Erika Kosin
Library Notes
January 23, 2009
The Caldecott Award 72 Years and Going Strong
Every year in January, Children’s Librarians throughout the country wait with bated breath for the announcements of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), book and media awards. One of the most coveted awards is the Caldecott Medal, named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott, which recognizes the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published in the United States within the past year.
To be eligible for the Caldecott Medal a picture book must provide the child with a visual experience that is consistent with the story-line, theme, or concept developed within the series of original images. It must also respect the understandings, abilities and appreciations of the intended age group for whom the book was written whether three years old or fourteen. Keeping these criteria in mind, a committee must select the winner and honor books each year.
This year’s winner of the 2009 Caldecott Medal is a bedtime story illustrated with scratchboard and watercolor called The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson and Beth Krommes. Some past winners include:
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznak: This 2008 Caldecott medal Winner is a 533 page chapter book filled with wonderful black and white pencil drawings that are full of texture and movement. The illustrations allow you to follow along with Hugo as he discovers a world of silent movies, magic and science. A great read for third grade and up.
Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky: The tale of Rapunzel has been told and retold many times, but each individual illustration in Paul O. Zelinsky’s version could stand on its own. Each page is an oil painting depicting the story with Italian Renaissance flavor, giving a real time and place feel to this classic tale. It is no surprise that this book won the 1998 Caldecott award when it’s beautiful illustrations can be enjoyed by all ages.
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McClosky: Winner of the 1942 Caldecott award, this tale follows Mr. and Mrs. Mallard around the City of Boston as they try to find the perfect place to hatch and raise their eight ducklings, finally landing in the Boston Public Garden. The charcoal drawings that set this book apart have since been brought to life in the form of a bronze statue erected in the Boston Public Garden in 1987 with a replica installed in Moscow, Russia in 1991 while the book is still one of the most beloved Caldecott winners to date.
For a list of Caldecott Medal winners from 1980 to the present visit the Rowan Public Library website http://www.youseemore.com/RowanPLint/hotpicks.asp?l=caldecott&n=Caldecott+Medal+Winners or for a complete list of medal and honor winners visit the ALA website at http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecotthonors/caldecottmedal.cfm.
