Shianna Nichols 5360 - List 1: Caldecott Award List

Shianna Nichols

5360 Literature for Children

May 28, 2020

Annotated Bibliography Assignment - List 1: Caldecott Award List

Ellis, C. (2016). Du iz tak? Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

In this text, bugs speak nonsense in an unfamiliar language and become curious
about a sprout coming from the ground.  As the sprout gets taller, the bugs call on a
friend to help them out with a ladder in order to climb to the tallest leaf.  As time passes,
the sprout becomes a fanciful flower and bugs come from all around to enjoy its leaves. 
When winter comes, the flower whittles away and leaves the bugs devastated. 
Faith is regained when spring rolls around. The bugs are pleased to know an even
bigger sprout is in store.

The author did a fantastic job writing a completely made up language that
allows the readers to create their own idea about the story.  The magical pictures are the
same scene on every spread, but really does well with the order of events. 
This 2017 Caldecott Honor book is directed towards ages 4 and up and promotes
higher level thinking.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, Leave Me Alone by
Vera Brosgol.

Keats, E. J. (1976). The snowy day. New York: Puffin Books.

Peter sees joy in many things as he takes a walk after the first snowfall of the season. 
He becomes so aware of many things he was not aware of before.  Through his journey,
he learns simple lessons about the ins and outs of life through simplistic, innocent
experiences.

This trade book can be used for an independent read, read aloud. This falls within a
2nd grade reading level. Great resource to use when teaching writing lesson on using
senses to describe things. It is a 1963 Medal winner. If you liked this book you might also like The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper.

Levine, E., & Nelson, K. (2007). Henry's freedom box. New York: Scholastic Press.

This tells the true story of Henry Brown as he escapes slavery with the use of a box. The story highlights his resilience and strength during his time working for his owner & what he did to be able to be a free man.  

This makes for a great read aloud or independent reading book. It can be tied in with a history lesson on Underground Railroad. This is a 2008 Honor Book.

Lionni, L., & Mlawer, T. (2005). Frederick. New York: Lectorum Publications.

Frederick is a field mouse who is as much a poet as he is a mouse who gathers food to
prepare for the winter, like the rest of his family.  Frederick’s family members even
discourage him from collecting words when he could be collecting food. Winter finally
comes and everyone huddles in to eat and tell stories, but the food and stories quickly leave.
  The family then realizes Frederick collected warm words to share with everyone which
helped distract from being hungry.  Not only were the mice warm and full in their bellies,
they were also warm and full in their imagination that helped them get through winter with
Frederick's help.

Lionni earned the Honor Caldecott Award for the fable of Frederick in 1968 that’s intended for ages 4 and up.  The illustrations and collages of different textures and mediums tie into the story perfectly while Frederick describes the beauty of summer in the blue of winter.  Every illustration in the book covers two pages.  One theme children can take away from this book is to make sure to see the beauty in life and not just try to survive alone.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, Anatole and the Cat by Eve Titus.

Martin, J. B., & Azarian, M. (1998). Snowflake Bentley. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Willie Bentley was a boy who was intrigued by snowflakes and became a lifelong learner in pursuit of finding out more about them.  The book tells his biography in picture and story form and has detailed biographical factual information.  

This book is ideal for independent reading or a read aloud. The text is a 4th grade reading level. This is a great picture book for a biography unit. It piece is a 1999 medal winner. If you like this book, you might also like The Story of Snow by Jon Nelson.

McCloskey, Robert. Make Way for Ducklings. Viking : New York, 1941.

Mrs. Mallard works diligently to get her ducklings safely across the bustling city
of Boston and into the Public Garden to meet up with Mr. Mallard who has
been busy searching for a new home for the family.  Mrs. Mallard and her
ducklings work there way through traffic with the help of Michael, the policeman,
and his fellow officers.  Once they make their way to their new home, the ducks
enjoy their time eating peanuts and swimming with the swan boats.  Later they return
to the island in the middle of the pond to sleep for the night.

A great message from this book is the importance of the family unit. It expresses how families stick together no matter how rough matters get.  McCloskey won the Caldecott Award in 1942 for Make Way for Ducklings, and the worth of the book is still going strong today.  The author's use of suspense and adventure can be found in the story from the journey the ducklings make through the busy city.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, Many Moons by James Thurber.

Santat, D. (2014). The adventures of Beekle : The unimaginary friend. New York: Little,
Brown.

An imaginary friend was born on an mentally thought up island and was waiting to be
imagined by a special child.  His other friends were chosen and he was sadly left behind. 
As a result, he decided to take matters into his own hands and set off to find his human child.
  He sets off on a dangerous journey to find his perfect friend, but only comes across a dull
city with no color or pop.  Just when he is about to give up, a vibrant playground comes into
view and he notices some other imaginary friends with their humans. There he meets a shy
girl named Alice who had imagined him through one of her drawings.  The two became best
friends and Alice decided to name her new friend, Beekle.

Santat won the 2015 Caldecott Award for his book that’s created for ages 3 and up.  Every part of this book is covered with illustrations that help bring the story to life, from the bright imaginary colors of Beekle’s land to the realistic colors of the real world.  Even the illustrations on the end papers give you a glimpse into the story.  Never giving up and working hard is one of the many themes you can take from this picture book.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, My Teacher is a Monster! by Peter Brown.

Stein, D. E. (2010). Interrupting chicken. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

An interrupting chicken bothers her father as he tries to read her bedtime stories. 
The little chicken interrupts the story before the book character gets into trouble on
the following page.  She saves Hansel and Gretel from the witch, Little Red Riding Hood
from the wolf and Chicken Little from getting upset.  Her father is so exhausted from her
disrupting the story that he decides to have her tell him a story.  The tables turn and the little
chicken ends up putting her father to bed instead.    

This comical story was selected as a 2011 Caldecott Medal Honor book for its captivating artwork of watercolor, crayons, pen and ink.  It’s geared towards ages 4 and up and you can’t do anything but love the little chicken whose bedtime shenanigans get the best of her father.  Interrupting Chicken teaches a modest lesson of the importance of not interrupting.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, Chicken Big by Keith Graves.

Taback, S. (1997). There was an old lady who swallowed a fly. New York: Viking.

There was an old lady who swallowed and fly and no one seems to know why. 
Every time she eats, each animal in the story gets bigger and bigger! 
The old lady’s belly gets so large it can hold a cow, but when she tries to eat her
next meal which is a horse, the old lady is doomed.  Why did she swallow the fly? 
No one knows why, but the musings of the old lady are hilarious.

Taback won the Honors Caldecott Award in 1998 for There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.  The book is a retelling of a folk poem passed on through generations with the original author unknown.  The tale is comical and is for ages 4 and up.  This funny book will leave readers wanting to read it over and over again.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, No, David! by David Shannon.

Williams, V. B. (1982). A chair for my mother. New York: Greenwillow Books.

This heart-felt book shows the way that this multi-generation family of women
save up money to buy a new sofa chair after their apartment has a fire.  Mom saves all of
her loose change from her tips in a large jar. Her daughter saves money that she earns
helping at the diner, and grandma puts in her savings from her shopping. Will the women
ever get the chair they want? The family endures ups and downs as they work towards their
goal.

This is ideal for independent reading and a read aloud on a 3rd grade reading level.
This would be a great lesson addition to use with a financial literacy unit or social studies
unit on  “wants & needs”. It was a 1983 Honor Book.