Reading the Art in Caldecott Award Books

Reading the Art in Caldecott Award Books: A Guide to the Illustrations by Heidi K. Hammond & Gail D. Nordstrom
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Date: August 2014
Format: print
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Authors | Publisher

I am participating in Julie's Newbery/Caldecott Challenge this year and was looking to learn more about why certain books win these awards when I found Reading the Art in Caldecott Award Books in my library system's catalog. I borrowed it at least three times and maxed out my renewals each time. Even though I have now read it in its entirety, I am seriously considering buying a copy to have as a reference. It seems to be an academic-type book though, so it is rather pricey for a paperback -- used or new -- so I'm holding out for now. I admit I am exceedingly enthusiastic about picture books these days, but regardless, I still feel like this is a real hidden gem of a book. Realistically, I imagine this book has mostly been used by librarians and teachers, but I think it could have wider appeal to parents if not for the price. Delving more deeply into picture books isn't for everyone, but I'm sure I'm not the only bookish parent who is more comfortable with understanding and appreciating text and wished to know more about the merits of award-winning illustration.

So what exactly will you find in this book? The introduction covers the Caldecott award criteria and the process of choosing the winners. The authors share their own experience serving on the 2011 Caldecott committee (without revealing anything confidential, of course). I know it takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but it sure sounded like fun for anyone who loves picture books! The authors also explain how and why they wrote the book and how to use it. It is important to know it is not meant to be read alone, but rather to be read alongside the picture books themselves so you can examine the illustrations more closely as you learn more about them.

After the introduction, we move right into entries for 56 different Caldecott award books. The entries are presented alphabetically by title and include all of the Medal and Honor books for 2011-2014 plus selected titles from earlier years. It doesn't cover nearly all of the Caldecott titles going back to 1938, but there is enough here to give you a solid foundation for better understanding how the award works and what qualifies a book to receive it. I would love if the authors wrote a follow-up featuring additional Caldecott books, but I don't know how realistic that wish is!

Each entry lists the title, author, medal or honor status, year, style, and medium. Then there four sections: "analysis," "for further consideration," "illustrator note," and "sources consulted." Each entry is not long, but they are packed full of insights and observations about the book and its artwork. You can read the entry for The Invention of Hugo Cabret excerpted on the authors' website here to see an example.

My usual method was to read the picture book once, then read its entry while flipping back through the picture book and examining it more closely. I cannot even begin to count how many times I missed things in the illustrations. And while most of the time, I felt like my biggest takeaway was to just pay better attention already! -- there were many other cases where additional background information was provided that I never would have known without additional research. And as easy as it sounds to just pay better attention, many years of focusing primarily on the written words is a hard habit to break. The other thing this book was really good at was pointing out "threads" in the illustrations -- for example, a minor character or image that appears on every page. I am terrible at picking up that sort of thing on my own unless it is glaringly obvious. I am definitely not well-practiced in noticing more subtle things in picture book artwork.

There is a glossary which proved extremely useful as I encountered unfamiliar terms. There are also three different indexes so you can easily identify picture books by media and style as well as by title/author/illustrator. The "sources consulted" listed for each entry (in addition to the sources listed in one of the back appendixes) are proving to be a treasure trove of additional reading. I've started looking for some of them in my library system and plan to continue delving into the world of picture books. I have a feeling I've started down a bit of a rabbit hole here, but I'm definitely OK with that. Apologies to anyone who isn't so interested in picture books, but this "genre" is even more vast and more fascinating than I first imagined and I won't be leaving it any time soon!

Current Children's Book Favorites

I always thought I would never tire of reading to my son, and for the most part that is still true. I know toddlers and little kids thrive on repetition, so I'm not surprised he gravitates toward the same books over and over. However, I must admit when we get to the fifth reading in a row, I very much do wish we could switch to something different! He does have many favorites though, so I really can't complain. I am so thankful my little boy enjoys stories, being read to, and (most of the time) snuggling up for this part of our day. So I thought I would share the most recent batch we -- sorry, he -- has on rotation.

Hippos Go Beserk! by Sandra Boynton

What's Wrong Little Pookie? by Sandra Boynton

One, Two, Three by Sandra Boynton

Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton

Pete the Cat: The Wheels on the Bus by James Dean

Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle & Jill McElmurry (Illus.)

Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You by Nancy Tillman

I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak & Caroline Jayne Church (Illus.)

Zoom Buggy! by Claire Clark & Jay Jung (Illus.)

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox & Helen Oxenbury (Illus.)

