Sorry for the lack of posts.

I made a sudden and rather random decision to move to upstate NY and then life just got in the way of getting posts up on this blog. I will get back on some sort of schedule soon. I might not get 2 a week right away, but at least once a week, and to make things a little easier, I'll move away from the Caldecott and Newberry Medal books for a little while too.

Later this week, look for my post about some book that I haven't chosen yet.

Do you have any suggestions?

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (1964 Caldecott Medal Winner)

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (1964 Caldecott Medal Winner)

There is something about a book or part of a book not having any words that makes me experience the story more. This is the case with Where the Wild Things Are. The wordless section is made more important in my mind by the text at the beginning and the end of the book.

You ought to know the story of this book. Just in case, though, here you go.

Max is a young boy who does not like to do what he is supposed to do. His mother dubs him "Wild Thing" and sends him to his room without dinner after getting frustrated with his antics. Max doesn't care (much like another Sendak character called Pierre.) He has his wolf suit, and that seems to be enough.

Max's room changes and becomes a giant forest with an ocean and a private boat for young Max which takes him for a journey that lasts almost an entire year to the place where the wild things are.

The wild things act threatening and display their terrible roars, terrible teeth, terrible eyes, and terrible claws, but this does not impress Max. He tells them to "be still" and stares into their eyes until they submit. That is when Max is made the king of all the wild things.

Then comes the wild rumpus. The rumpus consists of 3 full page spreads of the book showing Max and the wild things doing wild things. This is probably one of the best parts of the book because the art says so much, and you don't need words to know the story.

After the rumpus, Max sends the wild things to bed without dinner, and while they are all sleeping, Max realizes that being the king of the wild things isn't all it's cracked up to be. He decides to go back home and ignores the pleas of the wild things begging him to stay.

Max sails the year back home and finds his supper waiting for him.

This story is filled with potential for class room activities. Let me give you a few:

• Create your own wild thing. Create your wild thing in 3D or 2D. Use marker, crayons, clay, or whatever you like.
• Have a conversation about not listening to your parents. Why did it happen? What should you have done?
• Tell the story-make cards with parts of the story, and organize them in the correct order.
• Have a wild rumpus!

There are certainly plenty of other ideas you can come up with if you let your imagination run wild just like Max does.

Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes (1952 Newberry Medal Winner)

Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes

This book makes me mad. 1952 was the year when another, much more deserving book, was also eligible to win the Newberry Medal, but it was given to Ginger Pye instead. It may seem like a small detail, but the one of the honor books that year was Charlotte's Web. Even if you haven't had a lot of exposure to children's literature, you must have heard of this story, but who has heard anything of the adventures of Ginger Pye in the years since that book won the medal?

Next week I'll talk about what makes the honor book so great, but for now, let's talk about Ginger Pye.

My biggest problem with this book is that it cannot decide who the story is going to be about. When it starts, it seems like it will be the story of how Jerry Pye saves the money to get a dog that he really wants, but that part of the story ends very quickly. Maybe it will be the story of what a great dog Ginger Pye is. Or perhaps it is a mystery about where Ginger Pye has been taken.

This book is almost all of these story, but still none of them. In fact, it never really figures out what it is trying to do. There only a few moments that I really enjoyed while I was reading, but there were even more confusing moments.

Confusing/pointless moments?

• The kids go swimming at the quarry, and there is one boy that engages in "vertical swimming." What is vertical swimming? Well, you might think that this boy likes to dive down as far as he can go, but no, vertical swimming means that he likes to swim under water. This is a huge deal for some reason. The boy also loses swimming races because even though he is the fastest swimmer, you can't win if you go underwater. This has no purpose in the rest of the story.
• Ginger is abducted after Thanksgiving dinner because the dog is put outside, but the children are the only ones that are interested in doing anything about finding Ginger.
• The story is filled with the children trying to find Ginger, but they never really do anything to solve the mystery. All they know is that the culprit might wear a yellow hat. They find a yellow hat in the woods one day and make a crayon mark inside the hat. (Big deal.)
• At the beginning of the book Jerry's biggest dilemma is if the cat will be upset if the family gets a dog.

Good points?

• There is an entire chapter devoted to Ginger trying to figure out where Jerry goes during the day. Ginger manages to track Jerry by following his nose and even finds Jerry's pencil that was dropped while hanging in a tree. Once Ginger finds the school he also manages to climb the fire escape to the classroom window. This chapter is great because we get inside Ginger's head. We get to follow the dog and get inside its mind. Why couldn't the entire book be like this?
• When Jerry is trying to raise money to get his dog, he takes a job cleaning the church pews, and the brother, sister, and toddler uncle figure out how to shuttle the uncle across the pews to clean them quickly.
• Um, that's honestly all I have.

So, I don't think there is a lot of mystery about my feelings on this book. I can't conceive of using it for a class of students, so I won't give a list of ways to use it with your students. Next weekend I'll talk about one of the 1952 honor books, Charlotte's Web, a much better book.

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss (1957)

Saturday is Dr Seuss' birthday!!!!!!!

So why not use one of my free days to write about the most beloved of children's authors and one of his greatest books? So let's talk about the Cat in the Hat.

