by Leonard Marcus
NewYork: Walker and Company. ISBN 0-8027-8656-1
Where the Wild Things Are was not meant to please everybody—only children.
– Maurice Sendak, Caldecott acceptance speech for Where the Wild Things Are
Have you ever wondered what came first, the illustrations or the story? Leonard S. Marcus has the answer. In his delightful book, A Caldecott Celebration: Six Artists and Their Paths to the Caldecott Medal, readers are led on a whirlwind journey into the minds and studios of six notable medal winners.
The book opens with a brief history of the Caldecott medal and with a turn of the page, readers are whisked back in time to the world of Robert McCloskey, winner of the 1942 Caldecott Medal for Make Way For Ducklings. McCloskey’s work is brought to life with vivid color photographs of his original sketches and humorous duck anecdotes. Marcia Brown, winner of the 1955 Caldecott Medal for Cinderella; or The Little Glass Slipper, is highlighted next. We learn how she “picked” her publisher and how tedious printing was during this decade. Maurice Sendak, winner of the 1964 Caldecott Medal for Where the Wild Things Are, represents the next chapter in time. Again, vivid color photographs and a crisp writing style are used to convey Sendak’s frustration with his early creations. Original illustrations, handwritten letters, and photographs of William Steig, author of Sylvester and the Magic Pebble symbolize the 1970’s. Chris Van Allsburg won the Caldecott Medal in 1982 for Jumanji. Detailed sculptures and tedious compositional studies illustrate the extreme dedication of this author/illustrator. David Wiesner, winner of the 1992 Caldecott Medal for Tuesday, fills the last chapter in time with his thumbnail sketches and clay models.
This book is a fun, fast, historical look at a very distinguished award. It should find its way into the hands of every parent, teacher, child, artist or book collector intrigued by children’s books.
By Chris Van Allsburg
1986 Caldecott Medal Winner
ISBN 0-395-38949-6
Van Allsburg uses precise vocabulary like barren, nougat, and rustle to challenge young minds. His sentences seem to float from page to page in a musical lullaby. The illustrations set the mood of this enchanting book. The colors are dark, deep and dream like. The ominous cold presses the walls of the train and the warmth of the dining compartment is strangely soothing. The smell of hot cocoa seems to drift lazily from the detailed drawing. Readers are drawn in quickly, held captive and reluctantly released as the book slowly ends.
This book should be on family bookshelves across the nation and read every time the sleigh bells get a little hard to hear.
. . the pictures may be the best he's done. There is nothing cute here, rather there is something I would have to call majestic-The New York Times Book Review, Noel Perrin
The sumptuous pastel effects-train lights seen through falling snow and a vertiginous overhead view, from Santa's sleigh, of his popular city-make this one of Van Allsburg's most treasured visions.- Newsweek
By Eric Rohmann
2003 Caldecott Medal Winner
ISBN 0-7613-2420-8
My Friend Rabbit is a very simple story of the benefits and burdens of friendship. Mouse has a brand new airplane. His friend rabbit accidentally throws the plane into a tree. Rabbit comes up with a great plan to get the plane down. He drags, pushes and carries various large animals into the book and stacks them up high. Mouse stretches to reach the plane and the animal tower topples to the ground. Mouse and his plane arrive just in time to save rabbit from the angry crowd. Rabbit blinds mouse with hugs of gratitude and the plane ends up in the tree again.
Using just a few sentences, Rohman relies heavily on his detailed hand colored illustrations to transport the reader through the story. This wordless picture book invites children to guess what rabbit is going to do with all the animals he brings into the book. The illustrations are whimsical and amusing and it is a delight to guess what each animal is thinking as they are uprooted and paraded about. Clever use of empty space demonstrates how hard rabbit works and the tall, unstable tower is demonstrated well using the length of the book.
This sweet book would make a great gift for a close friend or family member.
What the Critics Have to Say...
...Tremendous physical humor delivers a gentle lesson about accepting friends as they are.
-Booklist
The double-page, hand-colored relief prints with heavy black outlines are magnificent, and children will enjoy the comically expressive pictures of the animals before and after their attempt to extract the plane. The text is minimal; it's the illustrations that are the draw here.-School Library Journal