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Among the greatest charms of children is their ability to view a simple activity as a magical adventure. Such as a walk in the woods late at night. Jane Yolen captures this wonderment in a book whose charm rises from its simplicity. "It was late one winter night, long past my bedtime, when Pa and I went owling." The two walked through the woods with nothing but hope and each other in a journey that will fascinate many a child. John Schoenherr's illustrations help bring richness to the countryside adventure. The book won the 1988 Caldecott Medal. ... Read more

Reviews (35)

Both Story and Art Enchant
I like this book and so do my children. Although it will have more appeal to fathers and sons, any parent and child can enjoy this story of the magical bond that takes place when a parent introduces their child to one of life's moments of wonder.

Who among us doesn't remember wonderful moments when you and you alone were the focus of your father's (or mother's) attention in a special setting that created a life-long memory pleasently returned to again and again. That's the magic of Owl Moon where a little boy takes a long walk in the woods over new fallen snow with his father. They are journeying to, as his older brothers had done before him, find a great owl, if he can be coaxed from his high above throne where he rules the night.

The story is simply told but carries all of the magic foretold by the setting. The water color illustrations are beautiful in their simplicity and convey the wonder of nature and the togetherness of father and son.

Good Parenting and instills love of nature
Owl Moon is a wonderful story of a young girl's first hunt for the Great Horned Owl with her father. As they trek through the snowy forest, Jane Yolen's text and John Schoenherr's illustrations work together to create a realistic adventure and to express good parenting. The picture book comes to life through a peaceful countryside and a still forest. The child's continual silence and concentration add to the hunt. Within the text the child says, "I put my mittens over my mouth and listened hard." This displays her constant effort to remain quiet and to take the adventure seriously. Each illustration depicts a calm forest dominated by snow and nature. I feel that this book contains ideas that are "simple but not necessarily simplistic" much like Perry Nodelman's analysis of children's literature (221). For instance, in many scenes animals can be found hiding without the knowledge of the characters. The animals all sit calmly. This shows that the intent of the father and child is not to disturb nature but to quietly observe and to be apart of it just while they pass. This idea can not be found written within the text yet, it is understood when they see an owl and do not shoot it. This peaceful respect for nature that the father is instilling in his child is shown when they came to the clearing in the dark woods. She speaks of how the fit it exactly "and the snow below it was whiter than the milk in a cereal bowl." This emphasizes her grasp of the beauty and enjoyment natural world in a child-like way. It brings to mind games equal to finding shapes in clouds. The illustrator has also gone through the trouble of presenting the field in the shape of a large bowl. I feel that the most important aspect of the work is the example of good parenting it delivers. He spends quality time with his children, while he instills important morals. Pa has also taken all of her brothers owling and they have told her "sometimes there's an owl and sometimes there isn't." This reveals a sense of close family unity in which can be seen as the positive message of the story. However, the tone is not didactic. Pa even uses onomatopoeia to make the adventure more intense. He calls the owl with a long "Whoo-whoo-who-who-who-whooooooo." All of this helps emphasis the joy of the communion with nature. Her father has been instilling a respect for the owl and natural world, while strengthening the father child relationship.

Remarkable illustrations and almost poetic narration
Owl Moon is a delightful story of the family tradition of Owling, Owl watching. The reader is taken on a winter journey through the woods as a father and daughter go Owling.
Beautiful illustrations by John Schoenherr help the reader experience this journey from a unique perspective. Schoenherr places the reader in the air, looking down on the journey. By using this technique, the reader becomes one with the Owl, experiencing the quiet togetherness of man and nature.
This story provides a moving narration, inviting the reader to experience the quiet solitude of a winter walk in the woods. The reader also feels the warmth of the special relationship shared by this father and his daughter.
Yolen instructs the reader that the only thing needed to go Owling is hope. Hope that just maybe if you're quiet enough, or lucky enough, you will spot an Owl. This wonderful story delivers much more than just the sighting of an Owl.
Owl Moon is sure to delight readers of all ages. The remarkable illustrations and almost poetic narration make it easy to see why this book is deserving of the Caldecott Award.

Wonderful Story for Any Age
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 beautyful. It was like reading poetry. Each word was carfully 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 exiciting, becuase she is doing something with her father.

