Owl Moon

By Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr
Philomel Books, 1987
Picture book, 32 pages, ages 2-8

It was late one winter night, 
long past my bedtime, 
when Pa and I went owling.

A young girl is proud to go with her father to try to see an owl. Though it’s cold, she has to be quiet, and it’s difficult to keep up with Pa, she perseveres. Will it all be worth it? Will an owl answer Pa’s “Whoo-whoo-who-who-who-whooooooo” call? 

A beautiful exploration of a father and daughter’s companionable moonlit walk.

On her website, Jane Yolen says that this book was based on an amalgam of the times her daughter and husband went owling, and the personal nature of the tone poem is felt in every word. Not only is the story beautiful and authentic, it is also filled with heart. 

John Schoenherr’s illustrations won the Caldecott Medal and deservedly so. They are exquisite, filled with a sense of place, intimacy, and reverence for the natural world.

This book is perennially on recommended reading lists. It’s a good choice for bedtime, story time, and even incorporated into lesson plans (about nature, animal behavior, poetry, & story structure, for example). And it’s just a good story for reading any time.

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen gets 5 stars from this reviewer.