This book celebrates the creative, imaginative, kind, graceful, sweet, funny, compassionate, gentle, smart, and good person that a young girl is, evenThis book celebrates the creative, imaginative, kind, graceful, sweet, funny, compassionate, gentle, smart, and good person that a young girl is, even though the world tries to impose other descriptive words to her, many of which are hurtful and mean. It shows how well-meaning individuals, including the adults, teachers, and mentors in our lives can be hurtful, even if they don't intend to be.
It depicts a kind of rebirth in her understanding and acceptance of who she is. "The illustrations for this book were done in Procreate and chalk pastel." And they imbue a sense of her emotions without words. This book is certainly worthy of its Caldecott Medal win.
interesting quote:
"Pink flowers symbolize innocence, joy, playfulness, and happiness. These are all things this girl deserves. Her body is not a problem that needs fixing, and neither did mine that day on the playground. What needs fixing are the implicit biases we all hold. I wish I could give the girl a hug -- the part of her that is me and the part of her that might be you -- and tell her that she is deserving of all the care and joy in the world, no matter what." (p. 58 - unpaged, Author's Note)...more
This book is pays homage to an escape to the seaside and the relaxation and change of scenery and pace of life, compared to the city.
The illustrationThis book is pays homage to an escape to the seaside and the relaxation and change of scenery and pace of life, compared to the city.
The illustrations, "created using a combination of pencil and gouache on paper and Photoshop," are marvelous and are rhe focus of rhe book. They are certainly worthy of the Caldecott Medal nod.
The sparse alliterative narrative is mainly comprised of short phrases that evoke a lot of emotion....more
Lyrical in its narrative and gorgeously illustrated, this book brings a powerful environmental message to young children. With its vibrant colirs and Lyrical in its narrative and gorgeously illustrated, this book brings a powerful environmental message to young children. With its vibrant colirs and mesmerizing details, it is certainly worthy of its Caldecott Medal win.
Regarding the theme of the pictures, the illustrator writes the following: "To honor Carole's Ojibwe culture, I included several details. For instance, our main protagonist changes into her traditional ribbon skirt as she rallies her people. Additionally, many of the animals included in the book reflect Anishinaabe/Ojibwe clan symbols or hold special significance in traditional teachings, while the repeated floral designs were inspired by traditional Anishinaabe woodland floral motifs." (p. 39 - unpaged Illustrator's Note)
The additional information provided at the end of the book encourages the reader to follow the natural path toward "peace and unity and a healthy Mother Earth." (p. 38 - unpaged) She highlights the Standing Rock protests and the continuous struggles people have to protect water sources. And she recruits young readers on the final page to pledge to be water protectors, too.
interesting quote:
"We fight for those Who cannot fight for themselves: The winged ones, The crawling ones, The four-legged, The two-legged, The plants, trees, rivers, lakes, The Earth. We are all related." (pp. 25-29 - unpaged)...more
I have to admit that I'd never heard of Jean-Michel Basquiat before reading this book nor was I familiar with the SAMO(c) graffiti in NYC.
I simply chI have to admit that I'd never heard of Jean-Michel Basquiat before reading this book nor was I familiar with the SAMO(c) graffiti in NYC.
I simply chose to read this book because it had been given the Caldecott Medal nod this year and I like to check all of them out.
The narrative was short and somewhat vague about many of the significant events that shaped the artist's life, and I appreciated the additional information provided at the end of the book.
The mixed media illustrations are very colorful and seem to channel the spirit and energy that comes from Mr. Basquiat's artwork. The images are a bit busy for my taste, but they certainly convey the hustle and bustle of urban life.
I love that the author included a photo of Guernica, one of Pablo Picasso's most famous pieces (and one of my personal favorites). The book explains that the painting once hung at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and it likely inspired Mr. Basquiat's artistic style.
Overall, this is an informative and engaging biography for older children and although our girls weren't overly interested in reading it, I believe that it would work well as part of a lesson on biographies or read aloud with older children.
Dramatic story told with few words, but lots of emotions. The pen and ink and watercolor illustrations are great. The closeup image of the Wolf mom onDramatic story told with few words, but lots of emotions. The pen and ink and watercolor illustrations are great. The closeup image of the Wolf mom on p. 33 (unpaged) is amazing.