The way this stroy 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.

Amazing and Artistic
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. ... Read more

Book Description

Rascal is only a baby when young Sterling brings him home. He and the mischievousraccoon are best friends for a perfect year of adventure—until the spring day wheneverything suddenly changes.

A Newbery Honor Book ... Read more

Reviews (42)

A beautiful adventure
It could have been anyone, the person who found Rascal. But it was our good fortune that it was Sterling North, a writer-to-be who could give us all the wonderful details of Rascal's magnetic personality. The insight into North's childhood was a delight -- his father's instinctive (or was it neglectful?) way of giving the boy responsibilities. The canoe in the living room, kept there unfinished due to the expenses of reining in the pesky little critter. I sensed the coming of a dark ending. But, no, it was simply perfect. I can't imagine a reader not loving this book.

Rascal
Rascal is a very good book. It's about a boy named Sterling. He goes out in the woods with his friend Oscar and his dog Wowser. The dog starts digging at a rotting stump and all of a sudden a mother racoon pops out and starts running up a tree. Sterlig finds a baby racoon and takes it home as a pet. And thats how the friendship begins. I recommend that you read Rascal.

"Rascal" and "Rascal, der Waschbär"
This is a lovely book about a boy and his pet raccoon which does not lose anything in the translation into German as far as I am concerned. I think that this book, along with his later book "Raccoons Are The Brightest People" as well as "Frosty: A Raccoon To Remember" by Harriet E. Weaver, and "Raccoons, A Natural History" by Samuel I. Zevelhoff are the big four books about the wonderful critters.

Rascal
This is a story about a boy with a pet raccoon. His mother has passed away and his dad lets him have all kinds of pets and even build a canoe in the living room. Rascal is a racoon living a happy life with his family, until Sterling catches him, then it gets happier. He went everywhere with Sterling. Seeing new sights, smelling new smells, it's all a daily routine, until it is messed with by other people who weren't so fond of him. He was caged, and put on a leash. That is no life for a racoon. Sterling decides to let Rascal decide, eternal freedom, or life with Sterling? This was a refreshing change to read after "Where the Red Fern Grows" which is about a boy
whose passion is killing raccoons. There aren't many books out there for older boys that don't concentrate on violence. This is one.

Rascal
Rascal is a very good book,because it was very extciting.I think people woulld realy enjoy reading the book.Some of the charaters are Sterling, and Rascal.It was very good book. ... Read more

Book Description

To her small Eskimo village, she is known as Miyax; to her friend in San Francisco, she is Julie. When the village is no longer safe for her, Miyax runs away. But she soon finds herself lost in the Alaskan wilderness, without food, without even a compass to guide her.

Slowly she is accepted by a pack of Arctic wolves, Mid she grows to love them as though they were family. With their help, and drawing on her father's teachings, Miyax struggles day by clay to survive. But the time comes when she must leave the wilderness and choose between the old ways an(] the new. Which will she choose? For she is Miyax of the Eskimos--but Julie of the Wolves.

Faced with the prospect of a disagreeable arranged marriage or a journey acoss the barren Alaskan tundra, 13-year-old Miyax chooses the tundra. She finds herself caught between the traditional Eskimo ways and the modern ways of the whites. Miyax, or Julie as her pen pal Amy calls her, sets out alone to visit Amy in San Francisco, a world far away from Eskimo culture and the frozen land of Alaska.

During her long and arduous journey, Miyax comes to appreciate the value of her Eskimo heritage, learns about herself, and wins the friednship of a pack of wolves. After learning the language of the wolves and slowly earning their trust, Julie becomes a member of the pack.

Since its first publication, Julie of The Wolves,winner of thr 1973 Newbery Medal, has found its way into the hearts of millions of readers.

