White Owl, Barn Owl: Read and Wonder

Nature Storybooks

by Nicola Davies, Michael Foreman (Illustrator)

"Few children now have access to the open woodlands and grasslands frequented by barn owls, but they can all enjoy the magic of the bird thanks to this lovely introduction." —  Kirkus Reviews  (starred review)

A young girl and her grandfather look for a barn owl night after night. Will a distinctive heart-shaped face appear at the window? Michael Foreman’s lush, intimate paintings are a perfect companion to Nicola Davies’s lyrical text featuring intriguing facts about a rare bird indeed. Back matter includes further information about nest boxes and an index.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Birds, Nonfiction, Nature, Science

32 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2007

About the author

"I was very small when I saw my first dolphin," says zoologist Nicola Davies, recalling a seminal visit with her father to a dolphin show at the zoo. Enchanted at the sight of what she called the "big fish" jumping so high and swimming so fast, she determined right then that she would meet the amazing creatures again "in the wild, where they belonged." And indeed she did--as part of a pair of scientific expeditions, one to Newfoundland at the age of eighteen and another to the Indian Ocean a year later. In WILD ABOUT DOLPHINS, Nicola Davies describes her voyages in a firsthand account filled with fascinating facts and captivating photographs of seven species of dolphins in action.

Nicola Davies's seemingly boundless enthusiasm for studying animals of all kinds has led her around the world--and fortunately for young readers, she is just as excited about sharing her interests through picture books. The zoologist's latest offering puts a decidedly quirky twist on her years of experience: POOP: A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE UNMENTIONABLE is a fun, fact-filled guide to the fascinating world of poop across species. "As a zoologist, you are never far from poop!" the writer explains. "I've baked goose poop in an oven with my dinner, looked at bat poop under the microscope, and had my T-shirt stained pink with blue-whale poop. I was obviously fated to write this book."


The exceptional combination of Nicola Davies's zoological expertise and her first-rate children's writing is apparent in her remarkable catalog of award-winning titles. Her first book with Candlewick Press, BIG BLUE WHALE, was hailed by American Bookseller as an "artfully composed study" offering "language exactly appropriate for four- to seven-year-olds and precisely the right amount of information." In ONE TINY TURTLE, Nicola Davies's clear, compelling narrative follows the life of the rarely seen loggerhead turtle, which swims the oceans for thirty years and for thousands of miles in search of food, only to return, uncannily, to lay her eggs on the very beach where she was born. The author's next book, BAT LOVES THE NIGHT, is a tenderly written ode to a much-misunderstood flying mammal, the pipistrelle bat, while SURPRISING SHARKS--winner of a BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Honor Award--contains unexpected facts about another one of the planet's most infamous animals.


When she is not off on scientific expeditions, Nicola Davies lives in a cottage in Somerset, England, where she is lucky enough to have pipistrelle bats nesting in her roof.

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a fictional story in this book about a young girl and her grandfather but this is mostly a non-fiction book about barn owls, and the educational parts were more interesting than the story. The story was just ok but for nature curious kids, this could be a worthy book.

In 29 pages, many facts about barn owls are presented. There’s even an index in the back of the book. This book would be of particular interest in those who are interested in owls and especially for those with the means and space and wish to create a nest box for a barn owl family.

This is a picture book and the pictures are lovely.

[Lizzytish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated book about the barn owl along with interesting facts and how to build an owl house

[Danielle Truitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

White Owl, Barn Owl is another great story in the Read and Wonder series. Its about a little girl and her grandfather. She helped her Grandfather build a large wooden box, but when she asked him what it was for she had to wait. He got a ladder and put the box way up high in an old oak tree then he showed her some special things and talked to her about barn owls. Along with the story, there is factual information about the barn owls on the opposite pages, such as "Under their feathers, owls are slim. Their bones are hollow, which keeps their bodies light and makes flying easy." There is even a "real size" drawing of a barn owl pellets with great labels and descriptions. The art work is great and very realistic. My class used this book during our Nocturnal Animals Unit. The children were really engaged in the story and did well providing facts they learned from the story to help fill in our KWL chart. We also explored real owl pellets and used the book to help identify different things we found in the pellets.

[Shaeley Santiago · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging story about a grandpa who puts out a nest box for barn owls with his granddaughter. Includes info on making your own nest box, characteristics of barn owls, their pellets, and other facts as a second story line. #bookaday

Similar to Owl Moon

[Ammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this one.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

British author/illustrator team Nicola Davies and Michael Foreman spin an engaging story of a girl, her grandfather, and the barn owl they observe one magical night in this lovely picture book. Setting up a nest box in a nearby tree, the grandfather and granddaughter wait for a long time, until finally a barn owl family takes up residence, and they get to see the owl parents in flight. The main narrative describing these events is supplemented by factual asides about barn owls over the course of the book, which then closes with a note on making a nesting box and an index...

