Owl Moon

Owl Moon  
Author(s) Jane Yolen
Illustrator John Schoenherr
Country United States
Genre(s) Children's picture book
Publisher Philomel Books
Publication date 1987
ISBN 978-0399214578
OCLC Number 15198290
Dewey Decimal [E] 19
LC Classification PZ7.Y78 Ow 1987

Owl Moon is a 1987 children's picture book by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr. The book won many awards, most notably being the Caldecott Medal for its illustrations,[1] and has appeared on the show Reading Rainbow. Owl Moon has been translated into more than a dozen foreign languages, including French, German, Chinese, and Korean. A song by Bruce O'Brien is about this book.

Yolen described the book as, "a positive family story. It's about a girl and her father. Usually stories of a little girl are with her mother. It is gentle yet adventurous, quiet yet full of sound".[2]

Plot introduction

The story deals with a father that takes his daughter owling for the first time on a cold winter's night. Along their way, they encounter a Great Horned Owl. While it is not stated which gender the child is, Schoenherr's illustrations gave it away. According to Jane Yolen's website, the daughter is actually Yolen's child, Heidi Stemple. The "Pa" character is based on her husband, an avid outdoorsman and birdwatcher.[3] "I've become aware of nature through my husband", said Yolen.[3]

References

  1. ^ American Library Association: Caldecott Medal Winners, 1938 - Present. URL accessed 27 May 2009.
  2. ^ "Interview with Jane, October 2007". Embracing the Child. October 2007. http://www.embracingthechild.org/ayolen.html. Retrieved 2009-01-09. 
  3. ^ a b "Jane Yolen". PBS Parents. PBS. http://www.pbs.org/parents/readinglanguage/articles/authorfocus/janeyolen.html. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 

External links

Awards
Preceded by
Hey, Al		 Caldecott Medal recipient
1988		 Succeeded by
Song and Dance Man