Little Blue Truck Leads the Way, by Alice Schertle & Jill McElmurry (Illus.)

Pete the Cat: Old MacDonald Had a Farm, by James Dean

We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury (Illus.)

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow

Not pictured:

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

Five Little Ducks by Raffi and Jose Aruego & Ariane Dewey (Illus.)

The first photo was actually taken a month ago, so the second photo shows additions since then. A few in the second photo, he honestly didn't care for at first. It's amusing to see him reject a book (translation: shut it mid-sentence) only to warm up to it later. I'm stubborn about expanding his repertoire though. I know he is protesting for no other reason than because the story doesn't sound familiar, so I just keep trying. Sometimes I read new books when he is more sleepy and agreeable to letting me choose our story. Other times, I sit in the rocking chair and read aloud while he plays in the same room. And plenty of times, a "rejected" book has become a new favorite. So I always try to remember that when I excitedly crack open a new book, only to have him pull it away, shut it, or declare "no, no, no!"

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If anyone has any children's book recommendations, I'd love to hear them! And I hope everyone celebrating had a lovely Thanksgiving :)

Some Halloween Reading

I love reading for the seasons and holidays, but must admit I'm much better at keeping on top of the calendar with children's books than my own "adult" books! With Halloween on Monday, I thought I'd share some books in our rotation lately:

Pete the Cat Five Little Pumpkins, by James Dean

Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree, by Stan & Jan Berenstain

Little Blue Truck's Halloween, by Alice Schertle & Jill McElmurry (Illus.)

Eek! Halloween!, by Sandra Boynton

Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin, by Mary Serfozo & Valeria Petrone (Illus.)

Not shown/returned to library:

Room on the Broom, by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler

Llama, Llama Trick or Treat, by Anna Dewdney

It's Pumpkin Day, Mouse!, by Laura Numeroff & Felicia Bond (Illus.)

Five Little Monkeys Trick-or-Treat, by Eileen Christelow

Curious George Goes to a Costume Party

The majority of these have been read more than once and quite a few have been read repeatedly. My son's favorites are definitely Little Blue Truck's Halloween and Eek! Halloween! For these (and other favorites), he brings them over to Mommy or Daddy and climbs into one of our laps to be read to. It's pretty much one of the cutest things I have ever seen. Little Blue Truck's Halloween is from the library, but I'm thinking we should get a copy for our Little Blue Truck collection based on his enthusiasm. I just picked up Little Blue Truck's Christmas when I saw it at Marshalls in preparation!

And just last night, I actually did start a spooky book of my own!

Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories

So far, I've read the intro and one of the fourteen stories (I skipped to the shortest one!) I love the idea of dipping in and out of this collection and it doesn't matter to me if I don't finish it by Monday (which I probably won't!) I don't read a lot of short stories, so I'm glad to be giving this a try and branching out a bit. Collections of stories, poems, or essays always seem like a good idea to have going alongside other longer works, but I never seem to get one started. Maybe this one will help me get the ball rolling. Thanks Jade for the recommendation!

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Do you have any favorite Halloween or fall books?

Reading Winnie-the-Pooh as an Adult

As popular as Winnie the Pooh was when I was a kid, I never actually read any of the original stories until very recently. I remember Pooh cartoons and Pooh stickers (stickers were SUCH a thing with the girls when I was in grade school -- does anyone else remember this???) And if my parents ever read me any Pooh books, they were likely picture book adaptations.

So of all the books we received at our son's baby shower last year, I was most looking forward to reading the original Winnie-the-Pooh friends of ours gave us. And with such a beautiful edition to start our collection, I just couldn't resist adding The House at Pooh Corner as well as the two volumes of poetry When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six. I was a little amused to see two of the used copies I bought were actually inscribed because they looked like they were barely even opened, let alone read. I look forward to the day my son asks me who Rosie or Jack & Whitney are -- I don't know kid, but they were missing out on these books, I can tell you that much.

The Stories

Now, I knew Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner were not particularly short, but I was still surprised to realize they were each close to 200 pages. Both volumes are divided into 10 chapters, each of which is its own story. They are connected, but I think they could be read on their own as well. The writing style is sort of meandering which definitely took some getting used to, but I thoroughly enjoyed these stories once I got the hang of the dialogue. I struggled a bit reading them aloud, so it's good my son is a bit too young to notice! These are true classics that I know I will reread more than once. In fact, I've already listened to the first volume on audiobook. The professional narrator did a much better job than I did for sure! The Piglet noises were a little jarring, but the audio does bring the characters and stories to life. Between reading and listening, it is so clear to me now how the cartoon versions of these characters evolved from the source material.