Wonderful family tale about the bear who inspired the creation of Winnie-the-Pooh and the man who adopted her and took her from Canada to England. WriWonderful family tale about the bear who inspired the creation of Winnie-the-Pooh and the man who adopted her and took her from Canada to England. Written by the Great-granddaughter of Capt Coleburn as a story to her son, Cole, the narrative has a warm, reminiscent feel to it.
The illustrations by Sophie Blackall are terrific and have some nice details (like the soldiers saying goodbye and then coming home) that I didn't notice until the second time I read it. I like her depictions of the animals and the landscapes better than her pictures of people, but overall, the illustrations complement the narrative very nicely.
I loved the photo album pages that show the actual pictures of the people portrayed in the story. We really enjoyed reading this book together.
This story embraces the imaginary friend and the feeling of belonging. The story is humorous, with myriad imaginary creatures and the children who lovThis story embraces the imaginary friend and the feeling of belonging. The story is humorous, with myriad imaginary creatures and the children who love them.
I *just* liked this book the first time I read it. Perhaps it is because I've never had an imaginary friend and found it hard to relate. Our oldest said that she found it a bit hard to relate as well, but it didn't affect her enjoyment of the story.
The illustrations are absolutely wonderful, a combination of pencil, crayon, watercolor, ink and Adobe Photoshop; and we loved that the text was hand-lettered. The verso page even shows the inspiration for the name Beekle, which I thought was very cute.
Overall, it's an entertaining story and Beekle is adorable. We loved the different creatures and creativity that was triggered by the comfort of such a friend. We really enjoyed reading this book together.
A bit dense and chock full of information, this is a lovely picture book about the building of the first transcontinental railroad in the United StateA bit dense and chock full of information, this is a lovely picture book about the building of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.
The narrative is entertaining and is filled with interesting stories and lots of onomatopoeia and the illustrations are marvelous. We loved the map that depicted the railway construction in the front of the book and referred to it often. And I liked that the science of the steam powered engine is explained on the back endpages of the book, too.
But the sheer quantity of information provided is a bit overwhelming and we had to break up reading this book into two sessions. Even then, I know that our youngest was bored out of her mind by the time we finished the book.
Overall, the book offers a very impressive account of this formative event in our nation's history and we all learned quite a bit by reading it. I really enjoyed the content and our girls liked it, but were a bit bored by the time I finished the author's note at the end.
We read I Want My Hat Back earlier this year and I had to read it a second time before I truly could appreciate the humor and wit of the story.
So, whWe read I Want My Hat Back earlier this year and I had to read it a second time before I truly could appreciate the humor and wit of the story.
So, when we saw this book, we were ready for it. We loved the expressions on the fish and we anticipated the ending. The narrative is humorous and wry, and I love that it shows (again) that taking something from someone has consequences.
Overall, we've really enjoyed reading Jon Klassen's books and we look forward to finding more of them at our local library.
September 2016 update: I watched a video of one of my fellow MLIS students read this book aloud to a group of children and it was really fun to revisit this humorous tale.
When we heard the announcement of this year's Caldecott winners, we just had to check out this book. We have read all of the Caldecott Medal winners aWhen we heard the announcement of this year's Caldecott winners, we just had to check out this book. We have read all of the Caldecott Medal winners and are now working our way through the rest of the Caldecott Honor books, too.
"Reading" this wordless book with our girls was fun and we enjoyed taking turns talking about what is going on in the illustrations, but honestly I wasn't all that impressed. It was cute, but I'm somewhat surprised at the Caldecott nod. The illustrations were expressive and colorful and effectively conveyed the story without narrative; it's a good story, but not great.
This is a fascinating account of the family history of a man. He admits that some of it might be mixed up or made up after so many years, but for the This is a fascinating account of the family history of a man. He admits that some of it might be mixed up or made up after so many years, but for the most part, it is a biography of his immediate family tree. The story is very interesting and the black and white illustrations are wonderful. It was written in 1940, so it's amazing to think that the story is more than 70 years old and yet still is as important as a historical account as it was then.
I will acknowledge that there are things written in this book about slavery, Native Americans, religion, and war (among other things) that would not be acceptable today. But in my opinion, that makes this book even more important to treasure, as it is an accurate portrayal of life in those times. We really enjoyed reading this book together, especially since we attended a Civil War program at our local library the next day and many of the same topics were discussed.
