Caldecott Challenge -Years 2011 & 2010

So as I begin my Caldecott challenge quest, I have decided to start backwards with the most recent winners from 2011. The 2012 winners will be announced on Monday, January 23, 2012. I hope you will enjoy the journey with me. I will put an asterisk next to my favorite books that I believe are worth purchasing for any home or library. Sometimes there will be books that I might not be able to get my hands on right away so I once I get them I will review them in other posts. For this particular post I was unable to review one of the honor books for 2010.

The 2011 Medal Winner was one of my personal favorites: A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Stead and illustrated by his wife Erin Stead. This is a wonderful book about friendship with illustrations that bring the story to life.  The story is about a Zookeeper, Amos McGee, who takes time to care for his favorite animals. Suddenly he comes down with a cold and can't come to work to care for his friends the animals. They are so distraught that they decide to hop a bus and go visit Amos at home. Erin Stead's fine pencil prints are delicate in soft flat colors. The illustrative technique is woodblock-printing. The story shows the bonds of friendship and loyalty. A wonderful story for grades Pre-K-3. ***

Honor books for 2011:
Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave by Laban Carrick Hill and illustrated by Bryan Collier. This is a wonderful interpretation in poetic form about Dave the Potter. an important American artist, who was also a slave. We know about Dave the potter because of his poetry that he would sometimes write on the side of his pots. The pain of his life can be shared through his poems. It is estimated that over seven decades Dave made approximately forty thousand poets. With unbelievable watercolor and collage-like illustrations this book gives us a glimpse of Dave's life. Recommended for grades K-3.

Interrupting Chicken written and illustrated by Davie Ezra Stein. This is an absolutely hilarious story that presents Chicken Little with her papa at bedtime. Her papa is trying to tell Chicken Little a story so that she can go to sleep but Chicken Little keeps interrupting the story and telling the ending instead. The story is not only hilarious but will bring big belly laughs from both children and adults as Chicken Little continues to tell the end of her father's stories before he even gets to them. While the illustrations are not my favorite, the story is just fabulous and a must read to all children who know about fairy tales. Recommended for Preschool - 2nd grade. ***

2010 Caldecott Winner:
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
This is a wonderful rendition of Aesop's Fable, The Lion and the Mouse. This wordless picture book with watercolor illustrations are just striking. Jerry Pinkney is one of children's literature most honored artists. And in this classic tale we learn that no act of kindness ever is wasted. Recommended for Pre-school - 3rd grade.  ***

Honor books for 2010:
All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon
This poetry book is about all the world to see. "It is here, it is there, it is everywhere. All the world is right where you are. Now." A charming story with watercolor illustrations shows a multicultural family sharing a day that begins at the beach and ends under the stars. Recommended for Preschool-2nd grade.

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski.
Unable to review at this time.

The Caldecott Challenge

I'm excited to participate in something new this year, it is called the Caldecott Challenge created by some great librarians. It looks like a lot of fun! And did I mention it is going to be stress free. I am going to try to read as many Caldecott award and honor book winners from the beginning, 1938 to be exact. I think this could be close to 300 books.  I will be posting my findings here as I read my way through them all, or as many as I can get my hands on. I'm going to start backwards, beginning with the winners of 2011. I can already tell you that one of my all-time favorite stories which happens to be a Caldecott Medal winner is Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey. It was my favorite book as a child and still my favorite book as an adult. I continue to read this classic with my students every year.  But who knows maybe something else will capture my heart.

A little history on the Caldecott Medal. The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott (1846-1886). Randolph Caldecott was one of a group of three influential children's illustrators working in England in the 19th century. His illustrations for children were unique to their time in both their humor, and their ability to create a sense of movement, vitality, and action that complemented the stories they accompanied.

It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. This year's winner will be announced on Monday, January 23rd.

So my challenge begins, please follow me on this journey.

Meet Doreen Cronin - Author Extraordinaire

Doreen Cronin, is the author of many #1 bestselling picture books. These would include a Caldecott honor book Click Clack Moo: Cows that Type. She is a prolific author with a great sense of humor. Two of her most recent publications include: M.O.M and The Trouble With Chickens.