The Poems

As for Milne's poetry, I didn't know much at all beforehand except that When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six are part of the Pooh collection. Now having read them, I think that's actually a bit of a stretch. Pooh and Christopher Robin make a few appearances, but that's about it. The majority of the poems have nothing to do with Pooh and cover a variety of other topics. They were still enjoyable, but not quite what I was expecting. I think they will only improve with rereading because I'll know better what I'm getting myself into. Also, I know I have a tendency to rush through poetry, so I'm certain there is more to appreciate in these volumes than I absorbed the first time around.

Now that I have read these four, I'm on the fence about trying The Return to the Hundred Acre Wood. It is a companion volume written 80 years after The House at Pooh Corner by another author, but supposedly captures the style of the originals in a series of new adventures. If any Pooh aficionados have an opinion one way or the other, please let me know what you think! And of course, I'm intrigued by the Winnie the Pooh cookbook, but maybe I'll just see if the library has that one.

Classics Club #9-12

A Gift from a Friend

Mid-January, one of my husband's closest friends (and his best man at our wedding) passed away unexpectedly. As hard as it is to bury a friend at such a young age, my heart was broken for his friend's parents. No parent should ever have to bury their child -- no matter how old or how young, it's a grief that is unimaginable to me and every parent's worst nightmare.

Like everyone, my husband and his friend had their ups and downs and their phases when they kept in touch better than others. You always think there's more time, right? More time to plan that trip to visit, more time to make that phone call, etc. I will be forever grateful that my husband's friend did meet our son after he was born last spring. It had been a while since we saw him, but it was such a wonderful visit. He and his mom spoiled our little guy with gifts, including one particular toy that has become a favorite and I think of him every time our son plays with it. 

Then for Christmas, we got a package in the mail with a sweet note and gift cards to Barnes & Noble and Target. It's very likely we might have used the Target card for practical things like diapers, but when a few short weeks later, this friend had passed away, I knew I wanted to make his last gift something we would hold onto for years to come. My best friend helped us brainstorm and we decided on classic children's books of the silly/goofy/fun variety. Shel Silverstein sure fit the bill, as did Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Pippi Longstocking. I hadn't heard of A Long Way from Chicago before, but the description sounded like it would fit right in with the others. What better way to remember a friend than by reading a story and sharing a laugh?

And remember what I said about always thinking you have more time? Well, my husband stayed in touch with his friend a lot by text, so he thanked him right away. I wanted to send a thank you note also, but I'm the kind of person who remembers and forgets things at least a three times before they actually get done (especially if I don't write it down). And who ever thinks if you take a couple weeks to send a note, that you'll never get the chance? I know it had never even crossed my mind. So even with a busy schedule and a 10-month old to chase after, I've been trying to be better at not making excuses and putting things off. Make that call, send that note, plan that visit -- you won't regret it. And don't take friends or family for granted because you just never know what tomorrow might bring.

Audiobook Review: The Reading Promise

The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared,
by Alice Ozma & Jim Brozina
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Date: May 2011
Format: Audio -- 7 hrs 1 min
How did I get this book? purchased with Audible credit
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

So, I had a $1 paperback copy of this one from a library sale that I'd been meaning to read for the longest time. A bookish memoir is right up my alley, but I finally admitted this is exactly the sort of book I really love listening to on audiobook. So I set aside the print copy for my Mom and Grandma to read and used one of my Audible credits on it instead. In a nutshell, this is the true story of a father and daughter who make a pact when she was 9 years old to read together for 100 days, then 1,000 days, then all the way until the day Alice leaves for college.

Most of the book is read by Alice, but the introduction and quotations at the beginning of each chapter are read by her father who is an elementary school librarian -- what a gift he has! I could see from these brief glimpses why his daughter, students, and other audiences have enjoyed his reading aloud so much. The book addresses a lot of family issues and difficulties -- everything is not just sunshine, roses, and bedtime stories -- but through it all, they honored this promise they made to each other and kept their "Streak" alive for years. 

This was an inspiring and heartwarming memoir I'm so glad I finally read. In fact, I may have enjoyed it even more now that I'm a mom. I was only about six minutes in and getting a little teary-eyed! It's not really a tear-jerker, but hearing Jim talk about the importance of reading and spending time with his children tugged at my heartstrings. I already read a lot to my 10 month old son, but this makes me want to continue the tradition as long as I possibly can (translation: as long as he will let me!)

