The House in the Night

Caldecott Medal Award Winner 2009

Citation:

The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson.  Illus. By Beth Krommes. (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008). 36p. Traditional Picture Book.

Summary:

A young girl discovers a book that takes her on a journey and returns her at bedtime.

Critique:

a.         The scratchboard illustrations use white, black, and yellow to create an imaginative and bedtime feeling.

b.         The illustrator’s choice of colors enhances the story and the feeling that it creates.  It is effective in creating a calming atmosphere that is perfect as a bedtime story.

c.         “the house in the night, a home full of light” (p. 35- 36) is the picture perfect ending that brings the story to a close.

Curriculum Connection:  

The House in the Night would be a nice story to be used in an art class where focus colors are used.  This story can also support a science connection to address nighttime.

Homeless Bird

Newbery Medal Award Winner 2000

Citation:

Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan. (Harper Collins Publishing, 2000). 186p. Contemporary Realism Junior Book.

Summary:

Koly, a young girl in India, is bound by the traditions imposed upon her until one day with a twist of fate her life is forever changed.

Critique:

a.         The story that Koly tells draws the reader in, so that the reader can understand her hopes, dreams, fears, and emotions.

b.         Koly’s story is shared by Koly herself which allows the reader to hear her thoughts and experience her feelings as her life unfolds.  Using Koly as the storyteller, it implores the reader to suffer her disappointments and hope for some happiness.

c.         “If there were such cruelness in the world, then it might indeed be true that Sass had taken me to this place of widows just to get rid of me” (p.107) advises the reader the alone feeling that Koly was feeling.  “This time as I embroidered, I thought only of my own joy” (p.178) allows the reader’s heart to fill will happiness for Koly’s joy.

Curriculum Connection:  

Homeless Bird would be best used when discussing cultural differences and traditions.  It is also a coming of age story for a teenage girl that could be used to create a Venn Diagram of similarities and differences to a typical American teenage girl.

The Three Pigs

Caldecott Medal Award Winner 2002

Citation:

The Three Pigs by David Wiesner. (Clarion Books, 2001). 38p. Traditional Picture Book.

Summary:

The original tale of the three pigs is told in a new way.  The twist takes the pigs on a new adventure.

Critique:

a.         The detailed illustrations tell the story in a new unexpected way.

b.         The illustrations combined various shades of colors with alternate depictions depending on the background, black frames to confine parts of the story, and almost no illustrations to draw focus to one aspect of the page.  The use of several techniques in the story is what keeps the reader engrossed in the story as it unfolds in a new and surprising way.

c.         There are pages of the traditional three pigs’ story that are folded up within the pages of their new adventure.  As the pigs leave their story and venture into other stories changing into caricatures in Hey Diddle Diddle and losing their color when entering the story of the dragon.  The pigs return to their story with friends they have made from other stories and offer an alternative ending to the time old tale.

Curriculum Connection:  

This version of The Three Pigs would be a good introduction for writing prompts.  It includes non-traditional characters and an alternate ending to a familiar story.  Any teacher who reads this book with her students will have an engaging lesson with a solid foundation on a student’s alternate ending writing.

Kitten's First Full Moon

Caldecott Medal Award Winner 2005

Citation:

Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes.  (Greenwillow Books, 2004). 29p. Concept Picture Book.

Summary:

A young kitten sets out on an adventure to capture the moon believing it is a big bowl of milk.

Critique:

a.         The illustrations are drawn to accent the main characters, the kitten and the moon.

b.         The illustrations hues of black, white and gray illuminate the pages using the brightness of the full moon at night.  The kitten draws the reader into her adventure by physical actions she is involved in and the look of defeat when she is unsuccessful in reaching the mistaken bowl of milk.

c.         “Then, in the pond, Kitten saw another bowl of milk.  And it was bigger.  What a night!” (p. 17-18) expresses the excitement of the kitten only to be followed by defeat when she leaps into the pond and only gets wet.  Her attempts and failures continue throughout the story, until at last when she returns home a bowl of milk is waiting.

Curriculum Connection:  

Kitten’s First Full Moon is a nice complement to a science lesson on time of day or envisioning one object as another.  A balanced counterpart to address night to It Looked Like Spilt Milk for daytime.  Any young reader would enjoy the trials of Kitten.

Ten Little Rubber Ducks

Laura Ingalls Wilder Award Winner 2003

Citation:

Ten Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle. (Harper Collins Publishing, 2005). 29p. Counting Picture Book.

Summary:

Ten rubber ducks have different adventures after they fall overboard.

Critique:

a.         The illustrations are what make this story so appealing for children.

b.         The illustrations are bright and appear to be pieces of torn paper and painting put together to create accurate depictions of the rubber duck in a new environment.

c.         The tenth duck finds himself in the company of a mother duck and her ducklings, and he is soon floating along with them as a member of the family where the difference between the rubber duck and the ducklings are small yet clear in the illustrations.

