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Elf Owl
Hardcover
Hardcover
First published March 24, 1958
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 18, 2010
This is a different kind of book. I have to confess that I really don't know who draws the pictures and who tells the story in the husband-and-wife team of Mary and Conrad Buff, but both elements in this book are certainly good.
Elf Owl is sort of a non-fiction story that is written in a flowing style that feels a lot like poetry. This approach to the life and dramatic moments of the desert range works quite well, as we see all the nuances of life that unfold in the desert, primarily from the perspective of the miniature elf owls that live in their hollowed-out nest in a saguaro cactus.
This book is sort of in-between, as far is what it might be considered: a bit long for your average picture book (seventy-two pages), but without any kind of chapter divisions and with noticeably sparse text most of the way. Whoever drew the pictures did a marvelous job, especially on the one picture right near the end, which takes up an entire two-page spread. The artistic tools used in all these illustrations are simple, but incredibly effective.
The book's writing calls out for a reader who will get really into it, who will sympathize with the plight of the animals and speak in an animated voice when suspense and danger near. Because of that, I would recommend this book to be read out loud, though I read it to myself and found it to be interesting.
I would place Elf Owl somewhere in the one-and-a-half to two-star range.
Elf Owl is sort of a non-fiction story that is written in a flowing style that feels a lot like poetry. This approach to the life and dramatic moments of the desert range works quite well, as we see all the nuances of life that unfold in the desert, primarily from the perspective of the miniature elf owls that live in their hollowed-out nest in a saguaro cactus.
This book is sort of in-between, as far is what it might be considered: a bit long for your average picture book (seventy-two pages), but without any kind of chapter divisions and with noticeably sparse text most of the way. Whoever drew the pictures did a marvelous job, especially on the one picture right near the end, which takes up an entire two-page spread. The artistic tools used in all these illustrations are simple, but incredibly effective.
The book's writing calls out for a reader who will get really into it, who will sympathize with the plight of the animals and speak in an animated voice when suspense and danger near. Because of that, I would recommend this book to be read out loud, though I read it to myself and found it to be interesting.
I would place Elf Owl somewhere in the one-and-a-half to two-star range.
April 1, 2013
Elf Owl was a real treat because of its unusual pacing. It was more poetic than narrative; the book seemed content to have very little happen in the way of plot. This instead helped the reader slow down and settle in to the reality of life in the desert: there is mostly waiting, and watching, and a fair amount of thirsting, and not very much can be done about this. The only plot that emerges casts the environment itself as the protagonist, with the cycle of the seasons as the narrative arc. I recommend this.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews