If you haven't read Owl Moon yet, then you're in for a real treat! I just finished reading it for the first time this year. The kids were clinging to me with anticipation for the next line. They were silently mesmerized, even though they've heard it before. Once we reached "the end" the children begged me to go"owling." Then they started scheming when and where we could make this "owling" trip actually happen.
In Owl Moon (c. 1987), by Jane Yolen and illustrated by John Schoenherr, Yolen writes about a father taking his little child into the late winter night to hunt for a Great Horned Owl. A full moon lights their path through the great wood, casting long dark shadows in their tracks.
Schoenherr's inspiration for his intricate illustrations derive from his own owling expeditions and landmarks on his family farm. Take note: Owl Moon won the Caldecott Medal in 1988 due to Schoenherr's hauntingly beautiful illustrations.
Yolen is known for her poetic language, and Owl Moon is no exception. I especially like that last page of lines about "hope"! If you'd like to discover Yolen's story behind her story, click here.
I hadn't heard of owling before reading Owl Moon. So I'm quite curious: how many of you have been owling? I'd love to hear your experience.
Never heard of 'owling' but often I hear a Barred Owl at night in the trees around our cottage.
ReplyDeleteI also haven't heard of this book before. The illustrations do indeed seem hauntingly beautiful, much like the sound of an owl.
Next trip into the city, I'm going to look for this delightful book to add to 'grandma's library'.