Curriculum Connection:  

Ten Little Rubber Ducks would be a nice addition to any preschool classroom’s math library.  The colorful pictures and familiar toy provides a nice character to encourage not only counting but the introduction of ordinal numbers.

The Tale of Despereaux

Newberry Medal Award Winner 2004

Citation:

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo.  (Candlewick Press, 2003). 272p. Fantasy Junior Book.

Summary:

Love and happily ever after are the motivation of a mouse that after being cast out of his community learns the importance of light and darkness.

Critique:

a.    The setting and symbolism of the story are the two elements that make this fantasy a timeless classic.

b.    The various settings of the story are initially introduced based on the character, and as the story progressed and the characters stories intertwine so do the settings which create an overall cohesive feeling for the story.  The symbolism was similar and included throughout the story for all characters that helped tie the stories together. 

c.    The dungeon, a setting where all characters fate were weaved together, concludes with Despereaux rescuing Princess Pea and Miggery Sow and saving Roscuro from himself.  Roscuro, a rat that lives in darkness as a way of life, discovers light and decides, “Suffering is not the answer.  Light is the answer” (p.105) which progresses the symbol of light and darkness from one character to the next.

Curriculum Connection:  

The Tale of Despereaux would be well received as a story when symbolism is being discussed.  The various symbols of character names, objects, and darkness and light continue throughout the story are prime examples of symbolism that students can study and identify.

M is for Mischief

WARNING:  This book contains obnoxious children.

Citation:

M is for Mischief by Linda Ashman.  Illus. by Nancy Carpenter. (Dutton Children’s Books, 2008). 43p. Alphabet Picture Book.

Summary:

Learning the alphabet has never been so angry and zany and everything in-between.

Critique:

a.    The alliterations and rhyme combined with the depictions are what makes this book so much fun to read

b.    Each letter of the alphabet is represented with a rhyme that incorporates multiple words beginning with same sound.  The illustrations provide entertaining examples of inappropriate behavior rhymes that young children will identify with and enjoy.

c.    “Selfish Stella.  Stella’s so selfish!  She won’t share a thing – Her scooter, her sweater, her soda, her swing.  She sprawls in the sandbox so no one can play.  She sits on the slide and scares others away.  Today by the stream, while skipping a stone, She spied a small skunk that she wanted to own.  The skunk ran away, but sprayed Stella well.  She’s sharing at last – too bad it’s that smell” (p. 31-32) provides multiple examples of the focus letter while engaging the students in the antics of the child.

Curriculum Connection:  

M is for Mischief is the perfect book to share with students learning the alphabet and the sounds of the letters.  The actions of the children in the story will also serve as a reminder of how not to behave when focusing on pro-social behavior.

The Hello, Goodbye Window

Caldecott Medal Award Winner 2006

Citation:

The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster.  Illus. by Chris Raschka, (Hyperion Books for Children, 2005). 29p. Traditional Picture Book.

Summary:

The love of a grandchild and her grandparents are told from the child’s perspective.  The vibrant illustrations convey the shared love and enthusiasm of the multi-racial family.

Critique:

a.    The illustrations enhance the story being told by a child about the times she spends with her grandparents.

b.    The illustrations are bright and vivid portraying happiness, but muted and blended to provide a familiar comfortable feeling.  The illustrations have blurred lines appearing as if a child drew the pictures which are appropriate since the story is told through the eyes of the granddaughter.  The illustrations are a testament that the relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren and the experiences they create.

c.    “Poppy makes breakfast.  He says it’s his specialty.  My favorite is oatmeal with bananas and raisins that you can’t see because he hides them down inside.  I find them all” (p. 15-16) expresses the joy the child has in the simplest times with her grandfather.

Curriculum Connection:  

Relationships and family experiences are key in the social and emotional development of a young student.  The Hello, Goodbye Window should be a required reading in any early childhood classroom when studying the family unit.

Flotsam

Caldecott Medal Award Winner 2007

Flotsam by David Wiesner.  Clarion Books, 2006.  Wordless Picture Book.

Outing, Explore, Discovery, Beach, Underwater, Ashore, Photographs, Magnify, Return, Cycle

Discovery of a camera at the beach continues the cycle.

On an outing with his family he explores the beach.  He discovers a camera that washed ashore, and develops the photographs.  Looking through the photographs he discovers an underwater world.  He magnifies the pictures and discovers that he must return the camera to the ocean to continue the cycle.

The Lion & The Mouse



Caldecott Medal Award Winner 2010


The Lion & The Mouse by Jerry Pinkney.  Hachette Book Group, Inc., 2009.  Wordless Picture Book.

Majestic, Petite, Capture, Release, Rescue, Assistance, Family, Natural, Return, Satisfies

The lion and mouse assist one another in their time of need.

The majestic lion captures the petite mouse before releasing him to return to his family. When the lion is captured, it is the mouse that comes to his rescue.  His assistance to the lion satisfies his debt, and both animals return to their family in their natural habitat.