Winner, 1973 Newbery Medal
Nominee, 1973 National Book Award for Children's Literature
Notable Children's Books of 1971–1975 (ALA)
1973 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
Children's Books of 1972 (Library of Congress)
Children's Books of International Interest 1972 (CSD/ALA)
Gold Star List 1973 (ESLC)

Reviews (125)

Julie of the Wolves- A real winner!!!!!!
Wow! What a captivating book Julie of the Wolves was! I had my doubts at first though. It seemed as though in the first 50 pages of the book nothing happened. It almost got so boring I was ready to throw it down(that's why I gave it 4 stars), but I'm so glad I didn't! Jean George constructed a story that keeps your attention and displays impotant values and morals. It gives you a sense of understanding between the human qualties and animals. The read also gives you the inspiration of a young girl having the will to survive in the Arctic tundra. These morals remind you of the basic human structure of pesonality and spirit. If you are looking for a book to lift you off your feet away from the daily grind, this is a winner!!!!!

A great book for those who have ever felt they didn't belong
At the age of thirteen, Miyax is running from an unbearable home situation. Miyax is traveling to Point Hope, where she will take a ship to San Francisco to live with her pen pal Amy. She treks across the frozen tundra of Alaska, fighting cruel winters and starvation. She befriends a pack of wolves on her journey. They take her in as one of them. Miyax loves the wolves and she uses her knowledge of wolves, handed down by her supposedly dead father to communicate them. She makes a meal out of anything... grass, leaves, berries. When it is time for the wolf pack to go on, Miyax is forced to continue her journey alone. While Miyax is subconsciously following the pack, she ponders on her life, during dark days and long sleepless nights, Miyax discovers that the Eskimo way of life is gone with the wind, only a few traces of her past life remain. In the middle of the 1900's Americans have Americanized the large state of Alaska, and the life of their ancestors is gone.

This book is a story of survival in the wilderness, of strong strength and the will to go on. This is a great book for individuals who are fascinated with wolves, and the Eskimos. This is a great story of imagination and life, a very spiritual and enriching book for anyone who has ever felt that they don't belong.

Why on earth did this win a Newbery?!
I hated "Julie of the Wolves." By the time I finished, 15,000,000 questions were swimming in my head, one which was, "How on earth did this win the Newbery?" Although Part 1 was good, Part 2 was confusing, and Part 3 was the sorriest excuse for a Newbery award winner I have ever read.
I was expecting some grand tale which ended with the sentence, "And with that, Julie pulled up the covers of her new bed in San Francisco, closed her eyes, and went to sleep." Instead it was, "Julie pointed her boots toward Kapugen."
If you like books with weak plots and confusing sentences you must read four times to understand, then you'll love "Julie of the Wolves."

Why?
Back in 6th Grade I was forced to read this book for a school project. I was never the same. This book showed me that not all literature is good, and that some works are truly horrible. This is truly horrible. I can't understand how it could win any type of award, especially a Newberry. I am still confused as to the point of this book. Most of the time, it read like a boring textbook and what story there was was pitiful and weak. I could not feel any sympathy for the characters at all. I wish there was a rating lower than 1 star, because that's what this book deserves. I saw someone on Amazon selling it for a penny. It isn't even worth that.

Julie of the Wolves
Julie of the Wolves is a novel about a girl and a wolf pack, fighting against nature to survive. It is an inspiering book of how Julie fights for her life, and learns to live with a pack of wolves. It is a good book to read if you love adventures and the outdoors. It explains how well people can connect with nature. ... Read more

Reviews (41)

The Changes of Life
This book is very suspenseful. It is about a boy named Ben who is six years old. He loves animals and is very small for his age. He wanders off over the hills away from his home on Hawk's Hill because he misunderstands his father for going near a badger. A storm is coming, but he does not know where he is. He crawls in a badger hole and from then on a relationship builds between Ben and a female badger that is the same one he saw earlier. After weeks in the hole Ben starts hunting with the badger. They do almost everything together. His family forms a search party to look for him. He does not recognize the people so he hides from them. Ben had been missing for three months. After two months he starts to get weak in the badger hole. Will he live in the hole? Will he ever see his family again? This book is for all ages, and it is an excellent for animal lovers everywhere.

Ben's Great Adventure
This book is about a six- year- old boy named Ben. Ben lives back in the days were the people ride horses. He is very small for his age.One day he was playing outside and he started chasing a prairie chicken. Then he got lost in the prairie called Hawk's Hill. Ben knew a storm was going to hit. The shelter that he found was a badger den. I like the book because it is very exciting; one very exciting part is when Ben sees a badger. This book is a very exciting book to read for all ages especially animal lovers everywhere!

