Caldecott Challenge Update, #7

A Caldecott Snapshot

• Total Books Read to-date: 124/310
• Stack count: 9
• Number of Inter-library loans: 3 (Fish in the Air came over 2,300 miles from Toledo, Ohio!)
• Oldest book: 1948 Caldecott Honors, Juanita and Fish in the Air
• Newest book: 2009 Caldecott Honor, A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever

Click on the cover images to get more complete synopsis on each title!

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Highlights from a few in the stack:

Juanita

by Leo Politi

1948 Caldecott Honor

Leo Politi has done a marvelous job at capturing the Latino community experience in the Southern California area through the books I’ve read so far for the Challenge (Pedro, the Angel of Olvera Street and The Song of the Swallows). I prefer his 1950 Medal winning Song of the Swallows slightly more than this one, because I like it’s topic of Mission history better, though this is a nice look at a Mexican cultural celebration. I could see it still being used in studying Mexican heritage in Los Angeles. The pictures are sweet and colorful.

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Henry, Fisherman

by Marcia Brown

1950 Caldecott Honor

Of the two Marcia Brown books in my stack, this was the favorite for both my kids and I. It was very much a “day in the life” type story of a young boy in the Virgin Islands and while the story was okay, the illustrations are terrific. The color choices for these block prints were bright and cheerful. I especially liked the harbor scenes with the multitude of colors.

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If I Ran the Zoo

by Dr. Suess

1951 Caldecott Honor

This book is very Suess-ian, with great rhyming and wacky animals. As Caldecott Challenge friend Laura wrote, there are some derogatory racial references to Asians in the book, but overall, it is a great one to read aloud.

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The Most Wonderful Doll in the World

Illustrated by Helen Stone and Written by Phyllis McGinley

1951 Caldecott Honor

As a former doll owner and mom to two girls, I should like a good doll story, but, oh, how I despised the little girl in this story, which is really an early chapter book rather than a picture book. The young girl Dulcy loses a doll, and with each person she meets the tales of the doll’s features get more and more exaggerated. I know the character was supposed to be that way to teach a lesson to the reader, but I thought it was over the top. I did, however, like the loose, sketch-style of the illustrations though.

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T-Bone the Babysitter

by Clare Turlay Newberry

1951 Caldecott Honor

This was my favorite of the Clare Turlay Newberry books that I’ve read so far for the Challenge. As an author and illustrator, it’s clear that she really understood the connection between people and their pets. This one is a sweet story, where the family cat is a constant companion to family’s new baby. When the cat becomes a bit too mischievous around the house, it is banished to a  relative’s home in the country. It soon becomes apparent that no one is happy with the new arrangement. Newberry’s illustrations are adorable and I think it has a nice balance of text to illustrations that make it feel like a modern story book.

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A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever

by Marla Frazee

2009 Caldecott Honor

Fast forward almost 60 years to this 2009 Honor book. Frazee, as always delights with her whimsical kids and funny details in this tale about two boys who go to a summer day camp together. It’s especially fun to note that the illustrations are often contrary to what the text is describing, which makes it so fun to share. For example the text says, “They decided to stay home and enjoy Bill and Pam’s company.” But meanwhile, the illustration shows the boys high-tailing it out of the house. A perfect tale of kids, just being kids.

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The other books I read from this stack

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Find all of these books reviewed over at my Goodreads Caldecott bookshelf. You can also follow along in the Newbery discussions, fondly called Nerdcott, at Twitter using the hashtag #nerdcott, or join us in the stress-free Challenge! Find out more about the challenge here in Laura’s original post or Anna’s original post.

Caldecott Challenge Update, #6

A Caldecott Snapshot

• Total Books Read to-date: 115/310
• Stack count: 4
• Number of Inter-library loans: 1 (Dash and Dart)
• Oldest book: 1943 Caldecott Honor, Dash and Dart
• Newest book: 1954 Caldecott Honor, A Very Special House

My thoughts on the stack:

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Dash and Dart

by Mary Buff and Conrad Buff

1943 Caldecott Honor

As I read this, I kept thinking it was a plotless version of Bambi. The fawns are cute and we get to see them in a lovely forest setting, but that’s about it. They grow bigger, experience the seasons and grow antlers. Not particularly riveting, and I’m not sure to whom I’d recommend this one.

