Caldecott Award Winning Books
A Ball for Daisy
Author: Raschka, Chris Illustrator: Raschka, Chris
Publisher: Schwartz and Wade Books, 2011
Genre: Picture Book Age Level: Ages 3-7
Publisher: Schwartz and Wade Books, 2011
Genre: Picture Book Age Level: Ages 3-7
Plot summary:
This is a wordless book that relies on illustrations to tell the story and convey the emotions of the characters. The story is about a dog with a bright red ball. The dog, Daisy, loves the ball. She plays with it and seems
very happy and excited by it. She even snuggles up next to it when she takes a nap. One day a little girl takes Daisy for a walk to the park and they take the ball with them. While playing, another dog comes up and starts to play with the ball and it breaks. Daisy goes home without her ball and is very sad. Later, on another day at the park, the second dog and his little girl bring a brand new blue ball to replace the broken red one. The two dogs play together and go home happy.
Personal reaction/evaluation:
This story was very vivid and alive. As the reader, I felt very close to the dog because of her wonderful expressions, and I easily became involved in the story. I could feel what Daisy is feeling and could put myself into the story and relate with it. This was a wonderful read.
Memorable literary element:
This story uses imagery as the sole method of communicating the story. Since the book has no words, the pictures in the story convey meaning, emotion, the passage of time, and a moral element. An example is how very vividly the pictures show how deeply sad Daisy is when her ball is broken. The reader has no trouble feeling along with Daisy since the illustrations are so moving.
Illustrations:
The illustrations are watercolor. They are simple and bright and convey a great deal of emotion. Through the use of changing color (from brighter yellows to darker grays) and expressions and body posture of the dog, the reader understands easily what the dog is feeling in a given illustration. On a few pages, there is so much going on in different panels that I found it difficult to tell the story as clearly, but overall the illustrations do a wonderful job of telling a vivid story.
Review from a selection aid:
(Kirkus) " A little dog and her big ball map an inner life rich in heights of joy and depths of sorrow. Sticking strictly to pictures—using neutral washes and just a few colors applied in broad, rumpled brushstrokes—Raschka follows floppy-eared Daisy and her large red ball on a walk to the park and a happy chase. Then disaster strikes, when a rougher dog horns in and pops the ball. Even very young viewers will feel Daisy’s pain as she passes in stages through incomprehension, dismay and anger to, at last, a bone-deep sadness that is brilliantly evoked by successive views of the droopy dog slowly sinking into a sofa’s cushions. Doggy delight rekindles, however, when another visit to the park finds the offending pooch and its owner waiting…with a new, blue ball! The final scene of Daisy and ball snuggled together on the sofa positively radiates canine content. Rarely, perhaps never, has so steep an emotional arc been drawn with such utter, winning simplicity."
Promotion idea:
This could go well with a unit on emotion: talking about different emotions that we all feel and how we know what someone else is feeling without using words. Children could look at the different facial expressions that Daisy has and then facial expressions of people on pictures or cards and name the emotions being portrayed. They could also play a game where they draw a card with an emotion on it and try to match that emotion on their face, allowing the other students to guess what emotion is being shown. This activity ties in well when students on the Autism Spectrum are included in the class, since this is a skill that these students need to work on regularly.
This is a wordless book that relies on illustrations to tell the story and convey the emotions of the characters. The story is about a dog with a bright red ball. The dog, Daisy, loves the ball. She plays with it and seems
very happy and excited by it. She even snuggles up next to it when she takes a nap. One day a little girl takes Daisy for a walk to the park and they take the ball with them. While playing, another dog comes up and starts to play with the ball and it breaks. Daisy goes home without her ball and is very sad. Later, on another day at the park, the second dog and his little girl bring a brand new blue ball to replace the broken red one. The two dogs play together and go home happy.
Personal reaction/evaluation:
This story was very vivid and alive. As the reader, I felt very close to the dog because of her wonderful expressions, and I easily became involved in the story. I could feel what Daisy is feeling and could put myself into the story and relate with it. This was a wonderful read.
Memorable literary element:
This story uses imagery as the sole method of communicating the story. Since the book has no words, the pictures in the story convey meaning, emotion, the passage of time, and a moral element. An example is how very vividly the pictures show how deeply sad Daisy is when her ball is broken. The reader has no trouble feeling along with Daisy since the illustrations are so moving.
