Caldecott Medal and Honor Books 2017

 

2017 Caldecott Medal and Honor books

 

Caldecott Medal

Radiant Child, the Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat written and illustrated by Javaka Steptoe

From the Amazon description: “Jean-Michel Basquiat and his unique, collage-style paintings rocketed to fame in the 1980s as a cultural phenomenon unlike anything the art world had ever seen. But before that, he was a little boy who saw art everywhere: in poetry books and museums, in games and in the words that we speak, and in the pulsing energy of New York City. Now, award-winning illustrator Javaka Steptoe's vivid text and bold artwork echoing Basquiat's own introduce young readers to the powerful message that art doesn't always have to be neat or clean--and definitely not inside the lines--to be beautiful.”

 

You can listen to the book read by the author here (although he doesn’t read it word for word perfectly): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAxpNb6U8Fo

 

Javaka Steptoe, the author and illustrator of this book, was born and raised in Brooklyn. I thought I recognized the Steptoe name. His father, John Steptoe, illustrated two books that were given the Caldecott Honor – The Story of Jumping Mouse, and Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters. So it looks like Javaka is carrying on the family tradition. It is said that he was often a model for his father’s book illustrations. Javaka’s award-winning book, Radiant Child, also received the Americas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature and the Coretta Scott King Book Award from the American Library Association.

 

My opinion: Basquiat was a Brooklyn-born Haitian-Puerto Rican artist whose first public exhibit was in 1980 when he was only 20 years old. Basquiat’s mother is attributed with fostering his love for art, but she suffered from mental illness. Despite this difficult time in his life, he doesn’t let go of his dreams. In his paintings, he puts a crown on his mother as a sign of honor and value. His collage paintings are bright and bold and reflect his heritage. Sadly, he struggled with drug addiction and died at the age of 27.  As you look at any of Basquiat’s art, watch for certain motifs he used throughout his works: a crown represented power or strength and for those who needed to be respected. Eyes represented remembering or understanding. Cars, trucks, and airplanes represented his childhood and a car accident that badly injured him.

 

Author/illustrator Steptoe grew up in the same part of New York City as Basquiat and so was exposed to his work in high school. He even went to one of Basquiat’s art shows. This inspired Steptoe to believe that even he, a young African American artist, had a chance for success. Steptoe used pieces of discarded wood from old Brooklyn Museum exhibit materials, the dumpsters of Brooklyn brownstones, on which to create his illustrations. While I am not personally a fan of modern art, I have lived outside New York City for a time so this book was of interest to me. I have friends who were also born and raised in Brooklyn, and this book gives me a little more understanding of their world.

 

Caldecott Honor books

 

LEAVE ME ALONE! written and illustrated by Vera Brosgol

From the Amazon description: “an epic tale about one grandmother, a giant sack of yarn, and her ultimate quest to finish her knitting. One day, a grandmother shouts, "LEAVE ME ALONE!" and leaves her tiny home and her very big family to journey to the moon and beyond to find peace and quiet to finish her knitting. Along the way, she encounters ravenous bears, obnoxious goats, and even hordes of aliens! But nothing stops grandma from accomplishing her goal―knitting sweaters for her many grandchildren to keep them warm and toasty for the coming winter. Vera Brosgol's slyly clever and unexpectedly funny modern folktale is certain to warm even the coldest of hearts.”

 

Listen to the book read here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFqfFbXRrrA

 

Vera Brosgol is a young Moscow-born artist who moved to the United States when she was five. She has worked on animation projects as well as written graphic novels. LEAVE ME ALONE! is her first picture book and reflects her love of knitting.

 

My opinion: In addition to being a Caldecott Honor book, LEAVE ME ALONE! also was named A New York Times Notable Children’s Book, the National Public Radio Best Book of 2016, the Horn Book Best Book of 2016, and the Huffington Post Best Picture Book of 2016. This book is a modern folktale that will definitely appeal to those who long for some time alone; you know, those introverts among us. Or even for those who love to knit!

 

Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie.

