Owl Moon

Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen, is the story of a young child who is finally taken owling in the woods by his or her father. For the sake of discussion, I am assuming the main character is a young boy. The activity of owling involves hiking in the snow into the woods during the dead of night to call, sear for and find an owl. The boy has been waiting for this opportunity for a long time and has watched his brothers go again and again on this adventure to bond with their father and it is finally his turn! The experience proves to be just as amazing as he anticipated and seems almost reverent in the author’s portrayal of the adventure. Once they find an owl, the both stand awestruck with the mysterious and majestic qualities the owl has.

From the illustrations, I gathered that the little boy models his father's behaviors perfectly and consistently repeats to himself the things his father has told him about owling; to be silent, brave and hopeful during the search. I think that after reflecting on this remarkable adventure experienced by the small boy, I think that his father takes his children on these trips at an older age so that the knowledge they gain is more that simply how to find an owl. At an older age, children would be able to learn that patience, persistence, hopefulness and respect for nature is very important to their family and that after following these values through, the goal, or finding an owl, can be accomplished! These were simply my first thoughts, but I believe that the almost non-existent character of the father is more of an influence on all other aspects of the story than any other character. The little boy’s character is more of a reflective aid to help us see the wonderful and wise man the father really is.

I would highly recommend this story for any classroom throughout the elementary school and in upper grade English classrooms for reflection and analysis. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the beautiful illustrations.