WHOO-KU HAIKU: A GREAT HORNED OWL STORY
by Maria Gianferrari, Illustrated by Jonathan Voss
Putnam/G.P. Putnam & Sons, March 3, 2020
Audience: PreK to 3rd Grade
Nonfiction * Nature * Owls
Indiebound | WorldCat
Description from GoodReads:
Pip. Pip. Pip. Poking
A hole. Cracking. Cracking. Out
Pecks the white owlet.
Watch as a pair of great horned owlets peep and squeak in their feathered nest. Mama and Papa hunt for food and fend off predators while the chicks grow strong enough to hop and flap between the branches of their tree, then leap and fly away, ready to explore the wild world around them.
In this thrilling nonfiction picture book, a combination of haiku and dazzling illustration shows readers the fierce majesty of one of North America's most ubiquitous wild animals.
Quick thoughts on the book:
Owls and elephants are two creatures that I find fascinating. Though there are many elephant books that I love, I don’t think I have as many books about owls that touch me in the same way. After reading WHOO-KU HAIKU: A GREAT HORNED OWL STORY, I had to start reading it again and re-reading particular parts of the book. This was a new favorite.
In WHOO-KU HAIKU: A GREAT HORNED OWL STORY, Maria Gianferrari celebrates a pair of Great Horned Owls and their chicks.
Gianferrari’s beautiful text in haiku provides the right emotional tenor to the story of this family and the very real challenges of protecting the chicks as they grow.
Jonathan Voss’s beautifully vivid illustrations pairs powerfully with the story. The illustration of the mother owl with her owlets is probably my favorite in the book.
Throughout the book, readers are taken on an emotional rollercoaster as the young family faces the real dangers posed by natural predators eager to steal away one of the chicks for their own dinner.
The back matter at the end of the book includes facts about Great Horned Owls and additional resources.
Video resources - I looked for several videos that would be complimentary to the book, especially if you wanted to share them with students. Here is what I found:
All About Owls for Kids:
The Story of an Orphaned Great Horned Owl:
Mother Owl feeding her babies.
Great Horned Owl Nest Cam:
For more facts and resources about the Great Horned Owls:
National Geographic Kids - Great Horned Owl
San Diego Zoo - Great Horned Owl
Look for this book at your local indie bookstore or community library.
About the author:
WHOO’s Maria Gianferrari? She’s a self-proclaimed bird nerd with a special fondness for raptors. Her love affair with birds began in 7th grade science class when her teacher, Mr. Lefebvre, initiated a bird count. While walking in her neighborhood, Maria’s always on the look-out for all kinds of birds, and she loves searching winter tree tops for nests in her northern Virginia neighborhood where she lives with her German-scientist husband and German speaking daughter. This is her first book with GP Putnam’s Sons. She’s also the author of another bird book, Hawk Rising. To learn more about Maria, please visit her website: mariagianferrari.com.
Here is a chance to win a copy of WHOO-KU HAIKU by Maria Gianferrari…