The Owl Who Became the Moon

by Jonathan London, Ted Rand (Illustrator)

While riding on a train at night, a young boy listens and watches as he passes by many creatures in their wilderness homes.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Nature, Poetry

Paperback

First published February 1, 1993

About the author

Jonathan London is the author of several celebrated children's books. His commitment to honoring the wonders of the natural world has been lauded by readers and critics alike. He is the author of more than 70 children's books, many of which are about nature. He's also the author of the popular Froggy series. He lives in Graton, California with his wife and two sons.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a simple, very lovely, very quiet book about a train making its way across a frozen landscape. Some night creatures watch its progress; others curl up and go to sleep.

I can imagine reading this aloud, almost in a whisper, as the final book before lights out.

[Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Owl Who Became the Moon is not a conventional book. The first time I read Jonathan London's work, I did not understand it. It appears to describe a train's nightime journey through the woods as seen through the eyes of a child, complete with an owl, a cougar, bunnies, mice, and other creatures. Yet, though the book is expertly illustrated and is fun to read aloud (it is full of onomatopoeia), a cohesive, central plot is absent. However, looking closer at the text, one sees that the plot is not the point. Once one accepts that, The Owl Who Became the Moon is fairly enjoyable to analize.

To see the true purpose of the book, one must consider the author's purpose of writing it. Why write a story without a concrete story? Well I as curious and took a look at Jonathan London's website, and it turns out that the story originated as a bedtime story for his children. In the text, London wasn't trying to tell a story, he was trying to get his kids to sleep. That is the key to understanding London's work. Suddenly we see purpose in his lack of purpose! He wants to create a nighttime world in which those who read may lose themselves. This is characterized by the very first statement in the text "Wouldn't it be nice to take a ride on a train". London puts us in a contemplative world, and introduces us to a myriad of characters and situations, resolving nothing, yet getting one's mind to work and wonder. To the sleepy child, the book is a open universe to consider, and, in the considering, the sleepy child is likely to fall asleep. Therefore, don't get too worked up by the lack of plot. It is a style choice used by the author to reach his end.

Now, in addition to London's eccentric style, He uses a recurring theme of sleep to lull the reader into a drowsy state. This is accomplished through both the text and the illustrations. The first picture in the book is of a boy in bed gazing at the moon. We don't know if he is in the train, or just thinking of it, but his being in bed definitely makes us think of "bedtime". This first scene is actually followed by quite a lot of action (the train choo-chooing along, the owl flying, the cougar hunting, and the bunnies and mice hiding), yet the action is described in a calm way, using descriptive words to break up the action and give a more contemplative tone rather than anxious one. This is also accomplished by the choice to use very little punctuation. The story rolls on and on with only five punctuation marks in the nineteen pages containing text. This stylistic choice emphasizes the sleepy mood of the book. Also, in the last pages, we see all of the animals curling up to go to sleep, except for the owl, who "glides across the sky on the wings of a dream", even further emphasizing the theme of sleep. In short, London's goal is manifest in practically all of his stylistic choices, and even Ted Rand's cool-toned illustrations suggest sleepiness.
In short, though The Owl Who Became The Moon may not be the perfect book for an afternoon of entertainment, it fulfills its function as a bedtime story rather expertly.

[Capn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this - I haven't read any other reviews to see why it has a 3.2 rating (/83). The biggest flaw is the title - this has much more to do with TRAINS (steam locomotive, trestles, headlight in the dark.. just the one, though, not the now customary 3), and snowiness and nocturnal wintertime predatory and prey species (deer, cougars, owls (of course), mice, rabbits, mountain goats, even a hibernating bear), than it does with transformative owls.

The artwork is beautiful and stark but soft and snowy, and the cadence of the story is lulling - it's poetry for kids who don't like poetry (which would have been me), and who also like trains (ditto).

This goes great alongside Brian Floca's Locomotive, is a corollary to Donald Crew's Freight Train, and a useful companion to Chris Van Allsburg's The Polar Express. (Really hoping I've got the attributions right - on the hellish app at the moment).

This would also go along well with the PJ Lynch or another brilliantly presented "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost.

"A perfect choice for a cozy winter bedtime story." - Booklist And I whole-heartedly agree with this assessment.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poetic book is about the nighttime journey of a train and the animals who are active in the night as it passes through a snowy landscape. This book has just the right combination of rhyme and repetition. It will make a great bedtime book.

[Jenny Hartfelder · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant read giving illustrations of poetic imagery. The pictures pair nicely with the words and are drawn in a nice style.

[Serena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sleepy and soft, with pretty, soft-edged art.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

London Odyssey #64
Beautifully illustrated, decent tale, nice cadence and just an all round it's an ok read, never soaring to great heights but just a good old read.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary: Sights and sounds are the focus of this picture book about a boy who rides on a train as it winds its way through a snow-covered mountain area.

Evaluation: Great visual for young children but not much to talk about. Could be a good book fro guided reading because there is minimal text on each page. Would be a fantastic shared reading book if created into a big book with larger font.

Grade Level: K-2

Publication Year: 1993

Discussion Questions:

[Aaron · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow what a waste of time. The book looks like its going to be about an owl. Hence the cover and title. WRONG. This book is more about a train with an owl, bear and other animals spread throughout it. If you like trains still skip this book but if you want a neat owl story look elsewhere. The illustrations were fabulous so I might see what else Ted Rand has illustrated.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely, night-time read about an owl and a train in winter. I didn't feel like it had enough of a plot to really capture storytime kids' attention, but if you have a patient group you could make it work.

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the illustrations. I didn't care much for the story. The book is called "The Owl Who Became The Moon" but it's mostly about a train. What is that? I thought I was getting an owl story, but not so much. :-(

[Jen]

This poem paints a wonderful word picture of a train running at night. The illustrations are gorgeous as well. (Choice)

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated. Bedtime book. Steve says, the illustrations were nice and that is about all i could say about it. I thought the girls liked it, though.

[Tamara · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's about a train, not an owl. Not that train books are bad, but this one is.

[Jobiska (Cindy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A favorite read-aloud--very poetic text. I can still hear my son as a toddler asking "read owlcaymoo!" (He's 13 now!)

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous poetic scenic serene. Sure, it's not a book about owls -- so what? It is intoxicating. My daughter and I love it.

[Annie ⚜️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really 3.5 stars. Cozy, bedtime, winter book.

[Anna]

I think it has figurative language