A New Year's Bookshelf Clean-Out + Where to Donate Books

Like many avid readers and book collectors, I've always been a little defensive of my overflowing shelves. No matter how well-meaning or innocent, I tend to have a knee-jerk reaction to comments or questions about how many books I own, feeling the need to explain and justify my hobby. "There are worse addictions to have than my addiction to books!" is a phrase I have used many times. And I use the term addiction very loosely because true addiction is no laughing matter -- it's not like reading or books are ruining my life, relationships, or finances. Rather, books and reading enrich my life and bring considerable enjoyment to my days. Books are a joy to share with my young son, other family members, and friends, not to mention all the like-minded book nerds I've "met" through blogging.

I am so very fortunate to be educated and literate with access to a fantastic library system and the means to buy books as well. While I have gotten a little click-happy with ordering books online more times than I'd like to admit, I always feel good about supporting local book stores. I love browsing and discovering some hidden gem or interesting title I had never heard of before. The odds of this sort of serendipity occurring seems to increase if I'm in a used bookstore which just adds to the fun.

However, I recently realized (again!) that I no longer had any shelf space left. As Andy Miller wrote in The Year of Reading Dangerously, "I had confused 'art' with 'shopping'. Books, for instance. I had a lot of those. There they all were, on the shelves and on the floor, piled up by the bed and falling out of boxes." While my collection is fairly well contained, I couldn't help but see myself a little bit in Andy's observation. Book shopping is fun in its own way, but it doesn't hold a candle to the actual reading. That's the really fun part.

So what's a bookworm to do? Cull, cull, and cull some more. If you're looking for some ideas of where to send books, here's where this round of culling is headed:

1. Schools via Reach A Reader's ARCs Float On

Bloggers, check this program out! This is a great way to responsibly deal with review books you are done with or that are so far past their publication date that it's time to let them go. I chose to offer the teachers I contacted finished books as well since I have so many to pass on right now. Personally, I'd rather pay for media mail shipping and know my old ARCs are going someplace they are wanted, than to push them on local schools that aren't actively seeking out or willing to accept them. I contacted three different teachers, received prompt responses, and have been busily boxing everything up to get into the mail. If there is a teacher in the directory near you, you might even be able to drop them off. Reach A Reader also has many more resources listed here for additional donation options.

2. My grandmother's account at her local used bookstore 

I have an account there too, but seriously, I don't need any more credit than I already have! My grandmother shares an account with two of my aunts, so they often run out of credit. This particular store only takes paperbacks, so any books I didn't think would work for high schoolers, I have in a bag for the next time I visit. It obviously doesn't have to be your grandmother, but if you know someone with a trade account at a used bookstore, I'm sure they would appreciate a little bump to their balance if you have extra books to share.

3. My local used bookstore

This store takes hardcovers, so any of those that didn't seem like a good fit for a high school are going there. Mostly this has consisted of mid-life, middle age, finding-peace-after-divorce type of fiction -- which other than a familiar author name catching my eye, I don't even know why I even picked up these types of books and I'm considerably older than a high schooler! I don't send all my books here, but I do like supporting a small, independent business. 

4. My brother's girlfriend's mom

I found out she reads Nora Roberts and despite the fact that I used to read her books, I haven't picked any up in the past several years. My own mom has borrowed and read them all, so I'm glad others have and will enjoy them, but it's time for me to move on! It's definitely worth asking around if you want to share some excess books with friends and family.

5. Better Worlds Books donation bin in my library's parking lot

A handful of books I didn't think the schools or bookstores would want are going here. If they can't use the books in their online store, they get recycled, so this is often a last-ditch option for the odd stragglers I don't know what else to do with. See if there is a collection bin near you here.

SOME of the piles to be boxed up.

Some additional ideas:

1. Donate to a Little Free Library

A few months ago, I gave a friend a big pile for her Little Free Library, but I didn't want to overwhelm her with another avalanche of books. If you don't know anyone who runs a Little Free Library, you could start your own! Also, the whole premise of these libraries is "take a book, leave a book" so could always participate as a patron of any Little Free Library you come across. Search for one near you here.

2. Donate to a nursing home

Before I moved, I worked at a nursing home/rehabilitation center and we regularly received book donations to share with the patients and residents. I would recommend contacting them ahead of time to make sure they are willing to accept your books and have the space to store them, etc. You'd want to ask for the Recreation or Therapeutic Recreation (TR) Department.