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Song of the Swallows

by Leo Politi

1950 Caldecott Medal

I enjoyed this book the most of my stack, but I think that’s because when I was a teacher, I taught California history, including history of the Mission system. I loved the illustrations and information about the architecture and layout of the mission. In particular, I’ve shared the aerial view of the mission, as I think it gives a great sense of the sprawling, all-inclusive complex that these missions where designed to be. I could see still using and sharing this book in a classroom context, though I can’t really see handing this to a child not actively learning about Mission life.

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The Biggest Bear

by Lynn Ward

1953 Caldecott Medal

Ugh. I did not like this book. I haven’t read all the nominee books for the Caldecott year 1950, but honestly the Caldecott Committee found this one more worthy than One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey? Of course, I’m reading this with a more enlightened sense of animal life than when this book was published, but I couldn’t stand the obsession with killing bears, toting guns, raising bears as domesticated animals, and then identifying a captured, zoo-bound bear, as having a great life to look forward too.

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A Very Special House

Illustrated by Maurice Sendak and Written by Ruth Krauss

1953 Caldecott Honor

I imagine this was considered to be ground breaking for the time for both the whimsical feel of it’s text and the highly imaginative illustrations. Krauss’s word play makes for a fun read. Sendak’s illustrations have a doodle-like feel to them, which is in sharp contrast to the more classically rendered realistic illustrations that you find in contemporaries to this book, like a McCloskey, for example, or the above mentioned The Biggest Bear by Lynn Ward. It is not my favorite Krauss book, nor is it my favorite book illustrated by Sendak, but it was still fun to read.

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Find all of these books reviewed over at my Goodreads Caldecott bookshelf. You can also follow along in the Newbery discussions, fondly called Nerdcott, at Twitter using the hashtag #nerdcott, or join us in the stress-free Challenge! Find out more about the challenge here in Laura’s original post or Anna’s original post.

Caldecott Challenge Update, #5

A Caldecott Snapshot

• Total Books Read to-date: 110/310
• Stack count: 6
• Number of Inter-library loans: 3
• Farthest Inter-library loan: About 190 miles. Three books Roger and the Fox, Bambino the Clown, and Sing in Praise: A Collection of Best Loved Hymns came from Portland, Oregon-area libraries.
• Oldest book: 1947 Caldecott Honor, Sing in Praise
• Newest book: 1989 Caldecott Medal, Song and Dance Man

My thoughts on the stack:

Two of my books this time were books with sheet music. Sing in Praise, was based on religious hymns, while the other, Song of Robin Hood was based on 13th and 14th century folk ballads about Robin Hood. It’s hard to imagine such books being published today, or if so, that there would be a viable market within children’s literature for them. Continuing the trend of the era, the true storybooks from the 1940s in the stack were rather wordy.

See a side-by-side comparison of Song and Dance Man, (1989 Medal) and Bambino the Clown (1948 Honor). Which one do you think might make a young reader or listener of today get squirmy during a reading? Hmm . . . I’ve got my money on Bambino. What a difference forty years makes!

On the left 1948 Caldecott Honor "Bambino the Clown", and on the right "Song and Dance Man", 1989 Caldecott Medal

Some other memorable books from the stack . . .

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Sing in Praise: A Collection of Best Loved Hymns

illustrated by Marjorie Torrey, and music by Opal Wheeler

1947 Caldecott Honor

While I found the text, which is the stories behind the hymns, to be wordy and probably over the heads of most young readers, the illustrations had a lovely nostalgic quality to them. I’ve picked a couple of my favorite images that were rendered in full color. The young girl in braids reminds me of photos of my mother at that age.

