For more information about the origins of the Caldecott Medal, please see The Caldecott Medal and the Man for Whom it was Named. Since I do not know a lot about art except what I see, I am giving a brief synopsis of each book along with some comments about the artwork. I am also including lists of the Honor winners for each year. I hope you enjoy my series. Comments are welcomed!!
1943
“The Little House” by Virginia Lee Burton
This book is the personification of a little house that was built out in the country. It saw seasons change and children grow up. As the years went by, people started to build roads and more houses around the little house. Pretty soon, it was a great big city that surrounded the house and since the house could never be sold, it stayed in the middle of huge skyscrapers. One day, the great-great-granddaughter of the man who built the house decided to take it with her out to the country. There the house was happy once again. The art in this book is fabulous. The windows with curtains are eyes of the house and the steps are the mouth. The house smiles through most of the book, but it changes as the city builds around it and it changes to a frown. I love the way that Ms. Burton changed the house’s mood to match its condition. I actually cried when I read this, but it’s a wonderful story.
Honor Books
- “Dash and Dart” by Mary & Conrad Buff
- “Marshmallow” by Clare Turlay Newberry
1944
“Many Moons” illustrated by Louis Slobodkin; text: James Thurber
“Manu Moons” is about a princess named Lenore. When she falls ill, she decides that she will only feel better if she can have the moon. The King hires many wise men to try and get the moon for his daughter, but they seem to be able to get everything but the moon. Everyone has different reasons for not being able to bring the moon, including the myth that it is made of green cheese! In fact, it is the Court Jester who figures out a solution to the problem and gets Princess Lenore her moon. But what happens when the moon comes out the next night?
Honor Books
- “Small Rain: Verses from the Bible” illustrated by Elizabeth Orion Jones; text selected by Jessie Orion Jones
- “Pierre Pidgeon” illustrated by Arnold E. Bare; text: Lee Kingman
- “The Mighty Hunter” by Berta & Elmer Hader
- “A Child’s Good Night Book” illustrated by Jean Charlot; text: Margaret Wise Brown
- “Good-Luck Horse” illustrated by Plato Chan; text: Chih-Yi Chan
1945
“Prayer for a Child” illustrated by Elizabeth Orion Jones; text: Rachel Field
This book is a wonderful prayer written for a little girl. She blesses everything before she goes to sleep, including her family, her belongings, and other children around the world. It is full of faith and hope. The pictures are absolutely gorgeous. The colors are vibrant and the faces are so clear. It is a beautiful book altogether.
Honor Books
- “Mother Goose” illustrated by Tasha Tudor
- “In the Forest” by Marie Hall Ets
- “Yonie Wondernose” by Marguerite de Angeli
- “The Christmas Anna Angel” illustrated by Kate Seredy; text: Ruth Sawyer
1946
“The Rooster Crows: A Book of American Rhymes and Jingles” by Maude & Miska Petersham
“The Rooster Crows” contains familiar nursery rhymes, counting rhymes, rhymes for jumping rope, and games. The illustrations in this book are simple in color, yet detailed. Each drawing describes its respective rhyme well.
Honor Books
- “Little Lost Lamb” illustrated by Leonard Weisgard; text: Golden MacDonald (pseudonym for Margaret Wise Brown)
- “Sing Mother Goose” illustrated by Marjorie Toerrey; music: Opal Wheeler
- “My Mother is the Most Beautiful Woman in the World” illustrated by Ruth Gannett; text: Becky Reyher
- “You Can Write Chinese” by Kurt Wiese
1947
“The Little Island” illustrated by Leonard Weisgard; text: Golden MacDonald (pseudonym for Margaret Wise Brown)
This book is about just what the title says — a little island. It takes us with the island through a year season, describing what happens on the island during each season. “The Little Island” offers big bold strokes of color in some of its pictures and small, detailed lines in others. For example, the owl sitting in the pear tree shows details of the leaves in the tree and the owl’s feathers. The stormy ocean is big strokes and smudges of green, black, and white.
Honor Books
- “Rain Drop Splash” illustrated by Leonard Weisgard; text: Alvin Tresselt
- “Boats on the River” illustrated by Jay Hyde Barnum; text: Marjorie Flack
- “Timothy Turtle” illustrated by Tony Palazzo; text: Al Graham
- “Pedro, the Angel of Olvera Street” by Leo Politi
- “Sing in Praise: A Collection of the Best Loved Hymns” illustrated by Marjorie Torrey; text selected by Opal Wheeler
See also:
The Caldecott Medal: 1938-1942