Caldecott Medal Winners

Caldecott Medal Winners

Owl Moon:

The book Owl Moon by Jane Yolen is illustrated by John Schoenherr and won the Caldecott Medal in 1988.  It is made for children between prekindergarten and late 2^nd grade.  I would rate this book 5 stars. 

            The story in this book is about a child and a father walking through the woods during the winter in search of spotting an owl.  The father repeatedly hoots into the woods and the child follows in silence, knowing one ounce of sound could ruin the whole experience.  Since all of her older brothers have been taken to spot owls with their father, she was excited to be able to know what owls are like.  Once the owl is spotted, the magical moment is perfectly captured and the child fills with so much joy and fulfillment. 

            Since this book received a Caldecott Medal, obviously the illustrations are amazing.  They mirror the story being told perfectly and allow the reader to be dipped into the world of owl sightings.  Although the father and daughter go to the woods at night, there is a glowing light that shines on them as they walk.  The snow is so bright, the story seems to be set in daylight.  The snow and the sky are both shown as white and the text is framed on this background, which makes it look like it is during the day even more.  But if the reader pays attention, one realizes that the story has to be set at night based on the descriptions about looking with a flashlight. 

            The words in this book also paint brilliant images for a reader.  The sensory images can be used in the classroom to promote writing to allow readers to share a specific moment with the writer, even in the early elementary years.  Quotes like: “Our feet crunched over the crop snow and little gray footprints followed us.”, “I could feel the cold, as if someone’s icy hand was palm-down on my back.”, and “We watched silently with heat in our mouths, the heat of all those words we had not spoken.” really demonstrate the moments that are occurring within the text.  If a child closes his or her eyes while hearing this book read to them, the images formed will be so detailed and gorgeous from the words alone.  Then being able to see Caldecott caliber illustrations really enhances the literary experience. 

            Reading this book as a child with my mom provided a lot of wonderment and magical reading moments.  This book should be shared between parent and child and between teacher and students.  In the classroom, a lesson involving “showing not telling” through writing can be introduced to children as young as first or second grade.  Instead of just witnessing simple sentences, a teacher can see deeper writing.  Any child can benefit from experiencing this book, especially ones interested in art.  To see the intensity of illustrations can instigate some interest in linking drawings to text.  Students can write their own sensory stories, then they can illustrate them too. 

Jumanji:

            Another Caldecott Medal winner, Jumanji, was both written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg.  The book is very interesting and can be shared with children as early as preschool and can be told to older children, such as 6^th graders for the lessons and depth of the story.  I would give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. 

           
As a classic book turned movie, not many people have avoided having some contact with some form of Jumanji in their lives.  The book tells the story of a brother and sister who have the house to themselves when their parents go to the opera.  The children find themselves bored with the toys in their house and venture into the park to find something more entertaining to do.  Judy stumbles upon a game called “Jumanji” with a  note taped to the back warning, “Free game, fun for some but not for all.  P.S. Read instructions carefully.”  As the kids play the games, they find that each of the tiles they land on actually happens.  A lion appears on the piano, monkeys in the kitchen, and a lost tour guide in the living room.  The children also know that in order to have the house return to normal, they need to finish the game and reach the golden city of Jumanji.  After weathering the harsh tiles, the duo finally makes it to Jumanji, just in time for their parents to return from the opera.  At the end, the children state that it is very important to finish what you start and follow the directions along the way, two classic lessons every parent and teacher wants children to be aware of. 

            Jumanji can be used in the classroom to ignite more imagination in children about the worlds that can be created through writing.  Teachers can use this book to begin a lesson about writing so readers can make images from the word.  The illustrations in Jumanji really match the words of the story and provide more information for the students.  The small details are an important part of the story being told.  Also, the story is about a game, which is a topic of interest among most children.  It is also very useful to children of all ages because it is magical to younger children and can spark ideas for writing.  Also, when using this book, teachers can also tie Jumanji to a unit about jungles.  Since the kids had a jungle come to them, a teacher can bring a jungle to the classroom for the students. 

            This book provides a lot of inspiration in the realms of reading and writing.  Students could even create their own board game that they bring to life.  The book is well written and flexible, making it a great asset to teachers.  I would recommend this book to students, parents, and teachers alike since it is such a great classic. 

