Tag Archives: Caldecott winners

“More More More”, Said the Baby – Vera B. Williams

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“More More More”, Said the Baby: Three Love Stories is a great book for the littlest book lover. This Caldecott Honor book by Vera B. Williams captures those special, silly, tender moments between toddlers and the people that love them. My own boys loved this book when they were little. It’s silly. It’s about those moments when a toddler runs away and you catch them and kiss their sweet little bellies and toes. Re-reading it now for this review, the book struck me as kind of intimate. My boys are way past the stage of toe kisses and no longer … Continue reading →

Owen – Kevin Henkes

Ah, the special attachment to a childhood blanket. In the Caldecott Honor winning book Owen, by Kevin Henkes, Owen is a young mouse that has had a fuzzy yellow blanket ever since he was a baby. “Fuzzy” goes wherever Owen goes, upstairs, downstairs, inside and out. Since Fuzzy likes whatever Owen likes, Fuzzy also has stains like juice, chocolate milk, and applesauce cake. Everything is fine for Owen and Fuzzy until their next door neighbor, Mrs. Tweezers, tells Owen’s parents that Owen is too old to be carrying around that blanket. That night Owen’s parents tell him that he puts … Continue reading →

The Snowy Day – Ezra Jack Keats

I know other parts of the country are seeing signs of spring, but here in Colorado we can expect another couple months of snow. I want to share one of my favorite books about snow with you. The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats, received the Caldecott Award in 1963. I remember the book from my own childhood. The illustrations are unique. One of Keats techniques was to blend collage with gouache (an opaque watercolor mixed with art gum. His illustrations capture the magic of how snow can transform a neighborhood into beauty, softness, and mystery. Keats set new ground … Continue reading →

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity – Mo Willems

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity is the sequel to Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale. Both books have won Caldecott Honors. In Knuffle Bunny Too, Trixie has grown up a little bit. She’s learned how to talk, and talk, and talk. She and her daddy walk through their neighborhood to get to her school. Trixie is very excited because she is taking her one-of-a-kind stuffed toy Knuffle Bunny to show and tell. She’s very excited to get to show Knuffle Bunny to her teacher and friends. But then she sees Sonja. Sonja is holding a stuffed animal that … Continue reading →

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale – Mo Willems

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity by Mo Willems recently won a Caldecott Honor. It’s the sequel to Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale which also won a Caldecott Honor in 2005. The books are both illustrated with drawings on top of black and white photographs. According to Willems website, he pronounces “Knuffle” with a hard “K” The word “knuffle” is Dutch for snuggle. In Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale the reader meets a little girl named Trixie. She’s old enough to walk, but not yet talking. The book shows Trixie and her daddy walking through the neighborhood to … Continue reading →

2008 Caldecott Winners

The big news in Children’s Literature this week was the announcement of the Caldecott and Newbery Medal winners. I’m sure Tristi and will be reviewing all of them in detail soon. Today I’ll tell you about the Caldecott winners. The Caldecott Medal is awarded to the most distinguished American picture book for children. This year, the award went to The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. The pencil illustrations tell a great deal of the story in this 544 page book. It’s the story of an orphan and inventor living in a Paris train station. The Invention of Hugo … Continue reading →