A Caldecott Celebration

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Marcus, Leonard. 1998. A CALDECOTT CELEBRATION. Walker Publishing Company, Inc. New York: ISBN 0802786588

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Leonard Marcus takes us behind the scenes for an in depth look at six Caldecott Award winners from six different decades and gives an autobiographical slant to these artists and their paths to becoming award winners. An introduction tells the reader about this distinguished award given each year to the best illustrator of a children’s book. He also tells a little (because that’s all that’s known) about how the recipients are chosen. One thing that is certain. Winning this award “prompts librarians, teachers, parents, and children to talk about the books.

Marcus describes the journey of the winners and spotlights their art history and how their celebrated books came about. Each artist won his or her award in a different decade and the description gives a glimpse into the world at the time and how this history shaped the artist’s thinking and his/her work.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: All teachers should own this book and take the
time to explain the history of these famous Caldecott Award Winning authors and illustrators before the books are enjoyed by their classes. Children would be amazed to read about these illustrators and their background. The history of how the books evolved through the hands of each author was fascinating. This book would appeal to all ages, young children listening to a description of McCloskey keeping ducks at his home to observe as well as how Chris Van Allsburg’s stories appear to older students studying the hidden meaning between the pages. The book also includes a helpful list of Caldecott winners from 1938 until the book was written in 1998. A glossary of artistic terms was placed in the back of the book to help the reader understand the terms artists use. His book would be a perfect addition to an art teacher's class library.

It would have been interesting to read how Marcus chose these particular books and how the books changed over the decades. It also would be interesting to read why Marcus decided these books were examples of the decades they were written.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

1999 ALA Notable Children's Book
1999 winner, Independent Publishers Association Award, Best Picture Book
1998 New York Public Library "100 Titles for Reading and Sharing"

Starred review from PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “Filled with witty anecdotes and pithy observations, Marcus's (Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom) approach to examining the works of six Caldecott Medalists will be of as much interest to adults as to picture book readers.”

Starred review from KIRKUS REVIEW: "Fascinating . . . An outstanding work about the connections between parents and children, editors and artists and readers and writers."

Starred review from BOOKLIST: "A beautifully made book."

Starred review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "While the focus is on the creation of the award-winning books, a great deal of background about the artists' lives and the way in which they work is given. The large, attractive pages invite readers to savor the multitude of illustrations."

5. CONNECTIONS
I was fascinated with this book. It was so interesting to read about the author’s lives, the history at the time the Caldecott Award books were written, and how the authors gave birth to their stories. I told my granddaughters the story of how MAKE ROOM FOR DUCKLINGS was written and they giggled with delight. The author of one of their favorite books actually kept ducks as pets. “We want to draw ducks!” they shouted with glee, and begged to go down to the nearby lake and catch a duck!
Readers who enjoyed A CALDECOTT CELEBRATION may enjoy:
SHOW AND TELL: EXPLORING THE FINE ART OF CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS, Dilys Evans. ISBN13 9780811849715
ARTIST TO ARTIST: 23 MAJOR ILLUSTRATORS TO TALK TO CHILDREN ABOUT THEIR ART, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. 13: 9780399246005

MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS by Robert McCloskey

“You have to rather think like a duck.” Robert McCloskey

May Massee of Viking Press gave him good advice: …draw things he knew firsthand instead of the stuffy mythological scenes that he thought a “serious” artist was supposed to draw. He heard about a family of ducks that stopped traffic and decided that was a story he wanted to write. He studied ducks and even brought some home to live with him. McCloskey did not want an exact replica in his story of the park where his ducks lived; he wanted the” feel of the place.” He trimmed his final draft letting the illustrations tell more of the story. Make Way for Ducklings was published in 1941. In 1942 McCloskey found out he won the Caldecott for his book. He then went on to win another Caldecott medal as well as three Caldecott Honor Book Medals.

CINDERELLA; or, THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER by Marcia Brown

“When I was a child, thinking I would like one day to illustrate books for children, I always thought of the fairy tales that I loved.” Marcia Brown

Marcia Brown won six Caldecott Honor Awards before she won the Caldecott Award for Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper. To research Brown spent months in museums and libraries studying the style of the setting and characters she would illustrate. She even studied the way her characters would move. In 1955, after coming home from dinner, Brown found out she had won the Caldecott Award for her Cinderella! From here Brown went on to win more awards as she studied and changed her style of artwork to “suit the stories.” In all Brown won six Caldecott Honor Awards and three Caldecott Awards.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE by Maurice Sendak

“Where the Wild Things Are was not meant to please everybody – only children.” Maurice Sendak

As Max spent time on his island, Sendak’s Wild Things become larger, then smaller as he headed home. The illustrations tell the story in the middle of the book and most of the text is saved for the beginning and the end of the story. It took years for the final copy of Where the Wild Things are to go to print. Sendak won five Caldecott Honor Awards for his illustrations, and three Caldecott Awards.

SYLVESTER AND THE MAGIC PEBBLE by William Steig

“Art enhance the sense of wonder. And wonder is respect for life” William Steig.

Steig’s favorite animal is a donkey, explaining why he chose one to be the main character in Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. He clarified that he believes they are “charming animals…loving…and work hard.” Steig’s decided his donkey would walk on two legs and have a childlike face. His story was published in 1969. He won the Caldecott in 1970 and humbly stated he though the story was good because “the feelings are genuine.” In 1977 Steig won a Caldecott Honor Award for his story The Amazing Bone.

JUMANJI by Chris Van Allsburg

“Dear Mr. Van Allsburg…I am so glad your books are so weird because I am very weird. I think you are weird but great.” -a letter from a child to Chris Van Allsburg

Chris Van Allsburg, a sculptor in his early career, changed his art form to drawing and won a Caldecott Honor Award for his first published book, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. His second book, Jumanji, won the Caldecott Award in 1982. The Polar Express also won the Caldecott Medal. . Many of his illustrations come from his imagination, but he does occasionally use photographs and models.

TUESDAY by David Wiesner

“A wordless book offers a different kind of experience…Each viewer reads the book in his or her own way… - David Wiesner

As a young boy Wiesner found it “fascinating to ‘read’ pictures that told a story.” The idea of flying frogs came to him when he sketched a frog on a lily pad on the middle of a blank page and the frog appeared to be flying. He sketched the pages for Tuesday aboard an airplane fight on a vacation. Wiesner studied nature photos and made sculptures of frogs to make his characters seem more life-like. He won the Caldecott Medal in 1992 for Tuesday. He had previously won the Caldecott Honor Award for Free Fall in 1989.