M.O.M is a picture book that is actually more for the adults in the house than the kids. While it has fabulous comic like illustrations that are appealing to the eye, it really reads with an adult sense of humor. The book could be considered for the older picture book crowd. M.O.M is a Mom Operating Manual, batteries not included, of course. It is a manual on how to take care of mom. To sum it all up, basically it tells you how to avoid damage to your mother’s well being.

“It is widely accepted that mothers are the most advanced human models on the planet. They are capable of superhuman energy, strength, patience and creativity. They come in many shapes and sizes. They have various talents, skills, like cooking, singing, sewing, Olympic athleticism, and neurosurgery.”

Cronin defines mom as a female parent, a lady of authority or utterer of “Because I say so.” But most important mom is the definition of a complex machine who runs full speed on little fuel and almost no sleep whatsoever also WONDER WOMAN! Brilliant!

The book continues to talk about the type of mother you might have, well rested (not too many of these are around) to barely upright but still functioning mom. Care and maintenance of a mother, the daily basics include, sleep, nutrition, exercise and water short for SNEW. Who knew? The book also points out that each mom has her own dress code and of course there is no override button on this one. The author’s advisement to all, keep comments to yourself, especially important for dads.

But really the adults will get the biggest chuckle out of this book. It is hilarious but at the same time a book that can help children understand their mothers and how to please them? Biggest message of the book, moms are indispensable and if you take care of mom she’ll take care of you.

The Trouble with Chickens another recently released book is a fabulous read aloud or a wonderful chapter book for grades 2-4^th. This is another hilariously written story written from the point of view of a rescue dog with great black and white illustrations.  J.J. Tully, a retired search and rescue dog, has just recently retired to a lovely farm and enjoying the good life. Suddenly one day he has been asked to come out of retirement to find an annoying chicken’s missing baby chicks.  The mother hen fears that her missing chicks have been kidnapped and are being held hostage inside the house. J.J. Tully decides to take the case on with the reward being a hamburger. Unfortunately the case isn’t an easy one. This is a great comical mystery that keeps the reader wondering until the very end. Hopefully this is a first in a series of many more hilarious J.J. Tully Adventures.

Thank you Doreen Cronin for your fabulous sense of humor and wonderfully written books for all ages. I personally can’t wait to see what you will publish next.

Check out her website for more information on this great author: http://www.doreencronin.com

Doreen Cronin's Books:
Click Clack Moo: Cows that Type (Caldecott Honor Book)
Duck for President
Dooby Dooby Moo
Thump Quack Moo
Wiggle
Bounce
Stretch
Rescue Bunnies
Diary of a Worm
Diary of a Spider
Diary of a Fly
Click, Clack, Splish, Splash
Click, Clack, Quackity, Quack
Trouble with Chickens
M.O.M

Hugo - The book or the movie, I say both!

Want a great book to read and a fabulous movie to watch? Check out “The Invention of Hugo Cabret “by Brian Selznick or the wonderful movie, “Hugo” directed by Martin Scorsese.

Hugo directed by Martin Scorsese

Throughout his extraordinary career, Academy Award-wining director Martin Scorsese has brought his unique vision and dazzling gifts to life in a series of unforgettable films. This holiday season the legendary storyteller invites you to join him on a thrilling journey to a magical world with his first-ever 3-D film, based on Brian Selznick's award-winning, imaginative New York Times best-seller, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret." Hugo is the astonishing adventure of a wily and resourceful boy whose quest to unlock a secret left to him by his father will transform Hugo and all those around him, and reveal a safe and loving place he can call home. – Paramount                 

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick                 

“Paris in the 1930's, a thief, a broken machine, a strange girl, a mean old man, and the secrets that tie them all together... Welcome to The Invention of Hugo Cabret.” – author Brian Selznick

The story is about Hugo, a young orphan boy, living in the walls of the Paris train station in 1931 where he tends to all of the clocks in the station. Hugo continues his father’s job once of winding the clocks and keeping them running in the train station. His father, once a clockmaker and museum curator, died tragically in a fire. Now that his father is dead, 12-year-old Hugo must continue his work in the station without being caught and sent off to an orphanage. But that isn’t all Hugo must do. He also continues to work on an automation (a mechanical imitation of a human being) that his father had brought home from the museum. Now he is obsessed in making the automation work in memory of his father. To do this he must steal parts from the grumpy old toy maker in the train station. But in the process of stealing  the parts and trying not to get caught, Hugo befriends the toy maker’s granddaughter (also an orphan who was much more fortunate than Hugo). Together the two unlock the mystery of filmmaking.

