Title: Owl Moon
Written by: Jane Yolen
Illustrated by: John Schoenherr
Published by: Philomel Books, 1987, fiction
Appropriate for: Elementary age
Theme: Owls, Fathers and Daughters
From the Jacket: Late one winter night a little girl and her father go owling, The trees stand still as statues and th world is sitlen as a dream. Whoo-whoo-whoo, the father calls to the mysteroius night time bird. But there is no answer. Wordlessly the two ompanions walk along, for when you go owling you don’t need words. You don’t need anything but hope. Sometimes there isn’t and owl, but somethimses there is.
Why I love it: This book is a gentle loving testament of a father and daughter in which they create a strong bond to each other as well as to nature. Both author and illustrator had experiences of owling with their children and this book is a fictionalized memoir from their days as parents. It prompted me to take night time excursions with my grand son into the dark and talk of owls and other night time creatures. The illustrations are from John Schoenherr’s family farm and the deep snow and natural landmarks are part of his family tradition. Owl Moon won the Caldecott Medal for 1987. I love this book so much I referenced it in my own picture book called “Annie’s Special Day.”
Resources: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/owl-moon-teaching-plan and also:http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/74107.aspx http://www.homeschoolshare.com/resources_owl_moon.php
For a list of other books with resources please visit Perfect Picture Books. Or click on the Perfect Picture Book Fridays badge in the right sidebar.
Clarbojahn's Blog 
We couldn’t create a perfect picture book list and leave out Owl Moon, now, could we? 25 years old and still as delightful as ever. Did you see that Jane published a beautiful book of poetry this year honouring her deceased husband?
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Oh, the book of poetry sounds great! I’ll have to check it out. I’d love to read it.
Yes, Owl Moon must be on our list of PPBF right?
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Oh, Clar! You have chosen a classic and one of my very favorite books. A worthy addition to our list! I love quiet books like this, and they are becoming rarer. Certainly it’s very hard to sell a ms for one. This is a treasure. Thanks for adding it!
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You’re welcome. It’s one of my favorites, too.
Yes, I guess it’s too quiet for today’s market. Too bad. Kids still love it though.
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Oh, you chose one of my favorite books. Such a classic. There is no dramtic plot, but just a simple walk in the dead of winter with Dad. Love it that you did this with your grandson. Great book for our list.
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Thanks, Patricia.
We had a good time. He was scared of the dark though even though he had the flashlight. There aren’t the open places for owls anymore. I’m lucky because I live in the country but most kids don’t. Suburbia has taken over. 🙂
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Well, sheesh, now I’ll have to order it! Can you believe I’ve never read this? How did that happen? Thanks for the review…my wallet is getting emptier by the second with all these great PPBF entries!
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There are a great many entries aren’t there. And all good. I find I just make a list and sit in the library with it and read away. I also put books on hold for later if the selection isn’t there. I could not afford all these books, there are so many but the library is free. I’ve gotten the same book out several times if I’m in love with it.
Thanks for your comment, Renee. 🙂
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This book sounds lovely, and anything by Jane Yolen is sure to catch my interest. Thank you!
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Yes, Jane Yolen is prolific isn’t she? And so good. I would love to know her secret. 😉
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This sounds like a wonderful picture book with a nice message. Sometimes we don’t need words to be close. Made me think of my relationship with my father. Happy to have met you Clar. Look forwrad to your posts.
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I’m glad you have a good relationship with your father and that this book brought back good memories. I hope you like it as much as I do. It is one of my favorite books for children.
Glad to meet you, too, Darlene.
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This sounds terrible, but I haven’t read Owl Moon yet either. I have it on my to-read list, though. I guess having two rambunctious boys it never was read!
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You’ll like it and it’s the perfect activity for rambunctious boys. It’ll teach them to be still for awhile so they can see the owls. A good activity. 😉
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Great post! I like “parent-bonding-with-child(ren)” stories because I like to do things with my parents. 🙂
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Aaawww, that’s so good to hear, Erik. I know they like to do things with you, too. And you’re right. This book is about parent bonding. I hope you get to read it. 🙂
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I’m with This Kid Reivews Books. I like “parent-bonding-with child(ren)” stories. My husband actually monitors an owl population as part of his job. This might be a good father-son book in our household.
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That makes me smile, Stacy. I know you’e looking forward to when E is older and can do more things with you. You are going to have a stack of books for starters. I hope you can find land to go owling on.
Not too long ago my son and I came across turkeys roosting in trees near our pond and startled them. It was fantastic. I’ve looked for scat but couldn’t find any and I don’t think they’ve been back. It was a wonderful son and mom moment. He’s thirty now and we don’t have that many any more. So I’ll savor it. 🙂
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When I was a kindergarten classroom teacher, I used this book to teach about birds and again to teach about night and the forest. The setting that Jane Yolen writes is so realistic, that the children really felt part of the story. The book was often referenced as we continued the lessons.
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Thanks, Johanna, for telling us more ways to use this book. Once discussions are started it can be used in all kinds of ways if one is alert to it. You must have been a great teacher. Wish I were a kid again with you as my teacher. 🙂
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Lovely book , as always with Jane Yolen’s writing. Actually good point brought up, is that it can be used to help children in a subtle way with getting used to the dark. Great choice Clar!
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Thanks, Diane. Yes, it can help with that but outdoors dark is much scarier than indoors dark. 😉
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I taught kindergarten in the late 60’s and 70’s..and my children were growing up in the 70’s and early 80’s. So I guess that’s why I missed this one. Thank you for bringing it into the light for all of us…definitely a classic that should be on every child’s bookshelf! And maybe in my next Show Me How book. 🙂
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I would be honored for it to be on your next Show Me How. It’s truly one of the greats. I don’t know one Jane Yoien book I don’t like. I hope you get to read it. 🙂
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I haven’t read it either, but what a beautiful review! This is definitely one more book I’ll have to check out. Thanks to your blog, I’m discovering so many great books I somehow missed over the years. Thanks so much!
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I hope you do get a chance to read it and like it as much as I do. You may also want to check out Susanna’s blog with all the Perfect Picture Books resources. It is growing by leaps and bounds. 🙂
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Thank you for the information, Clar, And I always encourage all fathers to have the strong bonding with their children
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You’re welcome, Yulia. This is a perfect activity for fathers and their children. Even grandparents lol.
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I just read this book with my kids a couple of weeks ago and we loved it. The story is lovely and the illustrations are beautiful. A timeless story.
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So glad you enjoyed it. It is a timeless treasure indeed. 🙂
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