Rating: 
Summary: When you go owling you don't need words, just hope
Review: "Owl Moon" tells the story of when a little girl is finally able to stay up way past her bedtime and go owling with her father one cold winter night. Author Jane Yolen knows about owling from her husband, David Stemple, who would take their three children owling on winter nights. Artist John Schoenherr used his own farm and the surrounded woodland as the models for his pen and watercolor illustrations. The story is a prose poem and it captures both the spirit of the experience and its importance to the young girl who knows she is sharing something special with her father. There is a love and respect for nature that is infused to both the words and pictures of "Owl Moon." The only problem is how to read this book to a child at bedtime and have them not drag you out the front door to go owling.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Story for Any Age
Review: I first read this book when i was a junior in college. At first I didn't like it very much. Then two years later I picked it up again and found the beautyful. It was like reading poetry. Each word was carfully chosen. The story of a little girl having the chance to stay up late and go owling with her father. Yet, it goes beyond that. Here is a little girl who feels like she is doing something wonderful and exiciting, becuase she is doing something with her father.The way this stroy is constructed is wonderful. Although the book says that it is for children between the ages of 4-8 I have read this story to 6th graders and they have found interested and they thought it was "cool." This is a wonderful book for young and old, because of language and the way the words flow. It is just one of those books that are just plane fun to read.
Rating:
Summary: Both Story and Art Enchant
Review: I like this book and so do my children. Although it will have more appeal to fathers and sons, any parent and child can enjoy this story of the magical bond that takes place when a parent introduces their child to one of life's moments of wonder. Who among us doesn't remember wonderful moments when you and you alone were the focus of your father's (or mother's) attention in a special setting that created a life-long memory pleasently returned to again and again. That's the magic of Owl Moon where a little boy takes a long walk in the woods over new fallen snow with his father. They are journeying to, as his older brothers had done before him, find a great owl, if he can be coaxed from his high above throne where he rules the night. The story is simply told but carries all of the magic foretold by the setting. The water color illustrations are beautiful in their simplicity and convey the wonder of nature and the togetherness of father and son.
Rating:
Summary: Owling owling through the night
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing and Artistic
Review: Jane Yolen's book, "Owl Moon," is about a little girl and her father who go owling on a cold winter night. Yolen's describes the scenery of the wintry night, looking for an owl with vivid imagery. The father and daughter search patiently in the quiet, waiting for a slight glimpse of the great bird. When, finally they see an owl, they are intrigued for the minute of victory. In the book, "Owl Moon," John Schoenherr uses pen and ink with a watercolor wash. The use of watercolor creates a sense of mystery and depicts what it is like to walk in the woods on a winter night with no more light than what is given off by the moon and stars reflecting off of the snow. This vagueness is complimented by the use of pen and ink in order to create a sense of reality by showing what little detail the characters were able to see as they continued on their journey. The added detail in the foreground also helped to create a sense of depth. Schoenherr chose colors which added to the mystery of the darkness and created the sensation of a cold night. I especially enjoyed the way that the author added detail within the expressions of the father and daughter when they finally heard a response from an owl. The owl itself was shown in great detail which I feel was to convey a sense of realness to the mystery of great bird. Another technique that I enjoyed was the adding of other hidden woodland creatures throughout the book which added to the anticipation of finding the owl. By doing this the illustrator is able to capture the child's attention as he/she begins to search for the owl along with the characters of the story. Each page painted a wonderful picture both visually and within the story line of a father and his daughter creating memories of time together that neither one would forget. Although they spent the evening together in silence I feel that the time together showed a special bond being created between the two. Not only does the idea of silence throughout the story create a sense of adventure, it also shows that words are not always needed in order to create wonderful memories and that love can be conveyed between people by just spending time together. Although this book is recommended for children ages 6-10, I believe that it readers of all ages would enjoy this story and that the message of quality time spent with the ones you love could be enjoyed by the whole family. This is a wonderful story which could be shared in both the classroom during read-alouds or at home as a bedtime story.
Rating:
Summary: Rich mellow goodness!
Review: OK, I know that sounds more like a dessert but this book is wonderful! It never fails to bring my second grade students to a calm wide-eyed wondering of what animal they may be able to spot in the illustrations and what will happen. Even though so very little action really occurs, it is described with such depth (and yet in terms the children understand) that it keeps their attention. I love this story for its ability to get children to appreciate the calm, patient and beautiful pace of nature. I think everyone should go owling, or at least have an experience with the natural world that is similar.
Rating:
Summary: Simple yet strong
Review: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen and illustrator John Schoenherr created a wonderful adventure about an experience between a little girl and her father owling in the forest. Owling is the act of looking for an owl at night by calling out: "Who-whoo-who-who-who-whooooooo." To go owling you have to be brave and quiet. You don't need words or warmth. All you need is hope. This book won the Caldecott Award in 1988. It was written for children four to eight years old and is a great bedtime story for children. The artistic media used is watercolor. The artwork made me feel as if I were walking in the woods quietly with the characters. Each page conveys the feeling of actually being in the woods. I also enjoyed looking at each page for hidden animals within the illustrations. The illustrator spread each drawing across two pages using space to illustrate the openness and size of the woods.
The story is told from the girl's point of view as they walk through the woods in search of owls. The setting of the woods creates a quiet space that shows a bond between a father and his daughter. The special time being spent by the girl and her father is never actually pointed out, but the words along with the illustrations created a feeling of spending quality time with a parent. It paints a picture of a memory that a child will never forget.