This is the next to the last Caldecott Medal book for us to read until we are caught up with the list as it stands now. Of course, they will add new books each year, but once we read Abraham Lincoln by Ingri D'Aulaire and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire, we'll be finished until they announce next year's book. Then we can continue working on the Caldecott Honor list. We're not even halfway through that list!
This book offers an interesting look at the life of Abraham Lincoln. The narrative is rather long and the illustrations are very old fashioned, but coThis book offers an interesting look at the life of Abraham Lincoln. The narrative is rather long and the illustrations are very old fashioned, but considering this book was published in 1939, it was probably more contemporary back then. We enjoyed reading this book, but I recommend it for older children who can sit still long enough to read it. We've enjoyed reading books by Ingri D'Aulaire and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire and will look for more at our local library.
We have now finished the Caldecott Medal list and we are ready for the new award winners to be announced. Now we have to finish reading the Caldecott Honor books. We've read many of them, but there are so many more remaining...
It's always nice to get back to the original fairy tales, the ones that haven't been "Disney-fied." This is a very nice version of the tale, illustratIt's always nice to get back to the original fairy tales, the ones that haven't been "Disney-fied." This is a very nice version of the tale, illustrated by Marcia Brown with gorgeous woodcuts.
While the illustrations don't have the crisp lines and vibrant colors of the animated Disney version, they still provide an ample depiction of the story, with very expressive characters and luxurious backgrounds.
We really enjoyed reading this story together and we liked that it was a little different from the tale we had always heard before.
This is an old story that still has a lot of charm. The story does not specifically mention that it's of a Pennsylvania Dutch family, but the illustraThis is an old story that still has a lot of charm. The story does not specifically mention that it's of a Pennsylvania Dutch family, but the illustrations and information about the author allude to it.
We are reading stories for Easter and this one is perfect for this time of year. After we read the story, I shared with our girls my childhood memories of blowing out eggs and painting them with my Dad during Easter.
We are working our way through the Caldecott Medal winners and are just tracking down the last few that we haven't read yet. As this book was written We are working our way through the Caldecott Medal winners and are just tracking down the last few that we haven't read yet. As this book was written before my parents were even born, we were excited to see children's literature from long ago. The illustrations are terrific - the black and white drawings are very expressive and engaging and I can appreciate the time (2 years) that the author/illustrator took to create them. The story, I felt, was fine. It did depict girls as being less privileged and able than boys, but that was (and to some extent, still is) true in China and many other nations around the world today.
I loved the spark of determination and mischievousness that Mei Li displays as well as her generosity and kind heart. I also enjoyed the brief glimpse into Chinese culture. I would recommend that parents use this story as a springboard for a discussion of girls roles throughout the world and how lucky we are in our country that girls are not so limited. We did not know when we borrowed the book that the story centered around Chinese New Year celebrations, so we were thrilled that we read it just after this year's celebrations.
This is a wonderful story about a summer on an island in Penobscot Bay, off the coast of Maine. The illustrations are terrific and the story, while a This is a wonderful story about a summer on an island in Penobscot Bay, off the coast of Maine. The illustrations are terrific and the story, while a bit long, is enchanting.
I would recommend reading this in a few installments with children so as to keep their interest. Our girls got quite a bit bored with it (despite the exciting hurricane and exploring its aftermath), but I hope they will give it another chance someday.
This is a fascinating folktale from Russia; a story of the Three Kings on their way to visit baby Jesus, not knowing what was to come. The perspectiveThis is a fascinating folktale from Russia; a story of the Three Kings on their way to visit baby Jesus, not knowing what was to come. The perspective is an unusual one and is a refreshing twist on the tale.
The illustrations are very angular, with simple, primary colors; not sure why they earned the Caldecott Medal. I like that they included the song at the end of the story.
An interesting take on the classic Rumpelstiltskin story, this story is a fun tale to read aloud. Our girls liked the illustrations, especially of theAn interesting take on the classic Rumpelstiltskin story, this story is a fun tale to read aloud. Our girls liked the illustrations, especially of the little devil. We really enjoyed reading this book together.
Sweet rhyming prayer that is given in its entirety at the beginning and then illustrated line by line throughout the book. The pictures are softly comSweet rhyming prayer that is given in its entirety at the beginning and then illustrated line by line throughout the book. The pictures are softly comforting and old fashioned (the book was first published in 1944.) And the scenes that depict the little girl's bedtime routine are perfect to share with a child as they settle down for sleep.
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