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Song of Robin Hood

illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton with musical arrangement by Grace Castagnetta

1948 Caldecott Honor

I found Virginia Lee Burton’s illustrations to be stunning in this musical book, and would award it 5-stars on Goodreads just based on these detailed gems. But, alas the text brought it down to a 3-star rating, as it doesn’t have kid-appeal for today’s young readers. The text, which is based on ballads from hundreds of years ago, is very complex, with an old English feel to them, even though the editor describes that the verbage has been “modernized”. I confess, I tended to skip much of the text and song lyrics just to look at the lovely illustrations which were done both in pen and ink and scratchboard. If you’re fond of Burton’s other books (The Little House or Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel), I recommending finding this book just to admire her work further. The attention to detail, even on the pages with sheet music is lovely.

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Song and Dance Man

illustrated by Stephen Gammell and written by Karen Ackerman

1989 Caldecott Medal

This was a sweet story of a grandfather who is spending time with his three grandchildren and entertaining them with tales from his past as a vaudeville performer. The children are enthralled with his singing and dancing, and he is clearly delighted to have someone with which to share his memories and talents. The colored pencil illustrations have a soft pallette and the figures have adorable faces that have been caricatured just a bit to add some whimsy. I recognized Gammell’s style right away, as the images remind me of his work The Relatives Came (with Cynthia Rylant), for which he won a Caldecott Honor in 1986.

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Find all of these books reviewed over at my Goodreads Caldecott bookshelf. You can also follow along in the Newbery discussions, fondly called Nerdcott, at Twitter using the hashtag #nerdcott, or join us in the stress-free Challenge! Find out more about the challenge here in Laura’s original post or Anna’s original post.

Caldecott Challenge Update, #4

A Caldecott Snapshot

• Total Books Read to-date: 104/310
• Stack count: 5
• Number of Inter-library loans: 5
• Farthest Inter-library loan: You Can Write Chinese, ~836 miles, California State University-Hayward
• Oldest book: 1944 Caldecott Honor, Pierre Pidgeon, illustrated by Arnold E. Bare and written by Lee Kingman
• Newest book: 1947 Caldecott Honor, Timothy Turtle, illustrated by Tony Palazzo and written by Al Graham

My thoughts on the stack:

The 1940s continue to demonstrate they were a rather dry period for picturebooks. Several stories were really rather boring, but Timothy Turtle gave me hope! I hope you’ll get a chance to find this out-of-print book from your library or a used book seller. And, have I mentioned lately how much I love my library? Five out-of-print books delivered to my library from around the West and at no cost to me. Pretty cool, I say. Support your public libraries!

Some memorable books from the stack . . .

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Sing Mother Goose

illustrated by Marjorie Torrey, and music by Opal Wheeler

1946 Caldecott Medal

Marjorie Torrey's Illustration for Ride a Cock Horse

This book has many familiar nursery rhymes with illustrations and sheet music to accompany. While I can’t declare you need to find this book to fulfill your nursery rhyme needs today, it does have some nice illustrations, and the music would be great for a teacher or family that is musically inclined. The book has three types of drawings: pen and ink, pen and ink with single color plates, and then full color plates. I was partial to the full color plates and their jewel tone colors, with details that reminded me of some Japanese wood block prints I have seen.

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Timothy Turtle

illustrated by Tony Palazzo and written by Al Graham

1947 Caldecott Honor

This book stands out for its playful rhyming text that feels . . . well . . . like a storybook.  Palazzo’s pictures were a nice accompaniment to the writing, and I loved the expressive animals. Graham’s word choices were great, and even included unexpected vocabulary that made it a treat to read aloud. The design of the book is also very different than other books of the time, with non-traditional typesetting that is curved or even diagonal at times. Both my seven year-old and I thought it was fun. This is one worth tracking down!

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Find all of these books reviewed over at my Goodreads Caldecott bookshelf. You can also follow along in the Newbery discussions, fondly called Nerdcott, at Twitter using the hashtag #nerdcott, or join us in the stress-free Challenge! Find out more about the challenge here in Laura’s original post or Anna’s original post.