Illustrations:
The illustrations are watercolor. They are simple and bright and convey a great deal of emotion. Through the use of changing color (from brighter yellows to darker grays) and expressions and body posture of the dog, the reader understands easily what the dog is feeling in a given illustration. On a few pages, there is so much going on in different panels that I found it difficult to tell the story as clearly, but overall the illustrations do a wonderful job of telling a vivid story.
Review from a selection aid:
(Kirkus) " A little dog and her big ball map an inner life rich in heights of joy and depths of sorrow. Sticking strictly to pictures—using neutral washes and just a few colors applied in broad, rumpled brushstrokes—Raschka follows floppy-eared Daisy and her large red ball on a walk to the park and a happy chase. Then disaster strikes, when a rougher dog horns in and pops the ball. Even very young viewers will feel Daisy’s pain as she passes in stages through incomprehension, dismay and anger to, at last, a bone-deep sadness that is brilliantly evoked by successive views of the droopy dog slowly sinking into a sofa’s cushions. Doggy delight rekindles, however, when another visit to the park finds the offending pooch and its owner waiting…with a new, blue ball! The final scene of Daisy and ball snuggled together on the sofa positively radiates canine content. Rarely, perhaps never, has so steep an emotional arc been drawn with such utter, winning simplicity."
Promotion idea:
This could go well with a unit on emotion: talking about different emotions that we all feel and how we know what someone else is feeling without using words. Children could look at the different facial expressions that Daisy has and then facial expressions of people on pictures or cards and name the emotions being portrayed. They could also play a game where they draw a card with an emotion on it and try to match that emotion on their face, allowing the other students to guess what emotion is being shown. This activity ties in well when students on the Autism Spectrum are included in the class, since this is a skill that these students need to work on regularly.
A Sick Day for Amos McGee
Author: Stead, Philip C. Illustrator: Stead, Erin E.
Publisher: Roaring Book Press, 2010
Genre: Picture Book Age Level: Ages 2-6
Publisher: Roaring Book Press, 2010
Genre: Picture Book Age Level: Ages 2-6
Plot summary:
This is the story of Amos, an older man who works at the zoo. Amos is very exacting and punctual. Each day he gets up, eats breakfast, and goes to the zoo to work and visit with his animal friends. He has special things that he does with each friend, depending on each friend's needs and preferences. One day Amos wakes up sick and doesn't go to work at the zoo, but his friends decide to go to Amos' house to help cheer him up, each in his own special way.
Personal reaction/evaluation:
This story is very sweet. It honors friendships and how wonderful the differences can be between friends. Amos is a very caring and gentle man who obviously wants the best for his friends. He finds out, when he becomes sick, that they share his feelings and want the best for him, too.
Memorable literary element:
This book uses repetition to help soothe the reader and bring a comfort and familiarity to the story. At the beginning of the book, Amos goes to each animal at the zoo and does something special with him or her. When Amos becomes sick and the animals want to help him, they each, in turn, do the things for Amos that he has done for them. An example is that Amos often lends his handkerchief to the rhinoceros, and when Amos is sick in bed, the rhinoceros lends Amos his handkerchief when Amos sneezes.
Illustrations:
The illustrations in this book are very delicate and alive. The illustrator uses woodblocks and pencil drawings with small splashes of color. The attention to detail is exquisite. I do wonder how younger readers feel about the illustrations. They have an old time feel to them. They seem very accessible to me.
Review from a selection aid:
(Kirkus) " Amos McGee, an elderly zookeeper, enjoys a clockwork life (one teaspoonful of sugar for oatmeal, two for tea and the number five bus to work) until the sniffles force him to stay in bed and miss his daily visits with animal friends. Fragile, gangly Amos, in striped pajamas and ill-fitting zoo uniform, appears as crushingly vulnerable as a child. Children will immediately like and understand him, as they too take comfort in reassuring routines—and would certainly love playing chess with an elephant or running races with a tortoise! Muted greens, browns and blues dominate pages, while brighter yellows and reds leaven the palette’s mild melancholy. Erin E. Stead’s beautifully wrought woodblock prints and pencil work create almost painfully expressive characters. Wrinkles and crinkles describe the elephant’s sagging mass and the rhino’s girth, as well as their keen sensitivity. Owl’s furrowed brow communicates deep concern even as the group heads to Amos’s home to check on him. This gentle, ultimately warm story acknowledges the care and reciprocity behind all good friendships: Much like Amos’s watch, they must be wound regularly to remain true."