Published in 2007, White Owl, Barn Owl is the fourth picture book in this style that I have read recently from Davies, following upon such titles as One Tiny Turtle , Bat Loves the Night and Surprising Sharks . All four are part of Candlewick Press' Read and Wonder collection. In any case, I found this one very appealing, both as a story about the bond between grandparent and grandchild, and as a tale highlighting the beauty of barn owls and the wonder of their flight. It reminded me very strongly of Jane Yolen and John Schoenherr's Owl Moon , in which a girl and her father go for a nighttime hike, and see a Great Horned Owl. Recommended to young animal lovers, and to picture book readers who dream of seeing an owl in flight.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I continue to enjoy older titles that actually are illustrated using real media as this one was rendered in watercolors and pastels. Many of the Illustrations give one the very feel of nighttime as the young girl and her grandfather observing the barn owl. This title reminded me of Owl Moon.
Text also provides basic info about barn owls in small print text messages found on a number of the pages. Instructions for building an owl box are also included.

[Ellie Abrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story about a child and their grandfather building a wooden bird house for the owls during Autumn time. This book has beautiful illustrations and on each page includes facts about owls. This would be an excellent book to aid the teaching of owls in the Early Years.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book about owl watching...similar to Owl Moon.

[Donna Mork · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story about a grandfather who builds a barn owl nest. Great information about the barn owls and their nesting habits.

[Kay Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for teaching children about owls, autumn...we have it in Nursery but would also be good for Yr 1-2 as the story is quite long for little ones.

[Kath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good details and sweet story. Great read to prepare for owl pellet lab.

[Jenna Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fab. Very interesting too

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great realistic fiction, in formational book. This was a combination of informational and a story. Students loved it as they were able to listen to the story, while learning about owls.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

We love all the Read and Wonder books. They each tell a sweet, short story with facts about whichever creature the book is about. I’m a sucker for Nicola Davies illustrations.

[Nahuatl P Vargas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Súper lindo libro que habla sobre las lechuzas y sus hábitos.

Lo recomienod mucho.

[Sarah Mismash · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved this one!! Big fan of educational ones that have a story, and loved the ideas at the back too.

[Polly Crandall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations, beautiful story, interesting facts. A great book for young artists or scientists!

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

A boy and his grandfather take time to build an owl box and then discover what happens next.

[Lady reading under the Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: does use an impolite term for waste.

[Ronda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I paired this informative fiction picture book with different titles depending on grade. Located a copy of PBS excerpt called "The Power of Silent Flight", where viewers see (and hear) the difference between a pigeon, a peregrine falcon and a barn owl, in flight. Enjoyed pointing out the use of different fonts to indicate the realistic fiction story versus the facts. Some of the text was difficult to share, even with a lighted document camera because of the size of the font and darkness of the pages. That said, I love the illustrations and the examples of figurative language--onomatopoeia and simile. Ended lesson with sharing of the owl cam on Skidaway Island, near Savannah, Georgia, where a great horned owl pair have two babies.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked how the author was able to maintain all the factual information about barn owls while still making the story entertaining for young readers. I also enjoyed the additional facts noted in the pictures, so that you get both a narration of the story about barn owls and facts on the same page. There are even instructions for how to go about creating a barn owl box.

[Ronster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children's picture book. This story follows a young girl and her grandpa as they try to create a nesting site for a barn owl. Filled with facts about barn owls. Soft paintings depict nighttime beautifully. Pleasantly written. Use in lessons about barn owls, ecosystems and habitats.

[Annalee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another of Nicola Davies' hybrid narrative/informational picture books. I'm not as big of a fan of the illustrations in this as in some of her others, but it's still a great science/lit option for kids.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great non-fiction narrative type book. Meaning, instead of boring facts an details about an animal...it talks about it in a story form.

I think owls are so amazing! The pictures were great, the information was interesting! Nicely done!!

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 2 yo daughter liked this story and we read it a few times, but it was not requested night after night.

[Michelle Nero · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great text to read with "Owl Moon" by Jane Yolen.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pictures are beautiful in this book, it is a feel good story also.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Published: 2007

[Cemeread]

A narrative filled with simple facts about barn owls habitats and behaviors as a girl and her grandfather observe a nesting box they put in a tree. Additional information about nesting boxes.

[funny dot J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable book about a little girl, her grandpa, and how they look for and encounter a barn owl.