Caldecott Medal and Honor Award
Following is an annotated bibliography, composed of Caldecott Medal
and Honor Award winning books, that I recommend for parents and guardians to
share with children in their lives. Info about these awards is from https://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecott.
“The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of
nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. 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 medal is to be given to the artist who had created the
most distinguished picture book of the year and named in honor of the
nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph J. Caldecott. The idea for
this medal was also accepted enthusiastically by the Section for Library
Work with Children of ALA and was approved by the ALA Executive Board. The
Caldecott Medal "shall be awarded to the artist of the most
distinguished American Picture Book for Children published in the United
States during the preceding year.”
Caldecott Award Winning Books
Aardema, V. (1975). Why
Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears. Ill. by Leo and Diane Dillon. New York,
NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-14-054905-6.
This is an old West African folk tale about a
mosquito that starts an uproar in the forest. This story lends itself to
reading aloud, as many of the animals have distinctive noises that they make,
and there are numerous other sounds that add to the narrative. The plot
involves the animals blaming each other for why the sun has not risen. The
culprit is finally revealed, and justice is served. This is a traditional origin
story (“pourquoi story”) that was created to explain why a particular creature
does what it does, in this case, why mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears. The
illustrations are beautifully rendered. They are reminiscent of woodcuts, and
they add to the folk tale flavor of the narrative. This book is like Why the
Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky by Blair Lent.
Recommended level: Ages 5 – 8.
Bang, M. (1983). Ten, Nine,
Eight (1st ed.). Ill. by Molly Bang. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books. ISBN
0-688-00907-7.
This is a child’s counting book, ideal for teaching
numbers and simple words to a developing reader. The narrative lends itself to
bedtime story reading aloud. This book is like Goodnight Moon by Margaret
Wise Brown.
Recommended level: Ages 2 – 5.
Cordell, Matthew. (2017). Wolf
in the Snow. Ill. by Matthew Cordell. New York, NY: A Feiwel and Friends
Book, an imprint of Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-250-07636-6.
A little girl finds a lost wolf pup in the snow.
She returns the wolf pup to its mother wolf. The little girl is unable get
home. The wolf pack surrounds the girl and howl to bring the girl’s family to
rescue her. This book is like Hope by Matthew Cordell.
Recommended level: Ages 2 – 6.
Johnson, S. (1995). Alphabet
City. Ill. by Stephen T. Johnson. New York, NY: Viking, a division of
Penguin Books USA Inc. ISBN 0-670-85631-2.
This book has no words, and it is best used for
parents and other caretakers to work with children to identify the letters of
the alphabet. This book is like City by Numbers by Stephen T. Johnson.
Recommended level: Ages 3 – 7.
Keats, E. (1962). The Snowy
Day. Ill. by Ezra Jack Keats. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. by arrangement
with The Viking Press. ISBN 0-590-03031-0.
A little boy named Peter wakes up to find that it
had snowed the night before. After breakfast he goes out in it. The little boy
enjoys his time in the snow. The book describes many fun activities to be had
in snow. This book is like The Snow Day by Komako Sakai.
Recommended level: Ages 3 – 8.
Lin, G. (2018). A Big Mooncake
for Little Star. Ill. by Grace Lin. New York, NY: Little, Brown and
Company, a division of Hatchette Book Group, Inc. ISBN 978-0-316-10118-8.
Little Star’s momma makes a big mooncake for Little
Star. Momma tells Little Star not to eat it yet, but Little Star eats a little
bit of it every night until finally it is gone. This book is like Ling and
Ting: Not Exactly the Same!
Recommended level: Ages 3 – 9.
Lionni, L. (1963). Swimmy.
Ill. by Leo Lionni. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House,
Inc. ISBN 0-394-91713-8.
Swimmy was a lone black fish in a school of red
fish. A tuna ate all the red fish, but not Swimmy. At first, he is sad and
frightened, but later the beauty of the ocean creatures makes him happy again.
Eventually, he found some more red fish. He taught them to swim closely
together to avoid being eaten. This book is like books in The Rainbow Fish
series.
Recommended level: Ages 4 – 8.
Mattick, Lindsay. (2015). Finding
Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear. Ill. by Sophie Blackall.
New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 9780316324908.
A little boy’s mother tells him a story about a
soldier who buys a bear cub on his way to the war. The soldier names it Winnie
to remind him of his home, Winnipeg. The soldier left the bear at the London
Zoo. One day a boy sees the bear. He decides to name his toy bear after the
bear at the Zoo. The boy’s name is Christopher Robin Milne. His father writes
stories about Christopher Robin and his toy bear Winnie. The soldier gets married
and has many descendants. His great-great-grandson is the little boy at the
beginning of the story. This is a wonderful book based on a true story. Other
books like this one include the Winnie the Pooh series by A.A. Milne.
Recommended level: Ages 4 – 6.
McCloskey, R. (1941). Make Way
for Ducklings. Ill. by Robert McCloskey. New York, NY: Viking, a division
of Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-670-45149-5.
Mr. and Mrs. Mallard find a place in Boston to
live. Local police stop traffic to allow Mrs. Mallard to take her ducklings to
the Public Garden. This book is like John Philip Duck by Patricia
Polacco.
Recommended level: Ages 4 – 8.
McDermott, G. (1972). Anansi
the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti. Ill. by Gerald McDermott. New York,
NY: Henry Holt and Company, LLC. ISBN 978-0-8050-0310-9.
Anansi the spider had six sons. One day Anansi gets in trouble. His six sons
work together to rescue him. Afterward, Anansi wants to reward “the son” who
saved him. They can’t decide who should get the reward. The reward becomes the
moon. This book is like Anansi by Christine Platt.
Recommended level: Ages 4 – 8.
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