Promotion idea:
This would work well with a unit on friendship and how to be a good friend. Classes could talk about how the activities Amos chose to do with his friends were just what they each needed. The students could pick an animal or two that they would like to be friends with and the class could do some basic research on traits of those animals. What kinds of activities might a friend do with an animal with those traits? What kinds of activities do the students do with their friends? Do they do the same thing with each friend? Why not?
This is the story of Amos, an older man who works at the zoo. Amos is very exacting and punctual. Each day he gets up, eats breakfast, and goes to the zoo to work and visit with his animal friends. He has special things that he does with each friend, depending on each friend's needs and preferences. One day Amos wakes up sick and doesn't go to work at the zoo, but his friends decide to go to Amos' house to help cheer him up, each in his own special way.
Personal reaction/evaluation:
This story is very sweet. It honors friendships and how wonderful the differences can be between friends. Amos is a very caring and gentle man who obviously wants the best for his friends. He finds out, when he becomes sick, that they share his feelings and want the best for him, too.
Memorable literary element:
This book uses repetition to help soothe the reader and bring a comfort and familiarity to the story. At the beginning of the book, Amos goes to each animal at the zoo and does something special with him or her. When Amos becomes sick and the animals want to help him, they each, in turn, do the things for Amos that he has done for them. An example is that Amos often lends his handkerchief to the rhinoceros, and when Amos is sick in bed, the rhinoceros lends Amos his handkerchief when Amos sneezes.
Illustrations:
The illustrations in this book are very delicate and alive. The illustrator uses woodblocks and pencil drawings with small splashes of color. The attention to detail is exquisite. I do wonder how younger readers feel about the illustrations. They have an old time feel to them. They seem very accessible to me.
Review from a selection aid:
(Kirkus) " Amos McGee, an elderly zookeeper, enjoys a clockwork life (one teaspoonful of sugar for oatmeal, two for tea and the number five bus to work) until the sniffles force him to stay in bed and miss his daily visits with animal friends. Fragile, gangly Amos, in striped pajamas and ill-fitting zoo uniform, appears as crushingly vulnerable as a child. Children will immediately like and understand him, as they too take comfort in reassuring routines—and would certainly love playing chess with an elephant or running races with a tortoise! Muted greens, browns and blues dominate pages, while brighter yellows and reds leaven the palette’s mild melancholy. Erin E. Stead’s beautifully wrought woodblock prints and pencil work create almost painfully expressive characters. Wrinkles and crinkles describe the elephant’s sagging mass and the rhino’s girth, as well as their keen sensitivity. Owl’s furrowed brow communicates deep concern even as the group heads to Amos’s home to check on him. This gentle, ultimately warm story acknowledges the care and reciprocity behind all good friendships: Much like Amos’s watch, they must be wound regularly to remain true."
Promotion idea:
This would work well with a unit on friendship and how to be a good friend. Classes could talk about how the activities Amos chose to do with his friends were just what they each needed. The students could pick an animal or two that they would like to be friends with and the class could do some basic research on traits of those animals. What kinds of activities might a friend do with an animal with those traits? What kinds of activities do the students do with their friends? Do they do the same thing with each friend? Why not?
Joseph Had A Little Overcoat
Author: Taback, Simms Illustrator: Taback, Simms
Publisher: Viking, 1999
Genre: Picture Book Age Level: Grades K-3
Publisher: Viking, 1999
Genre: Picture Book Age Level: Grades K-3
Plot summary:
This is a story of a man who owned an overcoat. As his overcoat got too old and worn to wear, he made a jacket out of it. As the jacket became too old and worn, he made a vest out of it. He continued in this way until he had used all that he could of the overcoat. Once he could no longer make anything out of the overcoat, he decided to make a book about it.
Personal reaction/evaluation:
I enjoy this story. I like the fact that the story teaches reusing and conservation of items. The story is simple and easy for the youngest of readers to enjoy. The pictures are bright and colorful and there is much of interest to be found on each page. Young readers can help tell the story because of the repetitive lines.
Memorable literary element:
This book uses a repetitive storyline to tell the story to young readers. Every section begins with the phrase, "Joseph had a little___. It got old and worn." The next 2 pages say, "So he made a ___ out of it" and then describes an action Joseph did after making the new item. This repetitive story allows readers to be able to anticipate what is coming next and to participate in the tellling of the story. An example of a 4 page spread is, "Joseph had a little jacket. It got old and worn. So he made a vest out of it and danced at his nephew's wedding."
