there are fewer trees then it won't be long before the loggers are truly out of work as there will be no trees left for them to cut. The loss of trees would cause the loss of vital watershed areas. There will be less fresh water for people, less freshwater fish and less clean air. People have to learn that their quality of life is intertwined with the fate of the Planet. More toys and gadgets and bigger homes do not make for a better life if the air, water and soil are polluted.
There is much to learn in this book about animal behavior. The title of this book comes from a stage in the transformation of the owlet into an adult owl. Owlets bathe shortly before they are prepared to learn to fly.
Far from being moralizing, this book is absorbing and teaches reverence for all beings, from people to owls and trees. A recommended read for children, parents and teachers.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I ever read!, November 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: There's an Owl in the Shower (Paperback)

This book is about a boy, his father, and a spotted owl. The boy, Borden, hates spotted owls. They made his dad lose a job at a logging company. But one day, he finds a lost, hungry little owlet, and, thinking it's a barred owl, takes him home and gets him healthy again. It isn't until the owl gets totally hooked on them that they find out what kind of owl he is. Can Borden pick up enough courage to tell his dad that the barred owl he has learned to love is really a spotted owl, the kind he hates? If you want to learn more about owls in a fun story, read this book, "There's an Owl in the Shower." I tell you, you're gonna love it!

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable reading material for all., August 25, 2006

By 

lordhoot "lordhoot" (Anchorage, Alaska USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: There's an Owl in the Shower (Paperback)

I am a mature adult who read this book on a chance and discovered it to be quite entertaining and enlightening at the same time. I can see why many children would enjoyed reading this book. The approach proves to be fair, balance and while it take a pro-environmental perception toward the end, it teaches that there are two sides to a debate.

The book also take pains to developed the characters and the gradual evolution of the main character's father, a lumberjack laid off from work dues to endangered owls proves to be most reflective. The father's gradual understanding of issues of both sides guide the readers as well.

The book also educated about owls. Why they cast out pellets or what hunger streak in feathers can do. These information come gradually and unrushed for easy absorption of information for children.

The writing proves to be light and easy to read, story was interesting and while it was geared toward elementary school children and they should love this book, I enjoyed it myself as well. Thus, the book come highly recommended and while it end in rather a somber note (no happy ending here), its an intelligently written book, suitable for all.