Caldecott Medal Winners and Honor Books
from ALSC: The Randolph Caldecott Medal2013 Medal Winner
Book Description
In this darkly humorous tale, a tiny fish knows it's wrong to steal a hat. It fits him just right. But the big fish wants his hat back.
About the Author
Jon Klassen is the creator of the 2012 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book and New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year I Want My Hat Back. He is also the illustrator of Caroline Stutson's Cats' Night Out, winner of the prestigious Governor General's Award for Illustration. Jon Klassen has worked as an illustrator for feature animated films, music videos, and editorial pieces. Originally from Niagara Falls, Ontario, he now lives in Los Angeles, California.
Other books by Jon Klassen
2013 Honor Books
Creepy Carrots!
illustrated by Peter Brown and written by Aaron Reynolds
Other books by Peter Brown and Aaron Reynolds
Extra Yarn
illustrated by Jon Klassen and written by Mac Barnett
Other books by Jon Klassen and Mac Barnett
Green
written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Other books illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
One Cool Friend
illustrated by David Small and written by Toni Buzzeo
Other books by David Small and Toni Buzzeo
Sleep Like a Tiger
illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski and written by Mary Logue
Other books by Pamela Zagarenski and Mary Logue
2012 Medal Winner
Book Description
Here's a story about love and loss as only Chris Rashcka can tell it. Any child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy's anguish when her favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog. In the tradition of his nearly wordless picture book Yo! Yes?, Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka explores in pictures the joy and sadness that having a special toy can bring. Raschka's signature swirling, impressionistic illustrations and his affectionate story will particularly appeal to young dog lovers and teachers and parents who have children dealing with the loss of something special.
About the Author
Chris Raschka has written and/or illustrated over 30 books for children, including The Purple Balloon, called "deceptively simple and beautifully direct" by Kirkus Reviews. His other books include Good Sports, an ALA Notable Book; the 2006 Caldecott Medal winning title, The Hello, Goodbye Window; the Caldecott Honor Books Yo! Yes?; and Mysterious Thelonius.
Other books by Chris Raschka
2012 Honor Books
Blackout
illustrated and written by John Rocco
Other books illustrated by John Rocco
Grandpa Green
written and illustrated by Lane Smith
Other books illustrated by Lane Smith
Me . . . Jane
written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell
Other books illustrated by Patrick McDonnell
2011 Medal Winner
Book Description
The best sick day ever and the animals in the zoo feature in this striking picture book debut. Friends come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. In Amos McGee's case, all sorts of species, too! Every day he spends a little bit of time with each of his friends at the zoo, running races with the tortoise, keeping the shy penguin company, and even reading bedtime stories to the owl. But when Amos is too sick to make it to the zoo, his animal friends decide it's time they returned the favor.
About the Author
Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead, both authors and artists, divide their time between Ann Arbor, Michigan, and New York City. Philip is the author and illustrator of CREAMED TUNA FISH AND PEAS ON TOAST. This is their first book together.
Other books by Philip Stead and Erin Stead
2011 Honor Books
Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave
illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill
Other books illustrated by Bryan Collier
Interrupting Chicken
written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein
Other books illustrated by David Ezra Stein
2010 Medal Winner
Book Description
In award-winning artist Jerry Pinkney's wordless adaptation of one of Aesop's most beloved fables, an unlikely pair learn that no act of kindness is ever wasted. After a ferocious lion spares a cowering mouse that he'd planned to eat, the mouse later comes to his rescue, freeing him from a poacher's trap. With vivid depictions of the landscape of the African Serengeti and expressively-drawn characters, Pinkney makes this a truly special retelling, and his stunning pictures speak volumes.
About the Author
Jerry Pinkney is one of children's literature's most time-honored artists. He has been illustrating children's books for over 40 years and has more than 75 books to his credit. He has the rare distinction of being the recipient of five Caldecott Honor books. He has also won the Coretta Scott King Award five times, the Coretta Scott King Honor three times, and was nominated for the prestigious international Hans Christian Anderson Award.