Caldecott Challenge Update, #3

This round of Caldecott books was focused on finishing up the 1930s, and lots from the 1940s. Overall I found this pile to be full of so-so books. My complaints on most are that they were too long. A few did standout, coincidentally, all from the award year 1948, and I’ve highlighted those below.

Find all of these books reviewed over at my Goodreads Caldecott bookshelf. You can also follow along in the Newbery discussions, fondly called Nerdcott, at Twitter using the hashtag #nerdcott, or join us in the stress-free Challenge! Find out more about the challenge here in Laura’s original post or Anna’s original post.

A bookstack snapshot

Total Books Read to-date: 98/310

Stack count: 12

Thoughts and highlights from this stack:

• Oldest book: 1939 Caldecott Honor, Barkis, by Clare Turlay Newberry
• Newest book: 1950 Caldecott Honors, Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Suess, and The Happy Day written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Marc Simont
• I’m starting to receive some of the Inter-library Loan books and some of those in this pile are the very frail, almost disintegrating copies you see in the stack.

Some memorable books from the stack . . .

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White Snow, Bright Snow

written by Alvin Tresselt and illustrated by Roger Duvoisin

1948 Caldecott Medal

On the right is the poem that opens the story.

This is one of the few books where I liked the text far more than the illustrations. The book celebrates snow and opens with a lovely poem about winter. While the illustrations have a charming old-fashioned look to them, the story doesn’t seem dated despite the age. I found the coloring a bit strange on the pictures, especially the pages with people who had an Oompa Loompa orange glow to them. Overall, though, I thought it was a good book worthy of pulling out on a wintery day.

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Stone Soup, by Marcia Brown, 1948 Caldecott Honor

This is a re-read of this classic story for me and I still love it. The villagers try to outsmart the visiting soldiers by hiding their food stores. In the end they get duped by the even more clever soldiers, but are probably better off for it.

"They ate and drank and ate and drank. And after that they danced. They danced and sang far into the night."

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McElligot’s Pool, by Dr. Suess Caldecott Honor 1948

This stack introduced me to two Dr. Suess books that I had not yet read. I prefered McElligot’s Pool to the other Suess in my pile, Bartholomew and the Oobleck. This book had the rhyming text and delightful nonsense words and creatures that I love so much in his books. The colors and illustrations aren’t quite as bright or sharply defined as those in his later works (think Cat in the Hat), but still a very recognizable illustration style. My youngest daughter just loved the ryhming and fun-filled illustrations in this one, as did I.

Caldecott Challenge Update, #2

Here’s my latest stack of Caldecott Books. I’ve been keeping busy with the 1940s and 1930s, but sneaking a few in there from other times, too! Last week, the 2012 Caldecott Awards were announced, thus increasing the total books to read to 310. Two of those new honor books I read recently–Blackout and Me . . . Jane. I look forward to finding the others, A Ball for Daisy and Grandpa Green, in my Caldecott stack sometime soon!

Find all of these books reviewed over at my Goodreads Caldecott bookshelf. You can also follow along in the discussions at Twitter using the hashtag #nerdcott, or join us in the stress-free Challenge! Find out more about the challenge here in Laura’s original post.

A bookstack snapshot

Total Books Read to-date: 87/310

Stack count: 15

Thoughts and highlights from this stack:

• Oldest book: 1938 Caldecott Medal, Animals of the Bible
• Newest book: 2011 Caldecott Medal, Sick Day for Amos McGee
• 1947 was a good year for illustrator Leonard Weisgard–his work won both the Caldecott Medal (The Little Island) and a Caldecott Honor (Rain Drop Splash)

Some memorable books from the stack . . .

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Forest Pool, written and illustrated by Laura Adams Armer

1939 Caldecott Honor

The story was so, so but the illustrations were stunning and very much in the spirit of Diego Rivera’s murals with the warm jewel tones and rounded edges. Gorgeous to thumb through.

