Owl Moon

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Owl Moon
CM OwlMoon.jpg
Owl Moon cover
Author Jane Yolen
Illustrator John Schoenherr
Cover artistSchoenherr
Country United States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Children's picture book
Publisher Philomel Books
Publication date
1987
ISBN 978-0-399-21457-8
OCLC 15198290
[E] 19
LC Class PZ7.Y78 Ow 1987

Owl Moon is a 1987 children's picture book written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by John Schoenherr. It won many awards, most notably the Caldecott Medal for its illustrations, [1] and has appeared on Reading Rainbow in the US. It has been translated into more than a dozen foreign languages, including French, German, Chinese, and Korean. In 1989, Weston Woods Studios adapted the book to an animated film narrated by Yolen.

Contents

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

The story deals with a father who takes his child owling for the first time on a cold winter night. Along their way, they encounter a great horned owl. While the first-person text does not specify the child's gender, the jacket flap copy refers to the characters as "a little girl and her father". According to Jane Yolen's website, she is actually Yolen's child, Heidi. [3] The "Pa" character is based on her husband, David, who was an avid outdoorsman and birdwatcher. [3] [4] "I've become aware of nature through my husband", said Yolen. [4]

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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. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
  3. 1 2 Yolen, Jane. "Owl Moon". Jane Yolen. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Jane Yolen". PBS Parents. PBS. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
Awards
Preceded by Caldecott Medal recipient
1988
Succeeded by