The sentences are short and there aren't many words, but the author's style along with the illustrations are enough to tell the story and leave your imagination roaming. The story is organized in a way that one action leads to another smoothly. It is told very simply and without the need of fancy words to get the story, mood, and thoughts across to the reader.
The illustrator used a combination of various lines. There are short, long, heavy, light, straight, and curved lines. Most of the lines are painted at a diagonal angle that creates a feeling of motion. The lines definitely convey emotions of tranquility and quiet.
Most of the colors within the paintings are warm colors like different shades of blue to create the feeling of a chilly night and darkness. They are also mixed with white to create a sense of space. The colors compliment each other wonderfully. The various shades of brown depict the trees and owl. I like the way that the colors are more defined in the front of the picture and blur away in the background to create depth. The illustrations and the way they are positioned and shaped make it clear what the subject of the paintings are.
The texture of the paintings is soft and smooth. They give the illustrations an impression of realness. They also provide contrast within the picture.
The composition of the artwork doesn't take away from the story. I believe that it adds to the book. Each page has a white space for the words and the images of the paintings are created around the words. Everything is blended together in a way that nothing stands out more than anything else, but the author still managed to make the story stand on its own without taking away from the artwork or vice versa.
The book format gives the reader or purchaser of this book a quality appearance. The first impression of this book compliments the story and artwork within it. A paper dust jacket covered with a clear plastic cover wrap around the book. On the cover you see big bold letters that clearly show the title Owl Moon. The title's letters are bold, but colored with a light blue, which blend in perfectly with the artwork on the cover. The author and illustrator are also clearly stated using a smaller font with bold black letters. The font used within the story is black and bold. It is set to a size that makes it easy to see the letters and is spaced perfectly for the young reader.
Each page layout uses what is called a doublespread, which is when the picture extends across the two facing pages. The doublespread adds to the effect of motion by having the reader's eyes move from one page to the other.
The pages within the book are big, smooth, and glossy. The pages used give it another sense of being a quality book,
The size of the book makes it great for read-alouds because everyone will be able to see the pages clearly. It is a great picture book that needs to be shared with children.
I see no reason why anyone would find this book offensive. There are no censorship issues within this book that I can see. The woods aren't destroyed, the animals aren't mistreated, and the language is clean and simple.
Owl Moon is a great adventure that can be shared with any child. It is recommended for children between the ages of four to eight, but I think that even adults would enjoy this story. I have never heard of owling, but found it fun and interesting. I even thought that one day I might take my daughter out into the woods to experience a quiet walk through nature so that we can experience the sounds of the woods. I believe that anyone reading this story doesn't need any background information to relate to what is going on within the story. It is a simple adventure that can be understood by any person, race, or sex.
I found the book to be heart warming and fun to read. It gives the reader a sense of importance in spending time with our family members. It also shows that sometimes words aren't needed to spend time with another person, just being with one another is special and memorable. Finding a book that conveys feelings of love and warmth with something as important, yet sometimes forgotten, like spending time with others is rare these days. I believe that the rewards a child can take away from a story like this are invaluable in today's world.
Rating:
Summary: Truly A Caldecott Classic
Review: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen in my opinion is one of the best Caldecott Award winning books. This story of a young girl and her first owling trip with her father on a cold winter night is one that will touch the hearts of all ages. Excellently written the reader is led into the exact place the author had intended. The emotions and hopes felt by the young girl are transferred from the pages into our own minds.... Readers feel and see as if we too were on our very first trip. Booklovers and others alike are captivated by the outstanding illustrations in each page created by John Schoenherr. The love of a family, the innocence of a child, and the respect for nature all come to life on these short pages in an excellent piece children's ofliterature. Owl Moon truly is a deserving book to be had of any young reader and will remain a classic for generations to come.
Rating: 
Summary: Remarkable illustrations and almost poetic narration
Review: Owl Moon is a delightful story of the family tradition of Owling, Owl watching. The reader is taken on a winter journey through the woods as a father and daughter go Owling.
Beautiful illustrations by John Schoenherr help the reader experience this journey from a unique perspective. Schoenherr places the reader in the air, looking down on the journey. By using this technique, the reader becomes one with the Owl, experiencing the quiet togetherness of man and nature.
This story provides a moving narration, inviting the reader to experience the quiet solitude of a winter walk in the woods. The reader also feels the warmth of the special relationship shared by this father and his daughter.
Yolen instructs the reader that the only thing needed to go Owling is hope. Hope that just maybe if you�re quiet enough, or lucky enough, you will spot an Owl. This wonderful story delivers much more than just the sighting of an Owl.
Owl Moon is sure to delight readers of all ages. The remarkable illustrations and almost poetic narration make it easy to see why this book is deserving of the Caldecott Award.
Rating:
Summary: Remarkable illustrations and almost poetic narration
Review: Owl Moon is a delightful story of the family tradition of Owling, Owl watching. The reader is taken on a winter journey through the woods as a father and daughter go Owling.
Beautiful illustrations by John Schoenherr help the reader experience this journey from a unique perspective. Schoenherr places the reader in the air, looking down on the journey. By using this technique, the reader becomes one with the Owl, experiencing the quiet togetherness of man and nature.
This story provides a moving narration, inviting the reader to experience the quiet solitude of a winter walk in the woods. The reader also feels the warmth of the special relationship shared by this father and his daughter.
Yolen instructs the reader that the only thing needed to go Owling is hope. Hope that just maybe if you're quiet enough, or lucky enough, you will spot an Owl. This wonderful story delivers much more than just the sighting of an Owl.
Owl Moon is sure to delight readers of all ages. The remarkable illustrations and almost poetic narration make it easy to see why this book is deserving of the Caldecott Award.
|