Illustrations:
The illustrations in this book are watercolor, gouache, pencil, ink, and collage. The colors are bright and varied. The illustrations take up the whole page, with a simple line of text at the top in yellow. Because the illustrations include collages, there are real pictures of items immersed in with the drawings. There are photographs of flowers, vegetables, and people, and bits of lace, fabric, and rugs which blend in with the drawings. There are also cut outs in the book so that when you are looking at one page, you can see the outline of the new item that Joseph has just made. Through that cut out, you see an image from the next page peeking through.
Review from a selection aid:
(School Library Journal) "A book bursting at the seams with ingenuity and creative spirit. When Joseph's overcoat becomes "old and worn," he snips off the patches and turns it into a jacket. When his jacket is beyond repair, he makes a vest. Joseph recycles his garments until he has nothing left. But by trading in his scissors for a pen and paintbrush he creates a story, showing "you can always make something out of nothing." Clever die-cut holes provide clues as to what Joseph will make next: windowpanes in one scene become a scarf upon turning the page. Striking gouache, watercolor, and collage illustrations are chock-full of witty details-letters to read, proverbs on the walls, even a fiddler on the roof. Taback adapted this tale from a Yiddish folk song and the music and English lyrics are appended. The rhythm and repetition make it a perfect storytime read-aloud."
Promotion idea:
This book is based on a Yiddish folk song, so the author/illustrator created the book using Jewish symbols and photographs. Because there is something on every page for the reader to find and talk about, this book would go well with a unit on Judaism. Classes could discuss the menorah and the clothing styles of the characters, as well as the what is written on the pages of the newspapers and letters included with the drawings throughout the book.
This is a story of a man who owned an overcoat. As his overcoat got too old and worn to wear, he made a jacket out of it. As the jacket became too old and worn, he made a vest out of it. He continued in this way until he had used all that he could of the overcoat. Once he could no longer make anything out of the overcoat, he decided to make a book about it.
Personal reaction/evaluation:
I enjoy this story. I like the fact that the story teaches reusing and conservation of items. The story is simple and easy for the youngest of readers to enjoy. The pictures are bright and colorful and there is much of interest to be found on each page. Young readers can help tell the story because of the repetitive lines.
Memorable literary element:
This book uses a repetitive storyline to tell the story to young readers. Every section begins with the phrase, "Joseph had a little___. It got old and worn." The next 2 pages say, "So he made a ___ out of it" and then describes an action Joseph did after making the new item. This repetitive story allows readers to be able to anticipate what is coming next and to participate in the tellling of the story. An example of a 4 page spread is, "Joseph had a little jacket. It got old and worn. So he made a vest out of it and danced at his nephew's wedding."
Illustrations:
The illustrations in this book are watercolor, gouache, pencil, ink, and collage. The colors are bright and varied. The illustrations take up the whole page, with a simple line of text at the top in yellow. Because the illustrations include collages, there are real pictures of items immersed in with the drawings. There are photographs of flowers, vegetables, and people, and bits of lace, fabric, and rugs which blend in with the drawings. There are also cut outs in the book so that when you are looking at one page, you can see the outline of the new item that Joseph has just made. Through that cut out, you see an image from the next page peeking through.
Review from a selection aid:
(School Library Journal) "A book bursting at the seams with ingenuity and creative spirit. When Joseph's overcoat becomes "old and worn," he snips off the patches and turns it into a jacket. When his jacket is beyond repair, he makes a vest. Joseph recycles his garments until he has nothing left. But by trading in his scissors for a pen and paintbrush he creates a story, showing "you can always make something out of nothing." Clever die-cut holes provide clues as to what Joseph will make next: windowpanes in one scene become a scarf upon turning the page. Striking gouache, watercolor, and collage illustrations are chock-full of witty details-letters to read, proverbs on the walls, even a fiddler on the roof. Taback adapted this tale from a Yiddish folk song and the music and English lyrics are appended. The rhythm and repetition make it a perfect storytime read-aloud."
Promotion idea:
This book is based on a Yiddish folk song, so the author/illustrator created the book using Jewish symbols and photographs. Because there is something on every page for the reader to find and talk about, this book would go well with a unit on Judaism. Classes could discuss the menorah and the clothing styles of the characters, as well as the what is written on the pages of the newspapers and letters included with the drawings throughout the book.
