Owl Moon

Yolen, J. (1987). Owl Moon. Illus. John Schoenherr. New York: Philomel Books.

Brief Annotation: During a winter’s evening, a young girl and her father walk together through a quiet, moonlit forest. They remain silent, only hearing the crunch of the snow beneath their feet. It is the girl’s first owling expedition and she has been waiting many years to share this experience with her father. He suddenly stops to call the Great Horned Owl; they see the sudden flap of wings as the great bird comes into view. Time seems to stand still as its huge unblinking eyes stare back at the girl and her father. Just as quickly, it disappears back into the night and it is time to return home.

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction, Picturebook

Grade Level: PreS through Grade 2

Readers who will like this: Children who like stories set in the outdoors, children who like animal stories, children who would benefit from a story that depicts a strong father-child relationship

Response/Rating (1-4): 4, The wonderful watercolor illustrations that accompany this book invite the reader to experience firsthand a cold snowy night in the deep forest. Complete with descriptive text that draws the reader into the owling experience of father and daughter, the book’s imagery provides an opportunity for young readers to improve visualization skills – a necessary component of comprehension.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Do you have a special place in your life, what does it look like?

Reading Strategies Connection: Poetic Responses-Found Poem (Yopp and Yopp, p. 128-129).In this post reading activity, students explore an author’s use of language by selecting words or phrases that they find meaningful. The students then create their own poem using the selected text as a basis. This activity allows all students to express their feelings toward the reading material in a creative format, engage in a rich language experience as well as have the opportunity for language development. Because of its use of imagery and narrative text, the book, Owl Moon, is a wonderful choice to accompany this activity.