Summary
Jane Yolen's Caldecott-winning poem of a book: on a cold, still winter night, a child and their father walk quietly into the snowy woods to go "owling" -- hoping to call and glimpse a Great Horned Owl. Hushed, beautiful language captures patience, wonder, and time together. A lovely model of descriptive, figurative writing.
Viewer safety
All ages
Our rating is a quick teacher-to-teacher guide — preview before showing.
Teaching resources
Discussion questions
A child and their father go out on a silent winter night hoping to see an owl.
- Why do the child and father have to be so quiet and patient?
- The author says the trees "stood still as statues." What does that help you picture?
- How do you think the child feels when the owl finally appears?
- Describe a time you had to wait patiently for something special.
Quick work-a-long
Words to know: owling, patient, silent, whisper
- The author compared the quiet night to statues. Make up your own comparison for something very quiet.
- Close your eyes and name two sounds you might hear in a silent winter woods.