Barn Owl by Phyllis Flower

Barn Owl by Phyllis Flower. Illustrated by Cherryl Pape Out of Print
An I Can Read Book

Pages: 62 pages
Ages: 6+
Finished: July 16, 2010
First Published: 1978
Publisher: Harper & Row
Genre: non-fiction, barn owls
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

High in the corner of the barn, the barn owl sits and waits.

Acquired: Purchased my own copy.

Reason for Reading: My son read aloud to me as his reader.

This is a beautiful story. We've had the book since ds was small and have read it to him many times and now he is able to read it himself. Told in a narrative, storytelling voice this tells the life cycle of a barn owl from birth until he mates and has young of his own. The story is told realistically without anthropomorphizing any of the animals; it is truly a nature story. We experience the owls' birth and then follow the strongest one as he grows in the nest, learns to fly, deals with a cat, meets man, learns to hunt, experiences winter and finally starts the cycle of nature over again by mating and having young of his own. Ms. Flower writes in a beautiful voice which is touching and heartwarming and the book has a strong pro-nature emphasis without being obtrusive. The illustrations are also very nice, especially of the adult owls. I'm surprised this one has been let go to out of print status as it is not dated at all and quite relevant and excellently written. Worth looking for!