Adding to the Caldecott List

Every year the Allen County Public Library makes a list of illustrated books for kids that we think might win the Caldecott Award, a special honor that goes to the illustrator of the winning book.  There have been many great books published for kids this year, but here are a few that we’re adding to our Caldecott list.  You may also like to read more about the Caldecott Award or our lists from past years.

	Round is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes written by Roseanne Greenfield Thong & illustrated by John Parra Spanish words are sprinkled throughout this story about Hispanic culture and shapes.  I like the slightly rough look of the pictures.  They have a folk art appeal with spatters and even a few fingerprints in the paint.
	Chu’s Day written by Neil Gaiman & illustrated by Adam Rex Chu is a little panda with a big sneeze.  It’s a simple story with great detailed pictures.  For instance, the library has two doors built into each other to accommodate larger quests like the elephant and smaller guests like the turtle.  There are mice using laptops in the card catalog drawers. One of the audience members at the circus is a fish in a fish bowl.  Lots of little things to make you smile.
	Giant Dance Party written by Betsy Bird & illustrated by Brandon Dorman Lexy’s fix for her terrible stage fright involves teaching giants how to dance properly.  I like the colorful pictures which go along so nicely with the spunky text.  When the giants burst into the story their images are so big they don’t fit on the page.
	Red Hat written & illustrated by Lita Judge From the creator of Red Sled this fun romp with a red hat (look familiar?) has lots of crazy sound words and silly action.  The red hat, or the red yarn in some pictures, always stands out in these jubilant pictures.
	How To Be A Cat written & illustrated by Nikki McClure Bold pictures and very simple text display the simple pleasures of being a cat.

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Mock Caldecott Book List for 2014

One of our favorite ways to celebrate great children’s books is to read and evaluate new titles based on their pictures and try to predict which one may win one of the highest honors in children’s literature… The Randolph Caldecott Medal.  The medal is awarded in January so we’ve got plenty of time to explore and critique.  Below is a list of titles we’ve written about so far this year that meet all the necessary qualifications.

If you’d like to join librarians from the Allen County Public Library and other children’s book lovers for a great discussion of these books consider joining us at the beginning of January, 2014 (date to be announced) at the Main Library for our Mock Caldecott Program.

2012A, 2013 Caldecott ward, ALA, Book Awards

We’ll be adding onto this list periodically so you may want to bookmark this page and visit again soon!

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Picture Book Review: Take Me Out to the Yakyu

Baseball season is now in full swing!  Hurray!   And that makes it a perfect time to share this new picture book — Take Me Out to the Yakyu, by Aaron Meshon.

A baseball-loving boy shows us the great game of baseball — in America AND in Japan.  This lucky guy has grandparents in each country who take him to baseball games; he shows us through side-by-side illustrations the similarities and differences between the two.   Readers will learn Japanese words for baseball (yakyu), fastball (sokkyu) and much more!    Who knew that in the seventh inning, Japanese fans sing their team’s anthem, and then release balloons?!

At the end of the book is an English/Japanese glossary of  baseball words and “other fun words”, as well as an author’s note, with more detailed information about baseball in both countries.

What impresses me the most about this one is its simple, yet very effective design — there is much to be learned by perusing the bright, bold illustrations. What comes through super strong is that, in spite of our differences and the distances between us, we are all very much alike.

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Picture Books for the Younger Crowd: Time Out for Sophie & Polar Bear Morning

We get new books in so often at the library, it’s great to be able to share my favorites here on this blog!  Here are two great picks for the toddlers and preschoolers in your life.

Time Out for Sophie by Rosemary Wells is a sweet picture book about a rambunctious two-year-old who pushes the limits (as two-year-olds tend to do).  The  illustrations are a-dorable, the facial expressions of the characters are spot-on and may invite some conversations between grown-up readers and young listeners about what the characters may be feeling.   I like the organization of the background colors — green for the macaroni incident, yellow for the laundry, purple for grandma’s glasses — with time-outs in between on plain white backgrounds (including Granny’s time-out!).  Even the endpapers of the book are fun, with macaroni spilled across the front, laundry scattered across the back.

Polar Bear Morning by Lauren Thompson & Stephen Savage is one of my favorite read-aloud picture books so far this year. It’s a continuation of the acclaimed Polar Bear Night by the same author/illustrator duo, but readers need not have read the first book to appreciate the second. In this story, a polar bear cub wakes up to a new day, meets a new friend, and has adventures. Bold shapes in a calm, serene palette of blues complement the simple, poetic words. The colors in this book really set the mood, with warmer tones of peach and rose jumping in here and there to evoke the warmth of a growing friendship. This is not a fast-paced story, but one that begs to be savored and slowly read, with some wordless pages perfectly placed where readers will naturally stop to ponder, like the double-page spread with both bear cubs meeting face-to-face, each bear’s head profiled and filling a whole page.

I’ll definitely be sharing both of these stories with toddlers and preschoolers.  They are perfect for storytime, but also for sharing one-on-one. Simple stories like these are great tools for developing narrative skills in young children — try retelling the story after you read, or make up new adventures for the characters.  Asking questions, like “What do you think will happen next?” helps children learn to predict what might happen, also an important early literacy skill.

Happy Reading!