From the Amazon description: “This poetic, nonfiction story about a little-known piece of African American history captures a human's capacity to find hope and joy in difficult circumstances and demonstrates how New Orleans' Congo Square was truly freedom's heart.
Mondays, there were hogs to slop,
mules to train, and logs to chop,
Slavery was no ways fair.
Six more days to Congo Square.
As slaves relentlessly toiled in an unjust system in 19th century Louisiana, they all counted down the days until Sunday, when at least for half a day they were briefly able to congregate in Congo Square in New Orleans. Here they were free to set up an open market, sing, dance, and play music. They were free to forget their cares, their struggles, and their oppression. This story chronicles slaves' duties each day, from chopping logs on Mondays to baking bread on Wednesdays to plucking hens on Saturday, and builds to the freedom of Sundays and the special experience of an afternoon spent in Congo Square. This book includes a forward from Freddi Williams Evans (freddievans.com), a historian and Congo Square expert, as well as a glossary of terms with pronunciations and definitions.”

 

You can listen to the story being read here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ciW_a94yVs

 

Carole Boston Weatherford is an African-American author who began writing poetry at a very young age, being inspired by Dr. Seuss and Langston Hughes. She feels her calling is "to mine the past for family stories, fading traditions and forgotten struggles." She also wrote Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom which is a Newbery Honor book. Many of her books reflect her desire to present the truth about people and events of her heritage. Other fine examples of her work are Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-ins, and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, both of which I own and love.

 

R. Gregory Christie is a highly regarded illustrator, winning many awards for his work. He also illustrated Book Itch! Freedom, Truth & Harlem's Greatest Bookstore, and Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U. S. Marshal  which I also own. Christie actually has a bookstore very near me. I might just have to go!

 

My opinion: In this book, couplets count down the days of the week until Sunday. Although the book does present the harsh lives of slavery, it is appropriate still for younger children. A definite contrast is portrayed between the labored life during the week of the slaves and the exuberant dance and music of the freedom of Sunday afternoons. The author notes that jazz originated from the African rhythms first celebrated in Congo Square.

 

Du Iz Tak? written and illustrated by Carson Ellis.

From the Amazon description: “Du iz tak? What is that? As a tiny shoot unfurls, two damselflies peer at it in wonder. When the plant grows taller and sprouts leaves, some young beetles arrive to gander, and soon—with the help of a pill bug named Icky—they wrangle a ladder and build a tree fort. But this is the wild world, after all, and something horrible is waiting to swoop down—booby voobeck!—only to be carried off in turn. Su! With exquisitely detailed illustrations and tragicomic flair, Carson Ellis invites readers to imagine the dramatic possibilities to be found in even the humblest backyard. Su!”

 

You can listen to the book being read here exactly as written: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXfUyZEuz1A

 

And you can listen to the book being read here by a grandfather for his grandchildren, complete with his version of the translation of the words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhNhyv7BThk

 

Carson Ellis, the author and illustrator of this book, is a Canadian-born American illustrator. She has illustrated children’s picture books, album art for folk art bands, and even wallpaper! She also is the illustrator for some of the Mysterious Benedict Society series titles.

 

My opinion: The fun thing about this book is that it is written in an imaginary bug language. The story tells of the microcosm of a small square in the insect world as season changes to season over time. This would make a fun read before an ecosystem study of the backyard. The adorable illustrations are done in gouache and ink, with lots of detail and yet a lot of open white space. A nonfiction book that comes to mind to go along with this would be Backyard by Donald Silver, part of the One Small Square series. Honestly, at first I didn’t like Du Iz Tak?, but the more I read it, the more delightful I find it. A made-up language of bugs? Why not? After all, we praise Tolkien for his imaginary world and language; why not one about bugs for children?

 

They All Saw a Cat written and illustrated by Brendan Wenzel.

From the Amazon description: “the cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws . . . In this glorious celebration of observation, curiosity, and imagination, Brendan Wenzel shows us the many lives of one cat, and how perspective shapes what we see. When you see a cat, what do you see?”

 

You can listen to the story being read here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ4OjYER_nk

 

And here’s a cute song created about the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt_kCPXyHPc

 

Brendan Wenzel is from upstate New York. He is a committed conservationist and works with organizations who seek to protect wild places. His picture books seem centered around animals and critters, and he often portrays a message about perspective and differing viewpoints.

 

My opinion: The illustrations in this book are a variety of colored pencil, oil pastels, acrylic paint, watercolor, charcoal, Magic Marker, good old number 2 pencils, and even a MacBook. And yet, it all comes together delightfully and actually appropriately since his message in the book is one of the diversity of perspective each of us has. The repetitive phrasing is perfect for little ones to enjoy. Also interesting is the introduction to the varying vision capabilities of animals. A nice nonfiction book to accompany this would be Eye to Eye: How Animals See the World by Steve Jenkins.

