Meanwhile back to my Caldecott Challenge. My challenge for this weekend is to try and finish reading all the Caldecott's for the 21st century. I'm not sure I'll be able to do it but here goes. Years 2005 and 2004 were good years with many choices. Probably the most talked about illustrator and author was Mo Willems for these two years. He took away a Caldecott honor both years, making it a total of 3 honors to date.
2005 Caldecott Medal Winner:
Kittens's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
I have always been a huge fan of Kevin Henkes. I remember meeting him with my first grade class back in 1991. He is a fabulous author and illustrator. It was nice to see him finally win an award for his work. The illustrations for this story are done in Gouache and colored pencils. The story is very simple both in illustrations and text. It is about a little kitten that mistakes the big beautiful full moon in the sky for a bowl of milk. The story reads very poetically while the reader really engages with the kitten through her hilarious adventures of trying to lick the moon. Luckily in the end the kitten finds a nice bowl of milk just sitting right on the porch. Pre-K-Kindergarten.****
2005 Caldecott Honor Winners:
Coming on Home Soon illustrated by E.B. Lewis and written by Jacqueline Woodson
A beatuifully written story with watercolor illustrations shows life during the war when families needed to separated. A young girl, Ada Ruth, comes to live with her grandmother while her mother goes out to find a job to bring home some money. Each day Ada Ruth waits for the postman to bring her a letter from her mother. And each day he walks right by her home. Time passes slowly for this young girl who just wants to be reunited with her mother. This story is deeply touching and yet written so poetically. Grades K-3. *****
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems
Need I say more for this fabulous artist, Mo Willems. Once again he takes another Caldecott honor for another wonderful knuffle bunny story. This time Trixie goes on an errand with dad with knuffle bunny in hand yet loses knuffle bunny at the laundromat but can't seem to make her father understand her gibberish talk until they return home and mom immediately notices knuffle bunny is missing. In this hilarious story most parents will be able to completely relate to this story when a beloved object goes missing and it could possibly be the end of the world. Grades K-3 ****
The Red Book by Barbara Lehman (not able to review this book now and will do so in another post)
2004 Caldecott Medal Winner:
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein
With dramatic paintings this biographical account of Philippe Petit's tightrope walk between the two World Trade Center Towers in 1974 is brought to life by author/illustrator Mordicai Gerstein. While this book is the account of Philippe's walk across the towers it is also a memorial to the two towers that once stood together in New York City. A must for every library. Grades K-5. *****
2004 Caldecott Medal Honor Winners:
Ella Sarah Gets Dressed by Margaret Chodos-Irvine
A vibrant story of a little girl and her strong personality and her big sense of style. She doesn't want to be told what to do or what to wear, like most young children and despite her family's interactions Ella Sarah decides she will wear her pink polka dot pants, dress with orange and green flowers, and her purple and blue striped socks with yellow shoes and her red hat. Ella Sarah has a personality of her own. The illustrations are in vibrant yellows, oranges, greens, pinks and purples. Simple text with minimal words but bright bold illustrations, this makes for a wonderful preschool story, especially for those with stubborn minds. A great read aloud. **
What Do you Do with a Tail Like This? by Steven Jekins and Robin Page
This honor book is a wonderful non-fiction book with playful and colorful cut paper collage illustrations. In this book children can learn all about why horned lizards squirt blood out of their eyes, or giraffes brush off pesky flies with their tail. The authors have created a simple but wonderful informational book on different animals and the uses of different parts of their bodies. The author included information notes on each animal at the back of the book if the reader is interested in learning more about these animals. Grades K-4. *****
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
Need I say more. Mo Willems has done it again with this simple but hilarious story of a pigeon and his desire to drive a bus. The illustrations and text are extremely simple but absolutely hilarious. It is a brilliant book that allows the reader to interact with the story from beginning to end. Grades K-2. *****
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