Stop along the way to marvel at the illustrations. Talk about the phrase “whiter than the milk in the cereal bowl.” Ask if your child would be able to walk in the dark, cold night without talking. The vocabulary is fairly straight forward but younger kids might need a quick reminder of the meaning of some words in the story: crunched, shadow, owling, pines (relate to evergreens), disappointed, brave, clearing (as a noun and a verb), meadow. It’s okay to be wrong – you want the kiddos to be thinking and to be engaged. Talk about the title and the cover illustration and let your child make a prediction about what the story will be about. You can get there quickly using the link to the right. This story is one that I read aloud on my You Tube channel, Creating Smart Readers. It is my feeling that a book that is too hard in readability will cause frustration to your child and much of the nuances of the story will be missed. Then, if you feel it is a good match to your child’s reading level, let them read it alone. Stop and talk along the way so your child can achieve maximum comprehension and wonder of this story. That is why I always recommend that these wonderful picture books be read out loud to kids by a parent.

Watch the Lexile level on the chart to the right because this book is advertised to kids in Preschool to grade 2 but the reading level (Lexile level) is for good readers at the end of grade 3. They go “owling.” The moon, the snow, the dark shadows of the trees, the quiet are noted in the text and illustrations – as Dad and child tread softly in search of an owl. I assume this is a girl because of the colors of the clothing but there is no pronoun used in the story. The story follows a young girl who is finally old enough to go out into the forest with her Dad late at night on a trek to find an owl. Why is it so well liked, I wonder? Summary

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen is a story enjoyed by hundreds of kids for many, many years since it was first published in 1987.

Owl moon book cover