Publisher's Weekly Review
A girl and her father go owling on a moonlit winter night near the farm where they live. Bundled tight in wool clothes, they trudge through snow ``whiter than the milk in a cereal bowl''; here and there, hidden in ink-blue shadows, a fox, raccoon, fieldmouse and deer watch them pass. An air of expectancy builds as Pa imitates the Great Horned Owl's call once without answer, then again. From out of the darkness ``an echo/ came threading its way/ through the trees.'' Schoenherr's watercolor washes depict a New England few readers see: the bold stare of a nocturnal owl, a bird's-eye view of a farmhouse. In harmony with the art, the melodious text brings to life an unusual countryside adventure. Ages 2-6. (November) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
A rare reappearance of a fine illustrator (Rascal, Julie of the Wolves), whose watercolors here follow a father and small child as they seek an owl beneath a winter moon. In Yolen's spare, graceful text, the child recounts their trudge through snow, long past bedtime, with Pa repeating an owl call until he is rewarded with a reply plus the sighting of the owl, for a minute or ""maybe even a hundred minutes."" Schoenherr catches the deep, misty blues and soft browns of night--contrasting them to the snow's stark white so sharply that the bite of the cold is palpable--and hides a wild creature in tree or wall in almost every vista of the farmland landscape. Yolen hints at a philosophical overtone (""When you go owling you don't need words or warm or anything but hope. . .the kind of hope that flies on silent wings. . .""), but the shared experience of the mysterious, natural night-world seems the more important message of this lovely, quiet book. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Ages 2-7. An exquisite mood piece, Owl Moon is a poetic story of a winter-wrapped little girl and her father's owling adventure. The elusive magic and gentle shivery excitement that accompany the twosome are felt by the reader. The late-night walks are steeped in family tradition, no words are exchanged, but the companionship of the elusive quest speaks volumes. ``When you go owling / you don't need words / or warm / or anything but hope. That's what Pa says.'' The integrity of Yolen's pleasure in writing about her subject is evident, and Schoenherr, also an owling enthusiast, captures the stark blue-black majesty of the nighttime forest in his powerful and evocative watercolor illustrations. Excellent for one-on-one or read-aloud groups. PW. Owls Fiction / Fathers and daughters Fiction [CIP] 87-2300
