by Moe Zilla

Created on: March 18, 2009   Last Updated: July 31, 2009

Owl-watching seems exotic, and this book captures the mystery. The author dedicated it to her husband, "who took all of our children owling," and the illustrator dedicated it to his granddaughter, "For when she is old enough to go owling." But the book is really about a childhood memory. All the details are lovingly preserved - every sound and feeling, all these years later, from one magical night of owl-watching.

The real details set a strong mood, from the first drawing of the tiny house by a cold snowy field. "Somewhere behind us a train whistle blew, long and low, like a sad, sad song." All the intimate memories of that night flow together seamlessly. "I could hear it through the woolen cap Pa had pulled down over my ears. A farm dog answered the train, and then a second dog joined in..." There's an implied hush, since there's no wind and the trees "stood still as giant statues." And together the girl and her father walk into a colorless forest.

Illustrator John Schoenherr sets the tone from his first drawing - the overhead view of a house and barn by a wide snowy field. It's simple yet realistic, with thin black lines representing the bare branches of trees. In his next drawing the trees are grey with shadows as the tiny pair of humans trudges up over the horizon. And they're nearly swallowed up by the white snow of the next package, appearing small beside their long shadows at the end of a long trail of grey footprints.

"Our feet crunched over the crisp snow and little gray footprints followed us." And then beside a snow-covered tree, the father stands and calls to the owls. The next page shows strange blue shadows from the branches overhead - but no owls are heard. The tension grows. Will the little girl be disappointed? Half of the next page is filled with the blank white of snow - and a dark background of pine trees - as she follows silently behind her father. "We walked on..."

There's more beautiful drawings of the dark forest in the pages to come. I have to give the book credit for being about the experience of looking for owls - and not the owls themselves. It records the girl's experience - all her feelings on this first mysterious trek. "I didn't ask what kind of things hide behind black trees in the middle of the night. When you go owling you have to be brave."

And then an echo came threading through the trees.

"Whoo-whoo-who-who-who-whooooooooo."

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