As we look back on our own childhoods, forays into the created world are probably found amongst each of our treasured memories. I remember taking walks with my grandmother in northern Michigan. She taught me to identify soldier moss and Indian paintbrush as it grew in the woods and how to find Petoskey stones on the side of the road after it rains. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen is the gentle story of a nature adventure shared between a little girl and her Pa. The little girl has waited ever so long for her turn to go owling. And the night finally comes. It is winter. It is cold. And, the moon is shining brightly on the snow.
The little girl and her Pa bundle up in hats and mittens and scarves. They head out into the still night. The only rule: when you go owling you have to be quiet. The little girl plugs along quietly behind her father. She runs to catch up when she falls behind or she stops to listen when Pa stops. Occasionally, Pa calls out into the night with a “whoo, whoo, whoo” hoping to attract the attention of an owl in the woods. And yet, they are also aware that when you go owling you might see an owl and you might not. This much the little girls knows from her brothers who have gone before her.
The little girl faces the cold, the shadows, the night-time noises, and her own fears willing herself to be brave. Will there be a response to Pa’s “whoo, whoo, whoo”? Will her first outing with her Pa actually result in the sighting of an owl? Read Owl Moon by Jane Yolen to find out. To enjoy another nature adventure between a little boy and his grandma, read Night of the Moonjellies by Mark Shasha. Read them both, and then, plan a nature adventure of your own.