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Snow White, by Wanda Gág, 1939 Caldecott Honor

I loved the design of this book. My copy was large, probably 12″ x 12″, which is makes it nice for sharing. The margins are wide, and the lines of the text aren’t too tightly packed together. It really makes for a more pleasant reading experience when you’ve seen other books from the era. The story of Snow White is the familiar one, but with a few hints of the Three Little Bears in there as well.  My two girls, ages 7 and 10 liked it, though I suspect it might be too long for some readers. Like all Wanda Gág work, the illustrations are charming.

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Many Moons, illustrated by Louis Slobodkin, written by James Thurber

 Caldecott Medal 1944

While admittedly, it is a longer story, I still think it will appeal to kids, ages 7-10, with its clever story of the princess and very wise court jester. The illustrations are also nice. They are colorful with soft, blurred edges which is quite a contrast to the firm pen-lined drawings  in many other books of the era.

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Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by Erin E. Stead and written by Philip C. Stead

Caldecott Medal 2011

Oh, how I adore this book! It is simply a lovely combination of great art work accenting a sweet story about friendship. After reading it, I just can’t imagine the text not being paired with anything but these gentle yet very expressive illustrations. I borrowed this one from the library, but I bet somehow it will end up in my “permanent” collection soon!

Caldecott Challenge Update, #1

I’ve been reading lots of picture books over the last few weeks and I wanted to write an update on my progress with the Caldecott Challenge.

Books read: 70/306 (That number will change when the ALA announces the 2012 Caldecott winners next week!)

Current Caldecott Bookstack

I have really been enjoying reading for the Caldecott Challenge. My youngest, Small, who is seven, has been reading along with me for most of the books. Find all of these books reviewed over at my Goodreads Caldecott bookshelf, follow along in the discussions at Twitter using the hashtag #nerdcott, or join us in the stress-free Challenge!

Thoughts and highlights from this stack:

• Oldest books: Caldecott Awards 1938 (Seven Simeons and Four and Twenty Black Birds)
• Newest books: Caldecott Awards 2009 (The House in the Night and How I Learned Geography)
• This stack included three books illustrated by Robert Lawson: Four and Twenty Blackbirds, Wee Gillis, and They Were Strong and Good. I think it’s safe to assume the Caldecott Committee liked his work.
• In general, books from the 1930s and 40s have LOTS and LOTS of words. Small occasionally ran from the room when she saw some of those text packed pages. Interesting reaction, but understandable when you see picture books of today that have significantly fewer words and more “white space”.

Some memorable books from the stack . . .

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April’s Kittens, written and illustrated by Clare Turlay Newberry, 1941 Caldecott Honor

Sweet story with charming soft focus illustrations that will appeal to animal lovers. The ending had us cheering happily.

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Nothing At All, by Wanda Gág, 1942 Caldecott Honor

I loved this book! The design of the book is so perfect from the fun font type, to the sweet and soft colored illustrations. The story is about a puppy eager to alter himself so that he can reunite with his brothers. This book stood out for it’s design. There was less text on each page and plenty of margin space. I can’t exactly put my finger on why, but it is so much more visually attractive to read. So many of the books to this point in the 1930s and 1940s seemed to be filled with text and illustration from one side of the book to the other.

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 In the Forest, written and illustrated Marie Hall Ets, Caldecott Honor 1945

I really liked this one, as we follow a boy on an imaginary adventure where he gathers up animals to join his parade, and  I still think it will appeal to readers today. And for a 1940s bonus, it too, is not too wordy!

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The House in the Night, written by Susan Marie Swanson and illustrated by Beth Krommes, Caldecott Medal 2009

My girls are a bit too old for this wonderful book to have entered our personal library, but believe me it would have been if they were only a few years younger. A very sparse, comforting text accompanies the lovely and intricately detailed scratchboard illustrations. It has a rhythm and predictability that will have young readers anticipating what will come next, much the way my girls did with Goodnight Moon. I suspect I’ll be gifting this one a lot to the toddlers and preschoolers in my life!