_No David!_ by David Shannon is the Caldecott Honor book from 1999. The story plot consists of a simple but fun story following a young boy named Davi_No David!_ by David Shannon is the Caldecott Honor book from 1999. The story plot consists of a simple but fun story following a young boy named David as he is told a command to behave better from a parental figure. This book would be ideal not only for preschool as well as early elementary. Each page has very limited text usually consisting of one simple command for David making it a fun read aloud for this age group or for children who are just beginning to read due to the small amount of text. While there is limited text per page, the illustrations are also very detailed showing David’s high energy levels. Shannon chose to use bright water colors to illustrate the book. It is through the use of bright colors that it helps make it fun for children to be engaged with. Besides the title and ending page, double page spreads are used with the illustrations passing through the gutter to cover both pages with no white space. Overall, I thought this was a very unique and fun story that would be fun to read aloud with a class, one on one with a child, and for a child to read independently....more
_Peppe the Lamplighter_ by Elisa Bartone and illustrated by Ted Lewin was a Caldecott Honor book from 1994. This story gives a realistic view of a str_Peppe the Lamplighter_ by Elisa Bartone and illustrated by Ted Lewin was a Caldecott Honor book from 1994. This story gives a realistic view of a struggling immigrant family and how a young boy must grow up too quickly to help support his family. While this story is a little deep for a young audience when his father is disapproving of his son’s job, it does give an excellent example of a struggling father who only wants the best for his children. This would be something that would have to be explained because to a young innocent audience, he could simply appear to be a mean father. An adult would potentially need to elaborate on how the father brought his family to America for a better life and his words and actions only come out of a frustration that he is unable to deliver a better life for his children. I would suggest using this book with elementary school aged kids. It would be a useful tool to help teach immigration. There is a lot of text which could make it difficult for new readers to read alone, but older elementary school students should be able to read it with less difficulty. This book would also be a good read for circle time as it can lead to good discussion on a very important topic in society today being about immigrants. The chosen art medium appears to be acrylic paints. Each double page spread gives a very detailed depiction of the setting and characters. The paintings look very realistic which further helps elaborate on the realistic situation in the book for the time period it is set in. Overall it is a well written book with colorful illustrations that help bring the story to life. With careful teacher guidance, this book can be a great teaching tool for immigration....more
_Anatole_ written by Eve Titus and illustrated by Paul Galdone was a Caldecott Honor book from 1957. This is a very unique but simple story that child_Anatole_ written by Eve Titus and illustrated by Paul Galdone was a Caldecott Honor book from 1957. This is a very unique but simple story that children would find very interesting. It is an easy read and would be good not only for a large group read but also something a mid to late elementary aged student could read alone and have no problem with comprehension. The story follows the life of a mouse named Anatole as he desires to have a distinguished way of providing for his family instead of simply scavenging for scraps. Through Titus’ decision to give the mice human like characteristics, a topic that could potentially hit to close to home, is then able to be discussed. Double page spread are shown on each page with a limited color scheme consisting of only white, black, blue, and red most likely due to when the book was produced in the 50s. The color scheme, however, matches the simplicity of the story very well only highlighting the important aspects of the story. The art medium appears to be a combination of drawing with painting, further showing the simplicity of the story. I think this book was a fun read that I would read with my own personal children in the future or with a classroom full of children....more
_The Emperor and the Kite_ by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Ed Young is a Caldecott Honor book from the year 1968. This book was the unique story of a_The Emperor and the Kite_ by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Ed Young is a Caldecott Honor book from the year 1968. This book was the unique story of an unlikely hero. It would be an interesting story to read in a large group or small group setting for a cultural study. The story and illustrations represent an ancient Chinese appearance and it would be interesting to have students perform a research study on how the history of a typical Chinese civilization affected the story. _The Emperor and the Kite_ would be best suited for early elementary, must likely for children ages five to eight years old due to the amount of text on the page. The artwork appears to be similar to traditional Chinese artwork. Each page consist of a double page spread with simple black text amount ranging from a few sentences to a few paragraphs. The paintings are surrounded by white space and the text, typically passing through the gutter. The color scheme is colorful with the use of watercolors to add a mixture of colors. This story would be a great addition to any child’s life. The story has an unlikely hero who solves a serious problem....more
_Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse_ by Leo Lionni is a carefree and fun story! It does not have a deep plot for the children to follow, but instead is t_Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse_ by Leo Lionni is a carefree and fun story! It does not have a deep plot for the children to follow, but instead is the simple story of a mouse and his newfound friend. This book would be an excellent choice not only for preschool aged children but also early elementary school. This would be a good story to read in large group circle time just for fun or to have a learning activity to put with it. _Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse_ received the Caldecott Honor medal in 1970. Along with this honor, this story also is an ALA Notable book and New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year. Lionni chose to use a collage method to illustrate the book using bright, but also realistic to what is found in nature, colors. The text is a simple, small, black print that only takes up a small portion of the double page spread with the majority of the page being taken up by the illustration. This further demonstrates the importance of the illustrations for the telling of the story because while some children may not be able to read, they will still be able to get a sense of what is happening based on the pictures. Overall, it was a short but fun story that would keep the interest of young children....more
_Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale_ by John Steptoe is beautifully illustrated and written story of how the most important attribute of an_Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale_ by John Steptoe is beautifully illustrated and written story of how the most important attribute of an individual is kindness, making sure to never bring praise to themselves. This book received the Caldecott Honor medal in 1988. This story would be a great choice to read with older elementary aged students due to the depth of the story as well as the length and amount of text of the story. Steptoe wrote and illustrated this story based off ancient African culture and locations, making this story an excellent choice for a cultural study. This could be as simple as discussing it as a group to organizing individual projects based on the culture and knowledge they researched after reading the book. As stated on one of the beginning pages of the story, the illustrations are based on an ancient African region, allowing children to potentially get a better understanding of the culture of the story they are reading. Steptoe uses a mixture of painting with watercolors along with etching with pen and ink to add depth to the illustrations. The cover demonstrates the eloquent work of Steptoe with his very detailed wrap around cover. Each page consists of a double page spread with the illustrations taking up a majority of the page with space left for the varying amount of text. This is a beautifully written story with illustrations that help bring the story to life for all ages....more
_Rap a Tap Tap Here’s Bojangles- Think of That!_ by Leo and Diane Dillon is a book dedicated to the late Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and how he spent hi_Rap a Tap Tap Here’s Bojangles- Think of That!_ by Leo and Diane Dillon is a book dedicated to the late Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and how he spent his life doing what he loved: tap dancing, bringing joy to others, and helping those around him. It is a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor book from 2002. Due to the simple plot, length, and amount of text, this book would be appropriate to use with preschool aged children as well as school aged kids. Each double page spread ends with the same phrase of “Rap a tap tap-think of that!”. Children can catch on to the repeated phrase, allowing them to help tell the story instead of the teacher simply reading every word. The painted art has a variety of bright colors showing the joy that Bill “Bojangles” Robinson is bringing the people. The illustrations show his feet in motion as he tap dances through life as well as the smile on his face, as well as everyone he passes. Instead of focusing on each element that makes up the human body, the illustrations focus on Robinson’s feet and the smiles of the people. Another interesting aspect of this book, is the use of multiple races in the illustrations as this story is set in the early 1900s, when racism still plagues the lives of many people. This fact further demonstrates that Robinson’s joy did not apply to one race, but instead was an area of common ground that many different individuals all appreciated. Simply put, this is feel good story that is meant to show the positive impact Robinson had in his everyday life....more
_A Tree Is Nice_ written by Janice May Udry and illustrated by Marc Simont won the Caldecott medal in 1957. This book would be best suited for childre_A Tree Is Nice_ written by Janice May Udry and illustrated by Marc Simont won the Caldecott medal in 1957. This book would be best suited for children ranging from 4 to 8 years of age. For younger children unable to read yet, this book would be a good choice to read for circle time. Whereas as children begin to read, this is a great starter book due to small amount of text. The book consists of simple sentences about trees. The illustrations accurately represent what the text is stating, which would be helpful for context clues about what the story is about if the reader is struggling with understanding part of the story. The illustrations alternate between black and white and color double page spreads. The illustrations could be described as being simple and informative with realistic adaptations of what is found in nature. A Tree Is Nice is a basic, informative story that would be fun to read not only in a large group setting, but also for beginning readers due to the simple plot line and sentence structure....more
_Just Me_ by Marie Hall Ets is a Caldecott honor book from the year 1966. This is a simply written tale of a young boy has he goes through his day mov_Just Me_ by Marie Hall Ets is a Caldecott honor book from the year 1966. This is a simply written tale of a young boy has he goes through his day moving like the animals he sees. This could be fun to do as a large group activity with preschool and early elementary school aged children. As the boy meets new animals and begins to move like them, the class could also demonstrate how to move like the animal. The artwork on each single page spread shows the young boy, first, as he first encounters the new animals, followed on the next page, as he begins to move like the animal moves. The artwork is located in a circular area on each page, surrounded by white space and two lines of the text in a red print. The confined illustrations only show one scene each only indicating the important part of the text, being finding the new animal and then moving as it does. This could be a very fun activity book to do as a class as well as a class discussion on how animals and humans all move in different ways....more
_Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons_ by Eric Litwin and illustrated by James Dean received the Theodor Suess Geisel Honor in 2013. The series of_Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons_ by Eric Litwin and illustrated by James Dean received the Theodor Suess Geisel Honor in 2013. The series of _Pete the Cat_ is a favorite among many children. They are simply written and fun stories that typically follow a tune or have music to accompany it if wanted. This book is a great choice to read with children as young as babies, up to mid elementary school. The story has a simple plot line, is interactive, and works on counting backwards. It would be an interesting read to do in a large group setting or one on one with a child. The book consists of a repeated phrase which would further provoke involvement from the children. The illustrations are bright and inviting paintings that take up a double page spread. They have childlike characteristics with some aspects of the page going outside the borders or not being completely painted. This is one book in a whole series that many children enjoy reading and would be an interesting addition to any book collection....more
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