3. Donate to a doctor's office or other organization

While I mostly think of magazines when it comes to waiting room donations, I know my son's pediatrician has a rack of picture books in every exam room. I haven't done this myself, but I'm sure when the time comes I could ask at the desk if they needed any additional books. If finding a local organization to share your books with is important to you (and you'd like to avoid shipping fees!), it can't hurt to ask! Call, email, or ask the next time you are visiting or nearby. Be aware they may decline your offer for various reasons (don't need any more books, don't want/need the types of books you are offering, don't have storage space, don't have anyone to sort/handle/distribute the donations, etc.), but you never know! If you inquire ahead of time, you give them the opportunity to evaluate whether or not they are willing and able to put your books to good use. Shelters, schools, after-school programs, day-care centers -- there a lot of options if you want to do some research.

4. Donate to a Library Book Sale

In my experience, a lot of libraries do NOT accept donations, unless they have a Friends of the Library group that coordinates book sale fundraisers. If your library does have a Friends group that runs these sales throughout the year, ask about how/where they accept donations. Some accept books year-round and others might have designated drop-off times or dates.

I feel like I was evaluating my collection pretty ruthlessly, pulling out well over 100 books, but I still have A LOT of books left in my house! So what the heck kinds of books are still on my shelves if I got rid of so many? I'm mostly keeping favorites, unread books I am still excited to read someday, and what I will loosely term "classics." That last category includes a LOT of children's books for various ages I'd like to share with my son as he gets older.

I am hoping this experience will help me to let go of books I'm done with more easily in the future and also be more mindful about future book purchases -- honing in on what is worth adding to (or keeping in) my collection versus what is just adding to the clutter. And let me tell you, knowing that so many of the books leaving my home would be going into classrooms made it SO much easier to let them go. That was my biggest lesson I think -- having a plan and knowing that any books I remove from my collection will be used and appreciated helped make my decisions about what to keep and what to give away so much easier.

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Have you ever done a major culling of your book collection? Do you have any other tips, tricks, or donation suggestions to share? Please tell us in the comments!

A (Picture) Book About Books

If You Wish, written by Kate Westerlund & illustrated by Robert Ingpen
Series? No
Publisher: minedition
Date: September 2014
Other Details: Hardcover; 32 pages
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

This was my first complete book of 2016 and what a wonderful way to start the year! I discovered it while doing some research about Robert Ingpen who has done the illustrations for a whole series of classics (that I keep adding to my collection!) as well as many other books including this one. His artwork is absolutely beautiful and this story just warmed my bookish heart. Essentially, it is about a girl who learns to use her imagination while re-reading her favorite books -- she discovers how to find the "book inside the book."

This book currently has only 12 ratings and 1 review on Goodreads and I'm so surprised by that. According to the author's website, it was originally only available in German and French, but it was later published in English in the US in 2014. I'm so glad my library system had a copy to borrow, but I have a feeling this one will eventually join our home collection as well.

This is a must-read for any book lover -- child or adult! And most especially if you have a soft spot in your heart for re-exploring your favorite stories. It is a wonderful book to read aloud and there were quite a few lovely quotes I jotted down in my journal -- that doesn't happen too often with a picture book!

Bookish Christmas

I thought I'd take a little break from the New Year goals and challenges to rewind and share the bookish gifts we gave and received this Christmas. And don't worry, there are more New Year challenges to come :)

My inlaws did a little photoshoot while babysitting one afternoon and gave us this photo in a beautiful frame from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. How adorable?!?!

There are quite a few friends and family members who know we are book lovers, so the little man received a few more for his collection :)

My husband and I gave these two by Nancy Tillman to our son. I absolutely love all her books because they are both beautiful and sentimental in the best possible way. Highly recommended.

Another gift from my husband and I to our son. My parents still have Volume 2 & Volume 3 from when my brother and I were kids and we borrowed those to read this year leading up to Christmas. And while I know they will happily lend them to us again, I thought I would track down a copy of the first volume to add to our own collection. They are apparently not so easy to find, but I lucked out at this Etsy shop. I think it will be nice to mix up which volume we read each year in the future.

I received the Outlander graphic novel from my aunt- and uncle-in-law. I read it from the library (last year?) and loved it, but I didn't have a copy for my collection. Now I do! :)

And finally, my cousin and her family got us this awesome heat-sensitive Harry Potter mug...

 ...and HP onesie for the little guy. But, shhhh, we all know he's really a wizard :) :)