Other books illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
2010 Honor Books
All the WorldOther books illustrated by Marla Frazee
Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors
Other books illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski
2009 Medal Winner
Book Description
A spare, patterned text and glowing pictures explore the origins of light that make a house a home in this bedtime book for young children. Naming nighttime things that are both comforting and intriguing to preschoolers—a key, a bed, the moon—this timeless book illuminates a reassuring order to the universe.
About the Author
Inspired by the pattern of a traditional poem handed down over decades ("This is the key to the kingdom"), Susan Marie Swanson wrote this poem about the comfort of night and home. she is an award-winning poet and the author of several children's books. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she often works in the schools as a poet-in-residence. Beth Krommes is the illustrator of several award-winning books. She draws and reads and dreams in a tall house among the pines and maples of Peterborough, New Hampshire, where she lives with her family.
Other books illustrated by Beth Krommes
2009 Honor Books
A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week EverOther books illustrated by Marla Frazee
How I Learned Geography
Other books illustrated by Uri Shulevitz
A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams
Other books illustrated by Melissa Sweet
2008 Medal Winner
Book Description
Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.
Other books illustrated by Brian Selznick
2008 Honor Books
Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground RailrodOther books illustrated by Kadir Nelson
First the Egg
Other books illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain
Other books illustrated by Peter Sis
Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity
Other books illustrated by Mo Willems
2007 Medal Winner
Flotsam
Book Description
A bright, science minded boy goes to the beach equipped to collect and examine flotsam--anything floating that has been washed ashore. Bottles, lost toys, small objects of every description are among his usual finds. But there's no way he could have prepared for one particular discovery: a barnacle-encrusted underwater camera, with its own secrets to share... and to keep.
About the Author
David Wiesner's interest in visual storytelling dates back to high school days when he made silent movies and drew wordless comic books. Born and raised in Bridgewater, New Jersey, he graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Illustration. While a student, he created a painting nine feet long, which he now recognizes as the genesis of Free Fall, his first book of his own authorship, for which he was awarded a Caldecott Honor Medal in 1989. Tuesday was the 1992 Caldecott Medal Winner, and in 2002 David won his second Caldecott Medal for The Three Pigs. Mr. Wiesner and his wife, Kim Kahang, and their two children live in Philadelphia, where he devotes full time to illustration and she pursues her career as a surgeon.
2007 Honor Books
Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet
Book Description
Feast your eyes on these amazing creatures before they disappear. This stampede of wild animals, from Chinese Alligator to Grevy's Zebra, are so rare, they're all endangered. David McLiman's bold and playful illustrations transform each letter into a work of art, graphically rendered with animal characteristics. Scales, horns, even insect wings transform the alphabet into animated life.
Once you take this eye-opening safari, you'll never look at letters or animals with the same way again. A striking work of art and a zoological adventure, Gone Wild is sure to be loved by children and adults alike.
About the Author
David McLimans has won numerous awards for his editorial illustration, including an Award of Excellence from the Society of Newspaper Designers and a Certificate of Excellence from Print magazine. His work has appeared the Washington Post, AIGA, Time, the New York Times, the Progressive, Atlantic Monthly, and Harper's. This is his first children's book. He lives and works in Madison, Wisconsin.
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
From Booklist
Weatherford's handsome picture book about Harriet Tubman focuses mostly on Tubman's religious inspiration, with echoes of spirituals ringing throughout the spare poetry about her struggle ("Lord, don't let nobody turn me 'round").
God cradles Tubman and talks with her; his words (printed in block capitals) both inspire her and tell her what to do ("SHED YOUR SHOES; WADE IN THE WATER TO TRICK THE DOGS"). Nelson's stirring, beautiful artwork makes clear the terror and exhaustion Tubman felt during her own escape and also during her brave rescue of others.
There's no romanticism: the pictures are dark, dramatic, and deeply colored--whether showing the desperate young fugitive "crouched for days in a potato hole" or the tough middle-aged leader frowning at the band of runaways she's trying to help.
The full-page portrait of a contemplative Tubman turning to God to help her guide her people is especially striking. Hazel Rochman
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