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Building Our House

Do you have a child at home who loves to build?  Or is crazy about tools?  Or wonders about how things are built — particularly houses?  You may want to check out Building Our House by Jonathan Bean.

In this picture book, an entire family — mom, dad, brother, sister, grandpa, even friends and neighbors –  pitches in to build a house — from scratch!  Colorful and bold illustrations express well the work and sweat — and also the cooperation and togetherness — that this family experiences during the year-and-a-half they work on their house.   Not only is this a story about building a house, but also about building a family.

Interestingly, this story is based on the author’s memories of his parents building their home when he was a young child, told from his sister’s point-of-view.   This is explained in an author’s note at the end, with original photos — a nice touch.

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Happy Birthday, Bunny!

Birthdays can be so much fun!  Happy Birthday, Bunny!, a new picture book written by Elizabeth Scanlon and illustrated by Stephanie Graegin, is a sweet birthday read-aloud story to share with your favorite preschooler.  The pencil & ink wash illustrations evoke a strong sense of family, friends and excitement.

I like the way the story is set up with rhyming text in a question and answer format, much like a young child would ask questions of her trusted grown-up:  “What do you mean that time just flies?” (everyone huddled around a photo album)…turn the page…”You’re growing up before our eyes…” (snapshots of Little Bunny from infancy to present).  After reading this book with a child, you may want to talk about a favorite birthday party, or make up a story about the “best” birthday party ever.

Little details in the illustrations are fun to search out.  For example, the pattern in the endpapers at the beginning and end of the book matches the wallpaper in the house.  I found it funny that both Mother and Nana wear clothing with carrot patterns.

Do you have a favorite birthday story?

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And The Winner Is…

Today the American Library Association announced the winners for a variety of book awards.  We’ve devoted a good deal of this blog in the past year to talking about new books and which ones we think will win awards.  Without further ado here is the list of winning books and honor books:

Randolph Caldecott Medal Winner – This is Not My Hat written and illustrated by Jon Klassen
space Honor Books: Extra Yarn written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen, Green written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Creepy Carrots written by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Peter Brown, and One Cool Friend written by Toni Buzzeo and illustrated by David Small

John Newbery Medal Winner -  The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
space Honor Books: Splendors and Glooms written by Laura Amy Schlitz, Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin, Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage 

Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner – Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America written by Andrea Davis Pinkney and illustrated by Brian Pinkney
space Honor Books: Each Kindness written by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by E. B. Lewis, No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner -  I, Too, Am America written by Langston Hughes and illustrated by Bryan Collier
blank Honor Books: H. O. R. S. E. illustrated and written by Christopher Myers, Ellen’s Broom written by Kelly Starling Lyons and illustrated by Daniel Minter, and I Have a Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr. written by Martin Luther King, Jr. and illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Winner – Up, Tall and High written and illustrated by Ethan Long
space Honor Books: Let’s Go for a Drive! written and illustrated by Mo Willems, Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons written by Eric Litwin and illustrated by James Dean, and Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover written and illustrated by Cece Bell

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award – Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon written by Steve Sheinkin
space Honor Books: Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin written and illustrated by Robert Byrd, Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95 written by Phillip M. Hoose, and Titanic: Voices from the Disaster written by Deborah Hopkinson

You can find more book award winners if you click here.

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Mock Caldecott Program Winner

Today was the day!
Twenty Two participants attended our annual Mock Caldecott Program this morning at the Main Library.  We enjoyed some informational presentations and an extensive book discussion which led to a suspenseful bout of voting. 

Our choice for Caldecott Award Winner was And Then It’s Spring illustrated by Erin Stead.

Honor books included: Extra Yarn, illustrated by Jon Klassen, Step Gently Out, illustrated by Rick Lieder, and More, illustrated by Brian Lies.

This year’s official announcement of the 2013 Caldecott Award winner happens on Monday, January 28th at 11:00 EST.  We’ll be sure to let you know how our predictions stacked up against the official committee vote.

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Children’s Book Award Programs — This Weekend!

We have 3 great programs for adults coming up this Saturday, January 12 in Children’s Services.

• Mock Caldecott Election — 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

• Mock Newbery Election — 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.

• What Do YOU Think Were the Top Three Children’s Books in 2012? – 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Plan on having a great time learning about the wonderful variety of new books published for children in 2012. There’s still time to register, if you’d like to attend.  Call us at 260-421-1220, or click on the above links.

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Homeschoolers’ Mock Caldecott Picks

On Monday, December 17, a group of book-loving homeschoolers got together for their monthly book club — and held their own Mock Caldecott Election!  After pointing out the strengths of their favorites from this year’s nominees, the group took a vote — and there was a tie for first place!  After two more votes, the winner finally became clear.

Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger was chosen by the group as their Mock Caldecott Winner.

 Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham and Paul O. Zelinsky  and Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems were chosen as Mock Caldecott Honor Books.

The Great Books Book Club is open to homeschoolers ages 6 to 11.  We meet at the Main Library in Children’s Services — our next meeting will be Monday, February 18 at 2:00, when we’ll talk about the books A Dog’s Life: The Autobiography of a Stray by Ann M. Martin and Once I Ate a Pie by Patricia MacLachlan, both winners of the Young Hoosier Book Award.

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