Caldecott Medal and Honor books 2018

 

2018 Caldecott Medal and Honor books

 

Caldecott Medal

Wolf in the Snow written and illustrated by Matthew Cordell

From the Amazon description: “A girl is lost in a snowstorm. A wolf cub is lost, too. How will they find their way home? Paintings rich with feeling tell this satisfying story of friendship and trust. Here is a book set on a wintry night that will spark imaginations and warm hearts.”

 

You can listen to the book being read here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIdyzXrHqTM

This is the best one I could find. Seems like a teacher doing the story. The book is almost a wordless book, and she lets the pictures tell the story.

 

And a video of the author telling more about the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrINnl8S0Qg

 

Matthew Cordell is an American author/illustrator of children’s picture books, poetry and novels. In addition to receiving the Caldecott Medal for this book, he has also been honored with the Best of the Year selections by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Boston Globe. He has worked with other authors such as Gail Carson Levine, Philip C. Stead, and Rebecca Kai Dotlich. Another book he wrote that looks interesting to me is Hello Neighbor!: The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers. I’ve requested that one from my public library.

 

My opinion: This is a satisfying story of friendship, a frightening situation resolved by helping one another. The book is almost completely wordless except for some “sound” words like Bark! or howl… which actually provide a good opportunity to talk about a very big word: onomatopoeia. Because the book is mostly wordless, it appeals to little ones. I can imagine how reading this book to my little 2 ½ year old grandson would be enjoyable. He would probably copy the way I read those words. The book lets the pictures tell the story, so “reading” it is different each time. Then young children can also develop their own version of the story. The illustrations were created with pen and ink with watercolor. Two interesting features of this book are the five full-page wordless illustrations set before the title page, which introduce to the reader the characters of the little girl, her family, and the wolves. Also, behind the dust jacket on the actual front and back covers are more vignettes of illustrations that further enrich the story line. I’ve never noticed an author do this before. Although the book seems like it would be best for very young children, I noticed one person on an Amazon review stated that she used this book with a class of older autistic students to help them develop and practice their story-telling skills. The story features many emotions a young child feels in frightening situations but ends with family, safety, warmth.

 

Caldecott Honor books

Big Cat, Little Cat written and illustrated by Elisha Cooper

From the Amazon description:

There was a cat
who lived alone.
Until the day
a new cat came . . .And so a story of friendship begins, following the two cats through their days, months, and years until one day, the older cat has to go. And he doesn’t come back. This is a poignant story, told in measured text and bold black-and-white illustrations about the act of moving on.

 

You can listen to the story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUopy9-lz_w

Elisha Cooper, the author and illustrator, has written nonfiction books as well as children’s picture books. He was a Maurice Sendak Fellow in 2016, a residency program for illustrators. He also won the Robin Smith Picture Book Prize in 2020. Many of his picture books have one-word titles. Interesting!

My opinion: The black line drawings on white background as well as the very simple text are perfect for this story which gently tells of the normal life cycle of animals. At the beginning, the black cat is the little one, but after the big white cat “goes away,” the black cat is then the big cat and he gains a new friend, a little white cat. I think unless a child has experienced the loss of a pet, the concept would be a little above a little one’s head. But if your family has experienced this kind of loss, this book could be reassuring and bring understanding and hope.

And now I’m going down “rabbit trails” to request other books by this author/illustrator from my public library! As much as I love and gravitate to the older books, I am finding some delightful newer illustrators and enjoying their books very much!

 

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut written by Derrick Barnes and illustrated by Gordon C. James

From the Amazon description: The barbershop is where the magic happens. Boys go in as lumps of clay and, with princely robes draped around their shoulders, a dab of cool shaving cream on their foreheads, and a slow, steady cut, they become royalty. That crisp yet subtle line makes boys sharper, more visible, more aware of every great thing that could happen to them when they look good: lesser grades turn into As; girls take notice; even a mother’s hug gets a little tighter. Everyone notices. A fresh cut makes boys fly. This rhythmic, read-aloud title is an unbridled celebration of the self-esteem, confidence, and swagger boys feel when they leave the barber’s chair—a tradition that places on their heads a figurative crown, beaming with jewels, that confirms their brilliance and worth and helps them not only love and accept themselves but also take a giant step toward caring how they present themselves to the world. The fresh cuts. That’s where it all begins. Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut is a high-spirited, engaging salute to the beautiful, raw, assured humanity of black boys and how they see themselves when they approve of their reflections in the mirror.

