The Barn Owls

by Tony Johnston, Deborah Kogan Ray (Illustrator)

Tony Johnston's THE BARN OWLS recalls in quiet tones the memory of a barn that has stood alone in a wheat field for one hundred years at least. The owls have nested there and have hunted in the fields and circled in the night skies as time slowly slipped by. Every night, as the moon rises, a barn owl awakens and flies out to hunt. Feathered against the endless starry night, he swoops and sails to the darkened wheat field below and catches a mouse in his nimble talons. With outstretched wings, this barn owl returns to his barn nest and his hungry family, repeating the ageless ritual his ancestors have practiced here, in this barn, for at least one hundred years. Following the life cycle of the barn owl, this gentle poem evokes a sense of warm sunshine and envelopes readers with the memory of the scent of a wheat field.

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

32 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2000

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Tony Johnston has written many acclaimed books for young people. She and her husband lived in Mexico for fifteen years, where they raised their children. She now lives in San Marino, California.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, fairly gentle owl book for young readers who don't want the peril often associated with books about birds of prey. (Mentions the owls hunt mice and there's an illustration of a mice hanging from an owl's beak in flight but it's fairly soft, not too graphic.) This isn't so much an informational text as a story-poem about barn owls.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another owl storytime book. Gorgeously illustrated book with a very calm feel about barn owls and how they live their lives for "a hundred years at least", how they catch mice, have baby owls and live together in a red barn. Now I remember where I had seen the illustrators name before. She illustrated that beautiful picture book "To Go Singing Through the World: The Childhood of Pablo Neruda" one of my favorite picture books that I discovered last year.

[Amber Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this narrative! It tells the story of how the barn owls live their lives, for at least 100 years. The author uses Purpose Repetition (...one by one stars come out and blink. One by one owls wake up and blink.) and Personification (And bees hummed their hymn of wheat.) This also shows students how they can bring their stories to life. I believe this will help their writings become more interesting and lively.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Barn Owls by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray, c. 2000.
This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of the barn owls who have occupied the old barn in the middle of a wheat field for a hundred years at least. In poetic language perfect for a bedtime story, the life cycle of the owls is illustrated. The lovely pictures that fill the pages seem to glow.
"By night one by one stars come out and blink. One by one owls wake up and blink."

Recommended for ages 2-5 years.

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son loves this book and often requested it from the local library. We finally got him his own copy so he can continue his fascination with owls. It's a short story and be prepared to explain the page in the middle (where the owl catches a mouse and holds it in his mouth) to younger children.

It's a very calm and quiet story; great for reading before bed.

[Julie Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Barn Owls by JJohnston_ Tony - Ray_ Deborah Kogan
Children's story which I listened to and the pages are colorful.
Owls have lived near barn for hundreds of years near wheat fields. Talks of what they eat for food as the day goes by and night comes.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

[Jpickering · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be great to have in a classroom for those students who are naturalist. It would even be great to have as a reference book when talking about the different types of animals and their habitats.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The watercolor and pencil illustrations are the book's strength while carried along by verse. The depictions of light/dark, the owl's haunting face and its stillness and motion are easy to enter into.

[Jami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations, clunky story.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Subtle, gorgeous pictures. A lovely rhythm and shy rhyme with a few surprises. Johnson captures the passage of time and sense of place in this story.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely, sleepy book about owls. It is simple enough and bright enough for storytime, but would be best as a one on one or independent read.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A free verse poem about barn owls' daily life told in picture book format. I thought the pictures were wonderful.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple but lyrical poetry set to some of the most gorgeous illustrations I've ever seen.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soothing book before bed.

[Callie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another one of my favorite books when I was little. My Grandpa had a barn owl in his barn. I was fascinated by them, and this book only furthered that fascination.

[Carol Royce Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful mood, beautiful narrative, beautiful illustrations.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through the years in an old barn, owls have lived. This picture book poem is helped told through soft, delicate illustrations.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The barn has stood in the wheat field for at least a hundred years and owls have slept there all day long. Sometimes, owls glide out in the daytime and float away. But when night comes and the stars begin to twinkle, the owls wake up, blink, and hunt for mice by the light of the moon.

What else happens in the barn?

=========

Beautiful watercolor-pencil and paint illustrations accompany the gentle narrative in this eloquent tribute to the barn owl. Young readers are sure to feel encouraged to learn more about the barn owls

The targeted audience for this picture book is the young reader from preschool through third grade, ages two through eight. Here, in this gentle introduction to nature and the owl, the realism, couched in the poetic narrative, is sure to delight young and old alike.

Highly recommended,

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dreamy -- yet bold, and spare. I love the idea of thinking about what happens in one place over time (in the past, in the future). That question wasn't as accessible as I'd hoped, but the 4th graders I shared this with very much engaged with the returning ideas and musical phrases. The illustrations are perfect in that they enliven the text and never get in its way.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hardly ever give a 5 star rating, but "The Barn Owls" had me mesmerized and I couldn't not! I sunk deeply and soundly into the poetry and the gorgeous illustrations, and I joined the barn owls, with their haunting, heart-shaped faces. What a pleasure!

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful poem about barn owls. Accompanied by even more beautiful illustrations. I read this at a nature center and it was a perfect addition to the children’s area.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

For at least one hundred years, generations of barn owls have slept, hunted, called, raised their young, and glided silently above the wheat fields around the old barn.

[Kelly Case · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this after learning about Owls at the Elkhorn Slough. Beautiful illustrations with a catchy story. Wonderful addition to my classroom science library, and for my owls in October theme.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

IN poetic style the author describes owls living in an old barn, hunting, feeding their young, venturing out mostly at night. Beautiful illustrations.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeously illustrated.

[Scott T.E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful art.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story and illustrations

[Aura Keaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have re-read "The Barn Owls" by Tony Johnston because I realized my failure in understanding the point of this easy-reader. I know now that this is a poem, an ode to the simple life of a barn owl from egg to adult. There is nothing extraordinary about its way of life, only its ghostlike face as it soars through the darkness, silent as a wraith, snatching mice from the golden wheat fields. I found this book to be gentle in its poetic verse, but found more enjoyment in the pencil illustrations from Deborah Kogan Ray.

[Ammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite owl book that we own. It's informative without being too textbooky.

I've noticed that I'm a bit of a Tony Johnston fan. I have a tendency to lean towards illustrators and will read all their works, and several of my favorite illustrators have illustrated Tony's work.