Owl Moon is a 1987 children's book written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by John Schoenherr. It tells the story of a young girl who goes on a walk with her father to look for owls on a winter night. The illustrations use a realism style to faithfully depict the scenes as they would appear in nature. Some key illustration techniques used include realistic lines to show landscapes, curved shapes to portray objects in motion like an owl preparing to fly, cool colors like blues and grays to set the wintry scene, and textures that bring depth like the fluffiness of newly fallen snow. The composition frames the owl as the dominant focal point of important scenes.

1. OWL MOON
BY: JANE YOLEN
ILLUSTRATED: JOHN SCHOENHERR
PUBLISHED: 1987; PHILOMEL BOOKS
CALDECOTT MEDAL: 1988
BY: TONIA RAY

3. REALISM STYLE
• Realism: a faithful reproduction of nature, people,
and objects as they actually appear. (pg. 33)
• The illustrations of the book are very much real and
have a way of making the reader feel as if they are
in the scene. You can feel the cold of winter and
the darkness of the woods in the next picture.

5. LINE
• Lines are used to communicate illustrations to the
audience. The lines used in this book are both
straight and curved.
• In the following picture you can see the curve of
the hills, the tall and short shadows of the father and
son, the boundary of their farm and the curves of
the trees.

7. SHAPE
• Shape represents an object. Curved shapes usually
represent objects in nature. The following picture of
the owl represents that it is getting ready to take
flight. You can tell this by the curve of his wings.

8. COLOR
• Color sets the tone of the scene. Sometimes
pictures are black and white and will represent
simplicity and sometimes color will be used to add
dramatization. Owl Moon takes place in the woods
during winter, therefore, a lot of blues, grays, and
whites are used.

9. TEXTURE
• Texture adds depth and additional meaning to the
illustration. By using texture, illustrations come alive
and real for the reader. In the first picture, the
texture of the coats tell you that it is very cold
outside. The coats look heavy and indicate the
coldness of winter. In the second picture you can
see the fluffiness of the snow which indicates that
the snow has just fallen.

11. COMPOSITION
• In the following picture, the owl is bigger than the
characters because the owl is the dominant object.
The author wants the reader to recognize the owl as
being the focal point of the story, not just an object.