Tuesday
Author: Wiesner, David Illustrator: Wiesner, David
Publisher: Clarion Books, 1991
Genre: Picture Book Age Level: Grades K-3
Publisher: Clarion Books, 1991
Genre: Picture Book Age Level: Grades K-3
Plot summary:
This book tells the story of a strange occurence that happened on Tuesday evening, around 8:00. The sun had set and the moon was up, and slowly, without warning, all of the frogs from the pond started floating up on their lily pads. They floated all around the city, scaring birds, floating inside houses, chasing dogs, and riding into clothes lines. Then, suddenly, as the sun began to rise, they all dropped back down to the ground, leaving their lily pads and a confused population of humans behind. Nothing happened after that until the next Tuesday, when pigs began to lift off of the ground.
Personal reaction/evaluation:
This book is very good for allowing students to create their own understandings and words to go along with a story where the only action is in the illustrations. It isn't a story that catches my interest much, but I think that it would probably be very popular with kids. It is an interesting concept (frogs suddenly rising into the air and having a night of fun), but it isn't my favorite book. I would want to have it in my library anyway, because I think kids would enjoy it.
Memorable literary element:
This book uses illustrations to convey the meaning and emotions in the story. The only text used sets up the story by telling the time and day. There is one other time written in the middle of the book and then there is a time written to set up the end of the book, the cliffhanger. The reader can understand what is happening by looking at the pictures. The expressions on the faces of the frogs show surprise and wonder at first, then delight and joy as they play, and finally frustration as the spell wears off and they land back on the ground. The people and other animals also have very clear expressions.
Illustrations:
The illustrations in this book are watercolor. The colors are dark and the illustrator uses only a few colors which help to convey that the story is happening during the night. Each of the frogs is individually crafted and looks different from the others around it. Most of the illustrations take up the full 2 page spread, with a white box surrounding. Sometimes individually boxed illustrations are imposed on top of the 2 page spread to show action or a change in time.
Review from a selection aid:
(Hornbook) "A surreal, almost wordless picture book shows the mysterious levitation of lily pads and frogs from a pond one Tuesday at dusk. The frogs soar around town until they fall to the ground at sunrise. Large, detailed watercolors use dramatic points of view and lighting effects and often show a humorous range of expressions. There is a forecast of further surprises to come on following Tuesdays."
Promotion idea:
This book would pair well with a unit on storytelling. Since there is little text in the book, readers have to tell the story themselves using the illustrations and their imaginations. Students could be called up to the front of the class to tell the story to classmates, using their own words and feelings about what is happening. The class could then have a discussion about the different interpretations of the same story.
This book tells the story of a strange occurence that happened on Tuesday evening, around 8:00. The sun had set and the moon was up, and slowly, without warning, all of the frogs from the pond started floating up on their lily pads. They floated all around the city, scaring birds, floating inside houses, chasing dogs, and riding into clothes lines. Then, suddenly, as the sun began to rise, they all dropped back down to the ground, leaving their lily pads and a confused population of humans behind. Nothing happened after that until the next Tuesday, when pigs began to lift off of the ground.
Personal reaction/evaluation:
This book is very good for allowing students to create their own understandings and words to go along with a story where the only action is in the illustrations. It isn't a story that catches my interest much, but I think that it would probably be very popular with kids. It is an interesting concept (frogs suddenly rising into the air and having a night of fun), but it isn't my favorite book. I would want to have it in my library anyway, because I think kids would enjoy it.
Memorable literary element:
This book uses illustrations to convey the meaning and emotions in the story. The only text used sets up the story by telling the time and day. There is one other time written in the middle of the book and then there is a time written to set up the end of the book, the cliffhanger. The reader can understand what is happening by looking at the pictures. The expressions on the faces of the frogs show surprise and wonder at first, then delight and joy as they play, and finally frustration as the spell wears off and they land back on the ground. The people and other animals also have very clear expressions.
Illustrations:
The illustrations in this book are watercolor. The colors are dark and the illustrator uses only a few colors which help to convey that the story is happening during the night. Each of the frogs is individually crafted and looks different from the others around it. Most of the illustrations take up the full 2 page spread, with a white box surrounding. Sometimes individually boxed illustrations are imposed on top of the 2 page spread to show action or a change in time.
Review from a selection aid:
(Hornbook) "A surreal, almost wordless picture book shows the mysterious levitation of lily pads and frogs from a pond one Tuesday at dusk. The frogs soar around town until they fall to the ground at sunrise. Large, detailed watercolors use dramatic points of view and lighting effects and often show a humorous range of expressions. There is a forecast of further surprises to come on following Tuesdays."
