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"Owl Moon" is an outstanding example of Jane Yolen's fine wordsmithing. This deceptively simple story is crafted from carefully selected words that smoothly roll off the tongue when being read aloud. John Schoenherr's museum quality illustrations ideally complement the text.

While one reviewer identifies the child in the story as a boy, and another as a girl, it should be pointed out that the gender of the child is never revealed. This adds a subtly mysterious, yet comforting, appeal to this engaging father/child outdoor adventure.

The still, quiet atmosphere of "Owl Moon" is infectious, and has a peaceful, calming effect on young listeners. This is an annual favorite in our school library!


Always a joy !   June 5, 2000
Owl Moon is a beautifully illustrated tale of a midnight adventure a little girl has with her father one winter night. The father wakens the child, and together they set out, tromping through the snow to communicate with an owl. Jane Yolen and illustrator John Schoenherr created a story that almost feels like silence on a brisk snowy night. The reader almost feels the cold, wintry, dry air. Their feet crunch the vast stretches of snow, while the father and child walk along, protected by the deep, blue sky, and the trees and other growth that stand out like characters themselves. The simplicity of the story is comforting and soothing. The love between father and child is not stated, but definitely encompasses the relationship that is delicately detailed in this exquisite story.


Good Parenting and instills love of nature   May 6, 2000
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.


Owl Moon Review   April 20, 2000
Melissa R. Hogan English 385 002 Dr. Michelle H. Martin April 18, 2000 Critical Reflection #1 Yolen, Jane. Owl Moon. Illus. John Schoenherr. New York: Philomel Books. 1987 Kummerling-Meibauer, Bettina. "The Relationship between Pictures and Text in Ironic Picture Books." The Lion and The Unicorn 23 (1999). Owl Moon is the story of a young child's rite of passage. When the child comes of age, its "Pa" takes it out owling. They stay very quiet, go deep into the woods, and eventually find an owl. The book is a Caldecott Award winner for its text and illustrations and also demonstrates great literary talent. Although the text and illustrations are award winning they do seem to be dated or stuck in a certain place and time. An example of the text would be the use of words like "Pa." An example of the illustrations is the remote rural scenes with pictures of snow and vast pine trees. The interesting thing about the main character, however, is that in this dated environment where one automatically assumes this would be a father and son outing, the sex of the child is never identified in text or in illustration. As identified in "The Relationship between Pictures and Text in Ironic Picture Books," irony does have its place in the story. The child shows fear of what it imagines is out in the dark. For instance, the reader can see the fox lurking behind the stone wall, and the raccoon nestled in the hollow tree, but the characters are oblivious to both. Even though the child has probably seen both of these creatures before, in the dark they would most likely terrify the child. It is also ironic that the owl, whose cry strikes fear in the hearts of all small woodland creatures, could be personified as the carrier of hope to this father and child. It is interesting the way in which the illustrator brings his personal conception into the story through his pictures. The author never says what the moon looks like, but the illustrator assumes that an owl moon is a full moon. Is this because a landscape engulfed in darkness provide much of a medium for detailed illustrations or because it is the artist's personal rendering of what the mysterious owl moon should look like? It makes one wonder whether the pictures add or detract from the story. After all isn't a main part of reading interpretation?


Owl Moon is a book for all ages   April 17, 2000
Owl Moon, is a Caldecott Award-winning children's picture book about a little girl going on a journey to find a Great Horned Owl with her father. She has waited to do that all her life and until now has only been able to hear about going owling from her brothers. This story is a warming example of the companionship of a father and daughter experiencing the beauty of nature. Jane Yolen's Owl Moon uses beautiful illustrations to show the many different emotions a little girl is experiencing throughout a long-anticipated quest with her father. The magnificent pictures help set a warm but exciting mood of the story. Schoenherr fills each page with illustrations allowing the reader to experience everything that is happening throughout the story. Beginning with the father and daughter leaving their farm house and ending with them returning to that same house gives a feeling of warmth and happiness. Containing many different types of lines and shapes, the illustrations in Owl Moon reflects the many different emotions the characters feel in this story. While the little girl is excited throughout most of the book, she also has feelings of nervousness, anxiety, and anticipation of the search while at the same time having to remain calm to avoid disturbing the tranquility of her surroundings. At the beginning of the story when the father and daughter begin their search, the lines tend to be thin, suggesting their movement towards the forest. Once they arrive in the forest, the lines begin to be less distinct and thicker, symbolizing them reaching their destination and beginning their search. They are less hurried and can now focus on spotting an owl. Although most of the pages contain dark pictures of the wooded area, the white snow helps to add both comfort and excitement. When the two begin to enter deeper into the forest the illustrations are mainly dark and gloomy. At this point the little girl begins to get a little afraid of the things that may "hide behind black trees" at night. When they finally hear their long-awaited friend call back to them, the father and daughter get very excited. Throughout the last pages of the book when the two spot the owl, white is the predominant color, suggesting the excitement happening. The wonderful illustrations Jane Yolen's Owl Moon sets the mood of the heart-warming story. It is a great picturebook for all ages.