This is more than a story about a young orphan boy. It is also about the beginnings of filmmaking and the life of the real French filmmaker George Melies (who is played fabulously by Ben Kingsley in the movie).  Melies was a magician before he became a filmmaker in the 1900’s.  Author Brian Selznick says that this book was inspired by one of Melies first movies in 1902, “A Trip to the Moon;” a film about a rocket that zooms towards the moon that has a human face on it. Once the rocket hits the face squarely into the eye, a liquid oozes from the moon.

“Hugo” can be seen in 3-D. Why 3-D? Because Scorsese wanted depth added to his film and he wanted to make it real by having the story come to life for the audience. Scorsese wanted the audience to actually be a part of the film, and he did so successfully.

Personally, I think the movie portrays a different part of this story, the history of filmmaking. This movie isn’t only for kids (probably not the young ones as the movie is a bit too long) but also a great one for adults too. Can you imagine watching some of the history of filmmaking in 3-D by one of the most infamous filmmakers of all time? While the movie is long, both the movie and book are highly recommended for ages nine and up.

The book itself is a beautiful piece of work, winning the Caldecott Award in 2008. Brian Selznick created a story that is half pictures and half words. This 500 plus page book is half text and half finely penciled illustrations that tell the story in turn. A must read book for all middle grades.

Read the book first and then go see the movie, or see the movie first and then read the book. Either way, I promise you won’t be disappointed.  Rarely does a movie live up to the expectations of the book. Kudos to Martin Scorsese for making a magnificent film while also staying true to the book. This film is truly a moving tribute to filmmakers everywhere. Both Scorsese and Selznick should be commended for helping us to remember the past.

Meet Laura Resau

I just recently discovered this amazing author, Laura Resau. I was reading a review on her most recent book, Queen of Water when I decided to check it out of the public library. I couldn’t put it down and finished the book within days. After reading this fabulous, intriguing book I decided to do some research on the author to see what other books she might of written. I tend to do this when I find an author that I truly enjoy.  In the midst of my research on Laura Resau I discovered her fabulous website that also includes a writing blog. It really is a wealth of information about her as a writer, her life and her many books. http://www.lauraresau.com/

Laura Resau is an aspiring author with real messages. Her writing is not only beautiful but poetic. She uses rich language and imagery and researches much of what she uses in her books. Most of her stories are about life in Latin America.  Here is her bio from her website:

With a background in cultural anthropology and ESL-teaching, Laura Resau has lived and traveled in Latin America and Europe - experiences that inspired her books for young people. Her latest novel, The Queen of Water (cowritten with María Virginia Farinango) was praised as "riveting tale... by turns heartbreaking, infuriating and ultimately inspiring " in a starred review by Kirkus. Her previous novels - Star in the Forest, The Ruby Notebook, The Indigo Notebook, Red Glass, and What the Moon Saw - have garnered many starred reviews and awards, including the IRA YA Fiction Award, the Américas Award, and a spot on Oprah's Kids' Book List. Acclaimed for its sensitive treatment of immigration issues, Resau's writing has been called "vibrant, large-hearted" (Publishers' Weekly) and "powerful, magical" (Booklist). Resau lives with her husband and young son in Colorado. She donates a portion of her royalties to indigenous rights organizations in Latin America.

To date I have only read two of her books and in the middle of a third one. I can tell you from the two that I have read I will continue to read her other books and will definitely follow this prolific author. She has much to say about the world of immigrants from Latin America and I believe she will continue to write and receive starred reviews on her books. Here are two books that I have just finished reading.

What the Moon Saw (published in 2006)– This is a story of a young girl, Clara Luna, who has been invited to visit her grandparents in a small village of Mexico. Clara Luna, means ‘clear moon’ in Spanish. She receives a letter written in Spanish from grandparents that she has never met before. Her father had run away from home as a small boy to escape life in the small village to find a better life for himself. For many years he was an illegal alien in the United States. He held many small jobs before meeting his wife and starting his family. Now Clara, age 14, has been asked to go and visit this family she knows nothing about for an entire summer. She doesn’t know how she will survive without her friends, her TV, her iPod and her family. Instead what she finds in the village of Yucuyoo with her grandparents and their fabulous bird holds many surprises. She can’t believe her grandparents live in a simple shack in the mountains of Southern Mexico where most people speak Mixteco, an indigenous language. But instead Clara has a summer full of adventures and hears many stories of how her grandmother became a healer. Now Clara believes she has the same power too. A beautiful story of discovering your true self in the most unexpected place. (Recommend reading for ages 10 and up)