Promotion idea:
This book would pair well with a unit on storytelling. Since there is little text in the book, readers have to tell the story themselves using the illustrations and their imaginations. Students could be called up to the front of the class to tell the story to classmates, using their own words and feelings about what is happening. The class could then have a discussion about the different interpretations of the same story.
Owl Moon
Author: Yolen, Jane Illustrator: Schoenherr, John
Publisher: Philomel Books, 1987
Genre: Picture Book Age Level: Ages 2-6
Publisher: Philomel Books, 1987
Genre: Picture Book Age Level: Ages 2-6
Plot summary:
A little girl is finally old enough to go out owling with her Pa. She is very excited and tries to remember all of the things she has been told about being quiet and not minding the cold and being brave. She follows her Pa and tries to act just as he acts, while taking in everything that she sees and feels out in the dark night. When the owl finally comes and they watch it in the tree branches above them, she is changed by the beauty of the experience.
Personal reaction/evaluation:
I think this is such a beautiful story. I love how seriously the little girl takes her outing in the woods with her Pa. You can tell that she has been waiting a long time to be old enough to go, and she wants to do everything just right. In her determination to be quiet, she begins to observe the world around her. The author describes the girl's observations with such beautiful language. I feel that this is a great story for teaching children reverence and self control.
Memorable literary element:
The author uses many similes, metaphors, and imagery to describe the little girl's observations in the woods. The little girl describes the cold, saying that it feels as if "someone's icy hand was palm-down on my back." She observes that the moon shining on the snow below it "was whiter than the milk in a cereal bowl." One of my favorite lines shows the girl's new found wonder and reverence at seeing the owl staring down at them. After the owl was gone she says, "I knew then I could talk, I could even laugh out loud. But I was a shadow as we walked home."
Illustrations:
The illustrations in this book are watercolor. The illustrator uses all earth tones and night colors of blue, white, and browns, but throws in a splash of red in the little girl's winter clothes and the farmhouse. The illustrations take over the entire page and the text is placed on top of them, so that it melds into the pictures. The illustrations help create the feel of the story.
Review from a selection aid:
(Kirkus) "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."
Promotion idea:
This book would be a great addition to a lesson on owls or night animals, to be paired with an information book on the subject. I think that it gives the students a more well rounded feel for the beauty and wonder of an animal such as an owl, while the information book gives the facts. This book can even be appreciated by students who are older than the target audience. I think older students might even get the concept of the reverence of the little girl even better than younger readers.
A little girl is finally old enough to go out owling with her Pa. She is very excited and tries to remember all of the things she has been told about being quiet and not minding the cold and being brave. She follows her Pa and tries to act just as he acts, while taking in everything that she sees and feels out in the dark night. When the owl finally comes and they watch it in the tree branches above them, she is changed by the beauty of the experience.
Personal reaction/evaluation:
I think this is such a beautiful story. I love how seriously the little girl takes her outing in the woods with her Pa. You can tell that she has been waiting a long time to be old enough to go, and she wants to do everything just right. In her determination to be quiet, she begins to observe the world around her. The author describes the girl's observations with such beautiful language. I feel that this is a great story for teaching children reverence and self control.
Memorable literary element:
The author uses many similes, metaphors, and imagery to describe the little girl's observations in the woods. The little girl describes the cold, saying that it feels as if "someone's icy hand was palm-down on my back." She observes that the moon shining on the snow below it "was whiter than the milk in a cereal bowl." One of my favorite lines shows the girl's new found wonder and reverence at seeing the owl staring down at them. After the owl was gone she says, "I knew then I could talk, I could even laugh out loud. But I was a shadow as we walked home."
Illustrations:
The illustrations in this book are watercolor. The illustrator uses all earth tones and night colors of blue, white, and browns, but throws in a splash of red in the little girl's winter clothes and the farmhouse. The illustrations take over the entire page and the text is placed on top of them, so that it melds into the pictures. The illustrations help create the feel of the story.
Review from a selection aid:
(Kirkus) "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."
Promotion idea:
This book would be a great addition to a lesson on owls or night animals, to be paired with an information book on the subject. I think that it gives the students a more well rounded feel for the beauty and wonder of an animal such as an owl, while the information book gives the facts. This book can even be appreciated by students who are older than the target audience. I think older students might even get the concept of the reverence of the little girl even better than younger readers.