Friday, January 28, 2011

Wonderful Children's Book for Winter

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

It's not surprising that John Schoenherr received the 1988 Caldecott Medal for his illustrations in Owl Moon. The watercolors in this book capture the wonder and beauty of the walk through the woods in the snow.

The main character's older brothers have been out "owling" with their father, but now it is finally the little girls turn.

The story by Jane Yolen and the artwork by Schoenherr shows a spectacular view from an owl's view from above of a small farm in the country. This great story beautifully captures a child's excitement at finally being old enough to go "owling" with her father. It shows a strong child and father bond.

The little girl eloquently describes their late night walk through the cold and snowy woods. She speaks of how, "the snow below it was whiter than the milk in a cereal bowl."

It's apparent that the walk itself is what's important and getting to actually see and hear an owl only secondary. Both the artwork and the text show the loving bond between father and child and the significance of their walk together.

We highly recommend borrowing this book from the library to share with young children.


Stop by next Saturday for another Weekly Trip to the Library for nannies and au pairs.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for review and I purchased this today!

Steph 6 said...

Yes this is a terrific book. Love it, it is wonderful. The story is so touching and the description of snow is great. I wasn't thrilled with illustration until the centerfold illustration which deserves acclaim. I highly recommend it too!