The Three Little Pigs:

            David Wiesner both wrote and illustrated the Caldecott Medal winner The Three Pigs.  It is geared at 3^rd through 5^th graders and I would rate this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

            When picking up this book, I thought the story would be traditional, just with phenomenal illustrations.  However, I was surprised to see an alternate reality brought into the book when the three little pigs escape their world of the wolf huffing and puffing to jump in and out of other stories.  They grab other characters along the way and stir up stories in this alternate reality.  In the end, the three little pigs decide to return to the brick house with their new found dragon and cat friends and the wolf is once again left without victory.

            This book would be more successful in a slightly older classroom simply because of the complexity of having another world behind the pages of a book and the characters being fluid between the stories.  It would be very interesting to use in a unit about questioning what you have been taught or know.  Students could choose their favorite book, then after the teacher reads The Three Pigs, students could rewrite their books in a way that they see fit.  This allows students to practice writing with some sort of structure or guidance without locking them into one particular story with one certain path to follow. 

            This book is really well written and the illustrations are, of course, amazing.  The way the pigs interact with the pages from the stories also is done so well because it looks so real or like something you would see in a movie.  This book will also allow children to picture characters from one book interacting with characters from another book easily.  I could see myself definitely using this book in my future classroom to break my students out of the molds or stereotypes they have formed about books. 

The Polar Express: 

        
           The Polar Express is a book that few people can claim to have never heard of.  It is written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg.  It is aimed at children between kindergarten and 3^rd grade.  I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

            A little boy is awoken by the whistles of the Polar Express, a train on a voyage to the North Pole, toting children who crave a sight of Santa.  Once they pull into the North Pole, they are surrounded by elves and the first gift of Christmas is given to the narrator of the book.  He chose to have a bell from Santa’s sleigh as a gift and slipped it into his pocket as the sleigh went airborne and took off into the dark night sky.  Once he was back on the train, the boy checked his pocket for the bell, shocked to find it had slipped out through a hole in his pocket.  On Christmas morning, he opened his last present to find the bell with a note from Santa himself.  The bell is one that rings only for people who truly believe in Santa and the spirit of Christmas and the main character still hears the ring until this day. 

            This story is a truly magical tale about a boy and the notion of Santa Claus.  Using this in a classroom is very tricky, if not impossible.  Discussing the topic of Christmas can be difficult to work into a school that promotes diversity and does not encourage the support of one particular winter holiday.  However, this book should be shared frequently between parent and child.  My mom read this book to me as a child and whenever I asked her if she believed in Santa Claus (even until this day), she would answer, “I believe in the spirit of Christmas.”  This book reminds me of exactly that.  The idea of a bell that only rings for those who believe is a great concrete way of demonstrating growing out of things like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and other folk tale characters.  However, if a person does not let him or herself become to old to embrace the magic behind these imaginary people, their mind can flourish and continue to grow. 

            Creating a world you still feel whimsical in, even as an adult, is what The Polar Express is about.  If everyone chose one myth or fable to believe in, the world could be full of magic.  Children can refer to this book for how to create magic through writing and illustrations.  The drawings in this book definitely add to the experience one has.  Seeing the glowing light of the North Pole on the boy’s face or how Santa Claus towers over him really adds to the text of the story.  This book is a classic that should be brought into any child’s life, regardless of the holiday they celebrate. 

Tuesday:

            The book Tuesday, written and illustrated by David Wiesner, is a nearly wordless picture book with a story that is easily seen and understood.  It is made for 1^st-4^th graders and I would rate it 5 out of 5 stars. 

            The book begins with frogs sitting peacefully on their lily pads on a Tuesday night.  Then, they begin to take flight and float around the town, spotting a man having a late night snack, flying through hanging laundry, and scaring a dog away.  Once their lily pads lose their magical floating powers, the frogs are forced to hop back to the pond and carry on their daily routines.  The people of the town are confused by the extreme number of lily pads strewn about, but they better figure it out quick because the following Tuesday, the pigs of the farm begin to float…

            Wordless picture books are a great way to improve children’s writing and drawing.  Teachers can either have children produce their own wordless picture book or they can have them write a story based on a wordless picture book, like Tuesday.  Children can also compare what their stories turned out to be about, to show that not one interpretation of the book’s pictures is correct.  There is so much flexibility in these types of books, so it is easy for students to find somewhere to participate.  These types of books can also interest students who think they are not particularly great readers too.  It can take away the sometimes intimidating blocks of text that usually accompany such awesome pictures in books.