So You Want to Be President? - Caldecott Medal Winner

St. George, J. (2000). So you want to be president? New York: Philomel Books.

Although this book is now becoming somewhat outdated (it does not include our current president nor will it include the president elected this year) I still think that it is wonderful and provides great tid-bits from history that will never be outdated. These interesting and little-known facts are what makes this book so wonderful. The book is written in a very kid-friendly way with easy-to-read and understand language. It includes facts but does not read like a textbook. I enjoy reading about history when it is presented in an interesting way - this book does just that. Of course the illustrations were great and added to the humor and light-hearted feel of the book. I especially loved the cartoon-like representations of the different presidents. At a time when we are hearing so much about the upcoming presidential election and tensions are running high about what the future holds and what changes a new president will make, it was nice to step back and take a relaxed look at the history of the presidency. From reading this book, I learned that it is possible to present facts and history in a way that is fun, humorous, and appealing to children. Thank goodness for books like these that can be used as supplements to the generally boring Social Studies books found in the classroom!

The Three Pigs - Caldecott Medal Winner

Wiesner, D. (2001). The three pigs. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

This book was not at all what I expected it to be! I was reading along the expected story of the three pigs when, all of the sudden, the story took a completely different route! Sometime during the wolf's attack on the second pig's house, the pig is prompted by the first pig (who was "blown out of the story") to walk out of the story. The three pigs spend the remainder of the book adventuring through other stories and rescuing characters out of other books. The illustrations and the idea is very original and unique - I never would have expected it! Although Wiesner provides an interesting twist on a classic story, I can't say that I really like it. I guess I'm just too traditional! I was hoping to find a nicely illustrated version of the story Granny used to tell me at bedtime, and, just I was getting into the story, the characters decided to walk out! I have to hand it to the author/illustrator for originality but it just didn't appeal to me. This book kind of reminds me of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka. This is another twist on the basic story that in my opinion, outshines Wiesner's Three Pigs.

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers - Caldecott Medal Winner

Gerstein, M. (2003). The man who walked between the towers. Brookfield, CT: Roaring Book Press.

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers is an absolutely fascinating story based on true events. The illustrations are somewhat impressionistic and compliment the story wonderfully. I have always been interested in acrobatics and it is amazing to think that someone actually tight-rope walked between the two World Trade Center towers. The book includes two fold-out pages of illustrations that really help bring the story to life and allow the reader to get a better idea of how amazing Philippe Petit's task was.

One thing that makes this story so special is, of course, the events of September 11, 2001. As I read the story, I remembered watching the news as the two towers collapsed. Whenever I think of the towers, I immediately think of their collapse and all the lives that were lost and impacted when they fell. It is interesting to have another story to connect with the towers. Philippe Petit's story can be viewed as somewhat of a parallel to the story of the people who had to overcome terrifying obstacles in order to move on with their lives and dreams after the fall of the towers.

The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins - Caldecott Honor Book

Kerley, B. (2001). The dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins. New York: Scholastic.

This book is brought to life by the magnificent illustrations of Brian Selznick. I love that this book is based on the true story of Waterhouse Hawkins. I find that books based on true stories are always some of the most interesting. One thing that I particularly liked about this book is that Waterhouse did not give up. He continued on with his passion even after devastating losses.

Although I enjoyed this book, it is not one of my favorites. I do like animals but I do not know a lot about dinosaurs and am not particularly interested in them. I do think, however, that this book would appeal especially to young male readers. A lot of young boys (and girls) love dinosaurs and would enjoy the illustrations as well as the story of Waterhouse Hawkins. I am a fifth grade teacher and a segment of this story is included in our reading series. I enjoyed reading the entire story for the first time and plan to read the full version with my class this year rather than the abridged version in our reading series.

Caldecott versus Newbery

Both the Caldecott and Newbery Awards are awarded each January by the Association for Library Service to Children. This association is a branch of the American Library Assocaition.

The Newbery Medal is named after John Newbery who was a British bookseller during the 18th century. According to the ALA website, the Newbery award is given to the "author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." Each year, one book is declared the winner of the Newbery medal. Other books can be named as Newbery Honor books. The first Newbery Medal was awarded in 1922.

The Caldecott Medal is named after Ralph Caldecott who was an English illustrator during the 19th century. According to the ALA website, the Caldecot award is given to the "artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children." Like the Newbery Award, one book is chosen each year to be the Caldecott Medal Winner, but more books can be chosen to receive Caldecot Honors. The first Caldecott Medal was awarded in 1938.

Neither of these awards is necesarrily "better" than the other. They are both well-recognized and considered a great honor to receive. The main difference between the two is that the Caldecott Medal is limited to picture books while the Newbery can be awarded to short stories as well as novels.

Reference:

http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/literaryrelated.cfm

Dr. Seuss

The Cat in the Hat
As stated in the prompt, there is a certain "tension" present in The Cat in the Hat. The mind wants to give in to the crazy imaginings and flights of fancy that appear on the surface. However, the adult reader can't quite ignore the subtle references to anarchy included in the story. I can't think of a specific contemporary book that includes a similar tension. One book that may be comparable is The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket. This book is somewhat fanciful yet also includes the overshadowing presence of Count Olaf. I think that The Cat in the Hat still appeals to children and will likely continue to appeal to children for many years to come. Although I don't think that kids probably pay much attention to the underlying message about anarchy, I think that they enjoy this book because it is funny, has colorful illustrations, is fun and easy to read, and because of its rhyming pattern.

The Lorax
I think that The Lorax is didactic because it tries to teach the reader a lesson about environmental conservation. Although there are still some didactic books for children being written and published today, they are few and far between. I think this is because writers and publishers are afraid to publish didactic books because they think that children will not like them. Although this may be true, it's important to remember that just because a book teaches a lesson doesn't mean that it has to be boring. The Lorax is the perfect example. It is a fun and wacky story but still manages to teach a valuable lesson.

John Henry by Julius Lester

Lester, J. (1994). John Henry. New York: Dial Books.

In this adaptation of the classic tall tale, Julius Lester brings John Henry to life with sing-song, southern, tall-tale language. One of the reasons that I enjoyed this book is because of the way the author expresses the story and the language that he uses. For example, when describing what the sun saw as it awoke one morning, Julius Lester mentions a "mountain as big as hurt feelings." As a child, I loved to read and write tall-tales. It was fun to think back on those memories as I read this story. Jerry Pinkney does an excellent job of illustrating this book and his pictures perfectly compliment Julius Lester's words.

Julius Lester has written many other books including Sam and the Tigers, The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit, From Slave Ship to Freedom's Road, To Be a Slave, Pharaoh's Daughter: A Novel of Ancient Egypt, and Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue. Many of Lester's books are illustrated by Jerry Pinkney and focus on African American heritage and folk tales.