 

You can listen to the story read by the author here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkkBGf2aALw

 

Derrick Barnes is the first African-American male creative copyrighter hired by Hallmark Cards. He also won the Kirkus prize twice, the first to do so. Barnes has also written novels for middle school age. His goal for writing as stated in an interview is “that there aren't enough books about kids of color by people of color. ‘I want to leave behind a body of work my children can be proud of, but I also want to change how children see themselves in this world. I want to thwart those negative images and make sure they know they are loved.’"

 

Gordon C. James, illustrator, is an African-American artist of both children’s books and fine arts. His work is rich in color and beautiful captures the spirit of his heritage. I have another book illustrated by him, Campy: The Story of Roy Campanella.

 

My opinion: This book, Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut, not only is a Caldecott Honor book, but also is a Newbery Honor Book, a Coreta Scott King Author Honor Book, a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book, an Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award Boook, an Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor Book, and a Society of Illustrators Gold Medal Book. Wow! That’s amazing and not the usual. The oil paintings are bright and colorful and nicely capture the emotions of the story. What young boy doesn’t feel more grown up being in a barber chair and enjoying the attention, as well as that new confidence feeling after a good cut? The only thing I didn’t appreciate was the boy’s confidence that his new haircut would get him some attention from a cute girl in school. I understand that but not sure I would want my five-year-old grandson to be encouraged about that. 😊

 

A Different Pond written by Bao Phi and illustrated by Thi Bui

From the Amazon description: ” an unforgettable story about a simple event - a long-ago fishing trip. Graphic novelist Thi Bui and acclaimed poet Bao Phi deliver a powerful, honest glimpse into a relationship between father and son - and between cultures, old and new. As a young boy, Bao and his father awoke early, hours before his father's long workday began, to fish on the shores of a small pond in Minneapolis. Unlike many other anglers, Bao and his father fished for food, not recreation. A successful catch meant a fed family. Between hope-filled casts, Bao's father told him about a different pond in their homeland of Vietnam. Thi Bui's striking, evocative art paired with Phi's expertly crafted prose has earned this powerful picture books six starred reviews and numerous awards.”

 

You can listen to the story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td59o8PUKjY

 

Bao Phi, the author, is a performance poet, a Vietnamese-American, who grew up in Minneapolis. His published works are mainly poetry, and A Different Pond is his first children’s book.

 

Thi Bui, the illustrator, is a Vietnamese-American graphic artist who came to the United States in 1978 as part of the “boat people fleeing from Southeast Asia. All of her work reflects her heritage.

 

My opinion: This book is an immigrant story which celebrates family history and helps a child reader to understand a sense of family heritage and better understand his parents’ experiences. The illustrator used photos of Bao’s family from his childhood to realistically portray the Vietnamese immigrant’s home of the story with graphic-style illustrations. The sweet relationship between father and son is beautiful as they share the experience of fishing together. I was hoping there would be a little more information given by the father about his own childhood on “a different pond,” and was disappointed about that. One reviewer said the book is an “important opportunity for empathy and gratitude.” I agree.

 

Grand Canyon written and illustrated by Jason Chin

From the Amazon description: “Rivers wind through earth, cutting down and eroding the soil for millions of years, creating a cavity in the ground 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and more than a mile deep known as the Grand Canyon. Home to an astonishing variety of plants and animals that have lived and evolved within its walls for millennia, the Grand Canyon is much more than just a hole in the ground. Follow a father and daughter as they make their way through the cavernous wonder, discovering life both present and past. Weave in and out of time as perfectly placed die cuts show you that a fossil today was a creature much long ago, perhaps in a completely different environment. Complete with a spectacular double gatefold, an intricate map and extensive back matter.”

 

Listen to the book read here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtQYZ1fsGnQ

 

And an interview with the author here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dt77y2eIpk

 

My opinion: The illustrations are done in pen and ink, watercolor, and gouache. The book features a beautiful foldout double page which displays the grandeur of the Grand Canyon. Also throughout the book are several cutouts to explore. The book is obviously full of evolutionary content on almost every page, so that’s an issue for me. It is a beautiful book though to show the beauty of this national treasure. And an unusual nonfiction Caldecott book when most seem to be fictional. I do like another nonfiction book by Chin entitled Gravity, which is a simple explanation on the topic.