America's Demosthenes
I find Incedent on Hawks's Hill rather pointless. Honestely a kid with an unhealthy affinity for animals gets lost. I got lost in a shopping mall did anyone write a novel on me? NO!! I was cared for by strangers for awhile when that incedent happened. Did anyone consider writeing novel about me NO!! About the only aera the book is well writen in is it's choice of words Eckert shows some eloquence, but not much.

An Excellent Book - Must-Read For All
Incident at Hawk's Hill is a book about a 6-yr. old boy, Benjamin, who likes animals. He imitates their sounds and walks, and is, in a way, detached from human life. His family worries about him, since he is very small compared to average 6-yr. olds. The book also cuts to a story about a female badger, which is very interesting and informative, who Ben crosses paths with one day. Then, one day after this all, Ben accidentally wanders away from his home, and the resulting story is suspenseful and heartwarming. The end, though some may say ends on a cliffhanger, wraps up many conflicts nevertheless. Hawk's Hill is a GREAT book, and an excellent read for children and adults. The book has a historically accurate forward. It is set in the 1800s near Winnipeg, Canada.

Hawk's Hill - a review by a fourteen year old girl.
I thought that Hawk's Hill was a sad book, but it was happy at the same time. If you like books with very good chararcter development, you will like this book. It is a about a boy named Ben who wanders of into the wilderness and lives with a badger. it was a good book. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK! Very interesting!
This is a book about a young boy who has a special friendship with an Alaskan Brown Bear named Ben. Ben is not only gentle, but very loving and loyal to his owner, Mark. The author describes Ben so well that it sounds real. This is the most interesting book I've ever read. Brendan Parra, Nazareth School, 5th grade.

Suspenseful Page-Turner!
Gentle Ben is a timeless classic about a boy and his... uh... bear! A wonderful, feel-good page turner that effortlessly sweeps you up into the wonderful world of Alaska with its majestic (and fearsome) Brownie bears! After only a few pages you grow to love Ben and Mark, and the constant threats on Ben's life by game hunters, townsfolk, and others keep you turning pages late into the night!

By the way, I am quite a slow reader. I read this book in 1.5 days.

One of the best
I have read a lot of books, and Gentle Ben is one of my favorites. There are a lot of books that have a story somewhat like this one, but this one stuck out. It is a good story about a kid named Mark and his pet bear named Ben. It may seem weird to have a pet bear, but this story takes place in an Alaskan fishing city. His dad makes a living by fishing salmon every year on a boat called the "Far North". Mark saves the bear from his evil neighbor, who keeps him chained up with little food and no outside light. The bear isn't accepted by the community, so Mark has to get rid of him. By reading this book, you will find out how Mark and Ben accomplish being together. It is a wonderful story about a boy and his pet.

Gentle Ben
The story takes place in Alaska just before the salmon season. In this part of Alaska this is the only time of year the town is full of people. It starts with a boy named Mark Anderson who is secretly hanging around a brown bear that has been chained up and not properly taken care of by a man named Fog Benson. After Marks parents Karl and Ellen find out about this they are angry but eventually they let him buy it from Fog so he can have it for himself. To pay for the bear Mark helps his dad with the fishing later Fog and some men attack Ben and then Ben hurts Fog Benson. This causes the whole town to be scared of Ben and they eventually have to take him and let him free on an island. Karl Anderson and another one of his fishing friends Claywater decide to help deliver the mail by boat to another city while out they get caught in a storm and Claywater dies. There boat is also destroyed. Since they don't have a boat anymore Karl Anderson takes a job at a fishing trap on an island where they meet up with Ben and protect him from Fog Benson and his hunting trips. In the end the hunters leave him alone and Ben lives safely on the island waiting for the Andersons to return next fishing season.

The Best Book I have ever read.
I am reading this book for a school project and I found it really got better. At first the book was just a bunch of confusing words, but soon found to love it. Even if I have to do papers on it at least I have a bit of fun. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

All Time Favorite
I LOVE reading this book to my kids, and they love it, too. It's not too long, great illustrations, and I swear I know that grandma. The family is off to town for the day but the farm animals are in the road. One by one, the whole family tries to get them out of the way. Finally granny says, "Shoowee, up to me!" and gets the job done by calling out "Time for sup!" She gets covered in mud by the stampeding animals, but she's off to town anyway. Must be read enthusiastically.

