• Age: 4 to 10
• Grade: p to 5

He Who Flies By Night: The Story of Grey Owl tells the true story of how Englishman Archie Belaney fulfilled his childhood fantasy of living in Canada's North with the First Nations people. He transformed himself into Wa-Sha-Quon-Asin or 'Grey Owl,' living with the animals of the forest and coming to love and respect the beauty and balance of nature. Children will love reading of how he lives with his two beaver friends, Jelly Roll and Rawhide, and how part of their beaver lodge was built right up through the floor of his cabin at Ajawaan Lake, Saskatchewan! Grey Owl became a well-respected conservationist, saving his beloved beavers from extinction.

Grey Owl's vision and quest for conservation is shared throughout this book. The story itself is written in an engaging and colourful manner and beautiful paintings by First Nations artist, Mike Keepness, illustrate Grey Owl's remarkable adventures in northern Saskatchewan and take the reader from dawn to dusk and through the seasons. Children will be intrigued to discover a grey owl in every picture and the paintings themselves, in addition to their clarity of depiction, convey the humour and poignancy of Grey Owl's chosen life in the wild.

Most children are unaware of Grey Owl and the lasting legacy of conservation he inspired. It is our hope that He Who Flies By Night: The Story of Grey Owl will continue to share Grey Owl's wonderful, timeless message of respect for nature and wildlife. Grey Owl, a master storyteller himself, often spoke with children about the importance of our place in the environment, saying, Remember, you belong to Nature, not it to you.

Lori Punshon feels a deep connection to the lakes and forests of northern Saskatchewan. The discovery that very little had been written about Grey Owl with a childrens audience in mind prompted Lori to write her first book: He Who Flies by Night: The Story of Grey Owl. Lori lives in Regina, Saskatchewan with her husband and children.

Lori Punshon's profile page

For illustrator Mike Keepness, growing up on Pasqua First Nation helped develop a love for nature. His wide-open prairie scenes evoke a sense of the majestic vastness of the great Canadian prairies, reminding us of our need to harmonize modern technology with an endangered ecology that is our duty to preserve.

Mike Keepness' profile page