Owl Moon is a 1987 children's picture book by Jane Yolen

Jane Yolen

Jane Hyatt Yolen is an American author and editor of almost 300 books. These include folklore, fantasy, science fiction, and children's books...

, illustrated by John Schoenherr

John Schoenherr

John Schoenherr was an American illustrator.Schoenherr may be best known as the original illustrator for Dune by Frank Herbert, creating the canonical images for elements such as sandworms. However, he is also very well known as a wildlife artist and children's book illustrator, with over forty...

. The book won many awards, most notably being the Caldecott Medal

Caldecott Medal

The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children , a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. The award was named in honor of nineteenth-century English...

 for its illustrations, and has appeared on the show Reading Rainbow

Reading Rainbow

Reading Rainbow is an American children's television series aired by PBS from June 6, 1983 until November 10, 2006 that encouraged reading among children. The award-winning public television series garnered over 200 broadcast awards, including scores of Emmy Awards, many for "Outstanding Children's...

. Owl Moon has been translated into more than a dozen foreign languages, including French, German, Chinese, and Korean. A song by Bruce O'Brien is about this book.

Yolen described the book as, "a positive family story. It's about a girl and her father. Usually stories of a little girl are with her mother. It is gentle yet adventurous, quiet yet full of sound".

Plot introduction

The story deals with a father that takes his daughter owling for the first time on a cold winter's night. Along their way, they encounter a Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owl

The Great Horned Owl, , also known as the Tiger Owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas.-Description:...

. While it is not stated which gender the child is, Schoenherr's illustrations gave it away. According to Jane Yolen's website, the daughter is actually Yolen's child, Heidi Stemple. The "Pa" character is based on her husband, an avid outdoorsman and birdwatcher. "I've become aware of nature through my husband", said Yolen.