Owl Eyes

By Frieda Gates

Raweno, Master of all Spirits and Everything-Maker, made the world and everything in it, but nothing gave him quite so much trouble as Owl This retelling of a traditional Kanienke-haka (Mohawk) creation legend will have readers of all ages laughing at the irrepressible but indecisive bird. "This will make a fine story-hour choice and an interesting addition to units on Native Americans."--Booklist.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688124720
• ISBN13: 9780688124724
• Release Date: September 1994
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.5" x 10.5"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

please just sit still!

This story sort of fell in our laps... I picked it out from the library since I was looking for stories about owls but this tale turns out to be more a story about minding your own business. I read it to my daughter a few times on days when she had been getting in trouble for being nosy; I thought it would be a gentle humourous story that lets her know that everyone is nosy sometimes, so it's not just her being singled out. Of course, the story also sends the message that you don't want to take your interrupting and rudeness too far! She was almost 4 at the time and always got very serious and sober after the story. After the third time, she asked me not to read it anymore. I suppose this is because she felt it was speaking directly to her and it made her uncomfortable. I personally thought the book was humorous and beautifully illustrated. It would make a nice addition to a unit on Native American studies for older children.

Why the owl has big round eyes...........

I read this book aloud to a group of 14 four-year-old children who were enchanted by the tale of the creator Spirit Rawena and the pesky little owl who couldn't make up his mind, and who couldn't mind his own business. The beautiful illustrations enhance the tale and are dramatic enough to catch the attention of a very squirmy group of kids! Some may find the narrative a little cruel by the bland standards of most modern stories for kids; this is true of many myths and folk tales, however, and the humor used in the telling of this story, and the justice dealt out by the creator, will appeal to children four years old and older.