Cute rhyming story
My 2-year-old son loves this book! It has a wonderful repetitive rhyme that your child will love. "Pigs in the mud in the middle of the rud. Oh, no. Won't do. Gotta shoo. But who? I'll shoo, that's who, Papa said." My son especially likes when the Grandma says "Ooooooeeee! Up to me!" at the end and saves the day. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Alien Encounter Written with Pure Poetry and Intense Emotion
This story is magic, and it's not even fantasy.My mother read this to me when I was about twelve years old and I still remember the musical cadences of the narrative that pulled me into the story, that made it an expressive and powerful tale.On the surface, this story has a plot that is similar to the one of E.T.An alien worker, mistakenly left behind by his comrades, is abandoned on Earth and must communicate with a human boy in order to survive and get back home.But that's very much on the surface.

The narrative is split in POV, balanced between Tyro, the "fallen Spaceman" in his gigantic space suit.And the humans who encounter him, most significantly a young boy Erik, whose fate ends up tangled with Tyro's when he accidently becomes trapped in the damaged suit.This is a powerful, optimistic tale about understanding and hope for the future, but its also an excellent SF story.Descriptions of the enormous spacesuit and how it is used, the difficulty of breathing the air of this planet, small peices of technology are interwoven into the story without it ever losing its poetry or emotive qualities.Most importantly, its done in such a way that a child of eight years or older should be able to enjoy the story.

The narrative never falls into the trap of "dumbing down" for its audience, but does a remarkable job of remaining on target while still appealing to mature audiences.I highly recommend this book as a read-aloud.Parents and children will both enjoy the experience.The particular copy I have also contains line illustrations by John and Ian Schoenherr that aide in visualizing the story.It's not an easy book to find, but if you come across it, please give it a try--this is a treasure whether or not you are a SF fan.

Happy Reading! ^_^
--shanshad ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An engaging story from the author of JULIE OF THE WOLVES
That master of accurate wolf storytelling, Jean Craighead George, has presented a fine picture book.Sadly, it is out-of-print, and I have to read it by checking it out from my local library.The story concerns a young wolf named Roko, who is injured during his pack's hunt and is left, helpless and dying, on an Alaskan ridge.Many Arctic animals come wanting to feast on Roko's remains when he is dead--an arctic fox, a snowy owl, a bear, ravens--thus, children not only learn about the many species of animal life in this seemingly barren, desolate land, but they also learn about ecology, how everything is connected in the natural world, and how death can really be a part of life.The ending shows how loyal wolves are to one another, when Roko's leader helps him to survive.The black and white ink drawings are nothing spectacular, but they do excellently accent the simplicity and poetry of Ms. George's words. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Home For Wolfling
I gave this book three stars because parts were pretty boring. It kept me reading in the beginning and the end. I think it was a good book and I recomend it to people who like animals.When the book starts out Robbie Trent(a thirteen year-old boy) learns of a wolf den and wants a whelp for a pet. When they find the wolf den Robbie climbs into it and gets the whelp he wanted. His parents let him keep it and as time progresses the wolfling grows bigger and bigger. The book ends when Robbie, Wolf, and Inga (this girl he likes) live happily ever after.

This book is the best I have read... It is GREAT!!!!!
When Robbie Trent learns of a wolf den, he wishes to have a wolf welp for his own.When one of his school mates also learns of the den he wishes to have all of the welps for bounty paid by the Wisconsin Government.Whenthe two meet up at the den......... THE RACE IS ON!!!!!!!!!

Terrific Story!
A 12 year old boy wishes to have one of Old Three Toes' wolflings. WhenBubs, one of his schoolmates finds the den he hopes to get the wolflingbefore Bubs and his father smoke out the wolves. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Barn
This is an absolutely wonderful story about an an encounter in a barn with a precarious skunk and an owl. It has beautiful black and white watercolor type illustrations by John Schoenherr. The Skunk does get way and the Owl has to leave The Barn hungry. A great book for young and old! ... Read more