Queen of Water is her most recent book (published 2011)

Born in an Andean village in Ecuador, Virginia lives with her large family in a small, earthen-walled dwelling. In her village of indígenas, it is not uncommon to work in the fields all day, even as a child, or to be called a longa tonta—stupid Indian—by members of the ruling class of mestizos, or Spanish descendants. When seven-year-old Virginia is taken from her village to be a servant to a mestizo couple, she has no idea what the future holds. In this poignant novel based on a true story, acclaimed author Laura Resau has collaborated with María Virginia Farinango to recount one girl's unforgettable journey to self-discovery. Virginia's story will speak to anyone who has ever struggled to find his or her place in the world. It will make you laugh and cry, and ultimately, it will fill you with hope. (Recommended reading for ages 12 and up)

Troublemaker by Andrew Clements

Do you think the saying is true, once a troublemaker, always a troublemaker?

Clayton, 6^th grader at Truman Elementary School is always getting into trouble. And he thinks it is funny. The more he gets in the trouble the happier he is. The most recent incident that has brought him to the principal’s office is a portrait that he has drawn of the principal as a donkey or jackass. Clayton wants to be just like his big brother Mitchell, who had a huge reputation at school for being a troublemaker. But as the story unfolds Mitchell has come home after spending some time in jail for some serious trouble. While Clayton wants to follow in his brother’s footsteps, Mitchell has different plans for his younger brother. He has come to the understanding that being a troublemaker is the wrong path to choose in life. Mitchell now understands the difference between good and bad behavior and how making the right choices in life are very important.  Now he must make his younger brother, Clayton, understand this too. But it isn’t easy.

Troublemaker by award winning author Andrew Clements is another popular story about real life with actual situations and authentic characters that children can relate to. He is also the author of the very popular book, Frindle, as well as Extra Credit, Lost and Found, No Talking, Room One, Lunch Money and many more. Mr. Clements taught in the public schools near Chicago for seven years before moving East to begin a career in publishing and writing. He lives with his wife in central Massachusetts and has four grown children. 

I believe this is a book that every principal should have in his/her office to hand out to kids who've lost their way. Troublemaker is a wonderful story and  a very empowering book for troubled kids. It is not only a story for troublemakers but for those kids who know troublemakers. Recommended reading for grades 4-6^th.

Check out his website at: http://www.andrewclements.com

Sardoodledom

Sardoodledom by Krishna Dalal

How do you say sardoodledom? Can you spell it? Sardoodledom, definition means overly dramatic, almost unbelievable. I didn’t even know this word existed until I picked up this adorable picture book called Sardoodledom: A Spelling Bee Tale by local author Krishna Dalal.

This sweet little book with wonderful illustrations is a story about an annual elementary spelling bee. It takes place in the auditorium of Jefferson Elementary School. The students, Chloe, Ryan, Juan and Hannah, are the main characters that are participating in the annual spelling bee. But this really isn’t an ordinary spelling bee, because it is all about a play on words. The students use homophones, oxymorons, palindromes, rhymes and knock knock jokes to spell or define their words. Because of the fabulous play on words, this isn’t just a story for children but one for tweens, teens and adults too, especially if you ever participated in a spelling bee. Not only will readers learn some new words, but learn that spelling bees can actually be lots of fun, full of excitement or even complete sardoodledom. Of course the story isn’t a story until a surprise character comes along and puts in a sting into the plot. But you have to read it to find out what happens.

I found this story to be wildly creative. The author was very creative in using word plays with the spelling words to make this story very unique. The illustrations are very whimsical and the illustrator did a wonderful job creating characters with their adorable personalities.

Sardoodledom can be a great read-aloud because it really engages students and provides for many teachable moments. I would even recommend using this story in a classroom.  This is a great book for children ages 6-10 (but of course it can be read to younger ones as well with some explanation of the terms.)

You can find this fabulous book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble online.

This is definitely a must for any library, home or school. I hope to see more from this new and imaginative author.