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Owl Moon (Hardcover) (精装)
by Jane Yolen
| Category:
Adventure, Award-winning books, Ages 4-8, Children's book |
| Market price: ¥ 198.00
MSL price:
¥ 168.00
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| Stock:
In Stock |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
In harmony with the art, the melodious text brings to life an unusual countryside adventure. |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 5 items |
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E. R. Bird (MSL quote), Manhattan, NY
<2006-12-30 00:00>
I think it's entirely possible that Jane Yolen may be the most prolific children's author living today. Don't believe me? Try clicking on her name to pull up a list of the books she's written. Then take a gander at the literally hundreds (if not, dare I say it, thousands) of books alive today because of her. It's a bit of a relief then that at least one of them won the Caldecott Medal. "Owl Moon" deserved it too. It is a sweet yet not overly sentimental tale about a nighttime owling trip taken by a girl and her father.
In this tale we first get a spectacular view from above (owl's eye view, I should say) of a small farm in the country. Two figures leave the warm home to tramp in the snow. The moon is brightly lit above so that (as the book says), "the sky seemed to shine". The girl has never been owling before but she understands the rules intrinsically. One must be especially quiet on these occasions. Once in a while the girl's father calls a deep, "Whoo-whoo-who-who-whooooooo" into the woods, but he does not receive a reply. They walk on through the cold until they come to a clearing in the woods where the snow is so clean and pure that it looks like a bowl of milk. The father hoots again and this time receives an answer. An owl comes closer and closer, finally landing on a nearby branch just as the father shines his flashlight on it. There, the reader sees a magnificent two page spread of an owl, its large wings open beside it, regarding the girl and her parent. Then it's off and the adventure is done. Says the girl, "I was a shadow as we walked home".
A couple remarkable occurrences marked the creation of this book. Jane Yolen's husband would often go owling with their three children, and she felt (quite rightly) that it would make a great picture book. By coincidence, illustrator John Schoenherr was an owling fellow himself. And though he had given up book illustrating in favor of his own personal paintings, Schoenherr was convinced to try his hand one more time with Owl Moon. The fact of the matter is that it's a very good thing he did. Though the story in this book is lovely and telling, the pictures really bring it to life. You can read a sentence like, "I could feel the cold, as if someone's icy hand was palm-down on my back", but its only going to strike home if the accompanying picture is appropriate and evocative. Here, fortunately, Schoenherr excels. It must be very difficult to paint nighttime scenes that are lit by snow-reflecting moonlight, yet the book displays this very particular style perfectly. Now to be perfectly frank, I found myself grumbling for about half this book about its medal. I thought the pictures were lovely but I hadn't yet seen anything that really stood out or took my breath away. Then I came to the aforementioned two-page spread of the owl sitting on a branch. In that single picture Schoenherr completely gives away how talented he is. The owl is completely realistic yet overwhelmingly majestic. There's energy and life to this bird as it crouches in the unfamiliar light. For the girl and her father, the simple act of seeing this animal as close as this makes the entire trip worthwhile. Schoenherr understands this, and so the picture makes reading the entire book just as worthwhile as well.
The text is quiet and elegant, the watercolors evocative and intense. For the bedtime story that is realistic while retaining fantastical elements, this book is an excellent choice. Consider it highly recommended all around. Two enthusiastic thumbs way up.
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B. R. Hassard (MSL quote), Utah
<2006-12-30 00:00>
OK, I know that sounds more like a dessert but this book is wonderful! It never fails to bring my second grade students to a calm wide-eyed wondering of what animal they may be able to spot in the illustrations and what will happen. Even though so very little action really occurs, it is described with such depth (and yet in terms the children understand) that it keeps their attention. I love this story for its ability to get children to appreciate the calm, patient and beautiful pace of nature. I think everyone should go owling, or at least have an experience with the natural world that is similar. |
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William Bradford (MSL quote), Palos Park, IL United States
<2006-12-30 00:00>
I first read this book when i was a junior in college. At first I didn't like it very much. Then two years later I picked it up again and found the beautiful. It was like reading poetry. Each word was carefully chosen. The story of a little girl having the chance to stay up late and go owling with her father. Yet, it goes beyond that. Here is a little girl who feels like she is doing something wonderful and exciting, because she is doing something with her father.
The way this story is constructed is wonderful. Although the book says that it is for children between the ages of 4-8 I have read this story to 6th graders and they have found interested and they thought it was "cool." This is a wonderful book for young and old, because of language and the way the words flow. It is just one of those books that are just plane fun to read.
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-30 00:00>
Jane Yolen's book, Owl Moon, is about a little girl and her father who go owling on a cold winter night. Yolen's describes the scenery of the wintry night, looking for an owl with vivid imagery. The father and daughter search patiently in the quiet, waiting for a slight glimpse of the great bird. When, finally they see an owl, they are intrigued for the minute of victory.
In the book, Owl Moon, John Schoenherr uses pen and ink with a watercolor wash. The use of watercolor creates a sense of mystery and depicts what it is like to walk in the woods on a winter night with no more light than what is given off by the moon and stars reflecting off of the snow. This vagueness is complimented by the use of pen and ink in order to create a sense of reality by showing what little detail the characters were able to see as they continued on their journey. The added detail in the foreground also helped to create a sense of depth. Schoenherr chose colors which added to the mystery of the darkness and created the sensation of a cold night. I especially enjoyed the way that the author added detail within the expressions of the father and daughter when they finally heard a response from an owl. The owl itself was shown in great detail which I feel was to convey a sense of realness to the mystery of great bird. Another technique that I enjoyed was the adding of other hidden woodland creatures throughout the book which added to the anticipation of finding the owl. By doing this the illustrator is able to capture the child's attention as he/she begins to search for the owl along with the characters of the story.
Each page painted a wonderful picture both visually and within the story line of a father and his daughter creating memories of time together that neither one would forget. Although they spent the evening together in silence I feel that the time together showed a special bond being created between the two. Not only does the idea of silence throughout the story create a sense of adventure, it also shows that words are not always needed in order to create wonderful memories and that love can be conveyed between people by just spending time together. Although this book is recommended for children ages 6-10, I believe that it readers of all ages would enjoy this story and that the message of quality time spent with the ones you love could be enjoyed by the whole family. This is a wonderful story which could be shared in both the classroom during read-alouds or at home as a bedtime story. |
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Catherine S. Vodrey (MSL quote), East Liverpool, Ohio United States
<2006-12-30 00:00>
The 1988 Caldecott Medal winner is eminently deserving of the honor. Jane Yolen's charming, short, and quiet story is so beautifully complemented by John Schoenherr's watercolor illustrations that it's as if they had some sort of mental telepathy with each other.
A lovely story for bedtime because of its quiet mood, "Owl Moon tells of a little girl and her father who go "out owling"-walking quietly into the woods to hoot for owls and see if any show up. The little girl, whose name we never know, understands the importance of watching and waiting, of not complaining about cold toes, and of forgoing sleep and comfort to see something wild and beautiful that few people ever get to see. The larger lesson, of course, is that these are good rules for life in general.
Schoenherr's masterful use of blues and whites convey the sense of chilliness, dark, and snow perfectly. You almost want to pull on your mittens before reading the book. Highly recommended for all ages.
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1 Total 1 pages 5 items |
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