Book Review A CALDECOTT CELEBRATION

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Marcus, Leonard S. 1998. A CALDECOTT CELEBRATION: SIX ARTISTS AND THEIR PATHS TO THE CALDECOTT MEDAL. New York: Walker and Company. ISBN 0802786588

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Leonard Marcus highlights six Caldecott Award Winners in A Caldecott Celebration: Robert McCloskey, Marcia Brown, Maurice Sendak, William Steig, Chris Van Allsburg, and David Wiesner. The author recognizes one winner from each decade beginning in the 1940s to demonstrate a representative sample of Caldecott winners. Each chapter begins with a brief biography of the artists followed by the illustrator’s creative process.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Marcus’s book is geared towards older readers due to its length (48 pages) and lengthy paragraphs. The author includes biographical information for each illustrator, a picture of the book’s cover, working sketches, and what inspired the illustrator/authors. Each chapter is about six pages in length.

By mere observation, this book did not grab my attention. The book cover is colorful and cluttered with pictures, but nothing pulled me in. After flipping through the pages, I saw a lot of text. The unappealing nature of this book is unfortunate because after reading the book, I found it to be information but more importantly fun and interesting.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
BOOKLIST: “A beautifully made book, this will serve as a fine resource for children interested in illustration and for teachers researching author/illustrator studies."
THE HORN BOOK: “The text is remarkable for the smooth integration of explanatory material with overall commentary, and selective detail creates a sense of intimacy and understanding.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Teachers can use this book to introduce students to an illustrator and then read the book they received the Caldecott reward for.
*Students can pick one illustrator and then read selected books illustrated by them.
*Students can be divided into groups and create a poster for an assigned illustrator. The poster can include biographical information, a picture of the illustrator, pictures from the award winning book, etc.


Image Credit: Amazon.com