In 1954, Theodore Geisel read an article called, "Why do students bog down on the first \R?" (This refers to the 3 Rs-reading, writing, (a)rithmatic. I know, only one of them actually starts with an R.) In the article, John Hershey was upset about the quality of the books available to elementary students for reading.

This article led to a challenge from Houghton Mifflin's education division head, William Ellsworth Spaulding-create a book using only 225 words from the list of 348 words that every 6-year-old should know that will appeal broadly to 6 and 7-year-olds. The story uses a total of 1629 words, most of which are single-syllable words.

Now that I've talked about the history, let's talk about the book that you should already know about:

It's a rainy day, and our two young children are stuck inside while their mother is away. They get a visit from a strange creature known as the Cat in the Hat. He speaks in rhyme and has a messy and dangerous idea of fun, especially if you are a fish.

In the book, the children are overwhelmed by the aggressive nature of the Cat in the Hat, and even a talking fish isn't up to the task of chasing him away. The Cat in the Hat tries to show off his balancing skills by holding a growing variety of items while standing and even bouncing on a ball before everything crashes, and he enlists the aid of Thing 1 and Thing 2 in his chaos.

The story ends with the return of the mother, but before she comes in the door, the Cat in the Hat returns and picks up the mess.

In 1971, there was a musical version of the book in cartoon form. It makes the children more active in enjoying the antics of the Cat in the Hat, and gives the Cat in the Hat more reason for staying. After being expelled from the house, he returns in a search for his  "moss-covered three-handled family gradunza." No one knows what this is, but they turn the house upside down looking for it. The fish gets a name (Karlos K. Krinkelbein) and has more of a role than just trying to kick the Cat in the Hat out of the house.

My favorite part of this cartoon comes near the end when the Cat in the Hat gets to sing a song about his name that includes translating Cat in the Hat into different languages. (Cat, hat, in French, chat, chapeau. In Spain I am a gato in el sombrero.)

If you haven't read this book before, then shame on you. Go get one of the 11 million copies that have been published. Also, check out the cartoon. It is worth the time.

Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (Caldecott 1963)

Ezra Jack Keats was a prolific writer of children's books, and he drew from the flavor of his own childhood, and the neighborhood where he grew up to find his stories. Snowy Day is the adventures of a young boy who is enjoying the snow fall. His adventures aren't extraordinary, but very relatable to children.

• Peter makes 2 trails as he drags his feet in the snow. Then there are suddenly 3 trails. What could have caused this?
• What happens when Peter strikes the snow-covered tree with a stick?
• What happens when you put a now ball in your coat pocket when you go inside?

Peter is just an oridnary boy experiencing a snowy day in the only way an ordinary boy can experience it.

One of the best features of this book, and all the books illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats is the art work. As an artist, Keats tends to use cut paper to make the shapes he desires, and the effect of the images are startling. So what can you do with this book in the classroom?

• Talk about what kinds of activities your students like to do when it snows.
• Make your own "Snowy Day Adventure" book
• Create cut-paper pictures.
• Using pre-formed panels, students can draw pictures of the story.

Those are just a few ideas. Feel free to make up your own ideas, and feel free to share them in the comments section below.

Lincoln-a Photo Biography by Russell Freedman (1988 Newberry Medal Winner)

You may think that you know about the life and times of Abraham Lincoln, but he was a complex man with a life full of complications and even the thorough examination prepared by Russell Freedman doesn't give us everything we could know. That really isn't possible, but he does manage to give a very clear, and impartial picture of Mr. Lincoln's life.

You probably have a good idea about the story of Abraham Lincoln. You may not know about his difficulties in becoming the President, and the challenges he faced while he was in office, but I won't get into those right now.

Let's talk about all of the ways you can use this book in your setting (whatever it might be.)

• As a photo biography, this book is loaded with photographs from the time of Lincoln, so you can see actual images of the times and places that were significant in Lincoln's life.
• Discuss the differences between the time of the Civil War and today.
• Talk about the reasons that Lincoln freed the slaves.
• Discuss why the Southern states were willing to fight.
• How does someone become President?

I'm sure you can come up with plenty of other ideas for this book as well. Enjoy!

Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth

Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth (2005)

Zen Shorts is a great book. It didn't win a Caldecott, but that doesn't change anything. (I recently realized that Charlotte's Web was only an honor book for the Newberry Medal. Ginger Pye certainly doesn't stick out that much these days.)

Zen Shorts is an interesting look at Zen philosophies and stories. Three children discover that their new neighbor is a panda bear named Stillwater. Each of the children visit with the bear and hear a story that he shares with them that applies to their situation.

The focus of these stories is to give a different (Zen) perspective on the situations each child is facing. Stillwater is a good friend who is happy to share his wisdom. The stories are adaptations of familiar stories of Zen wisdom.

Here is the lesson of the three stories, but I won't tell you the actual stories:

• Sometimes good luck and bad luck are wrapped up together.
• Don't keep the past with you, especially if it keeps you from enjoying the moment.
• Even if you give away everything you have, there are still things you can have and enjoy.

These stories are provide an opportunity to help your students examine their perspective on the situations. You can ask them questions about how they feel about the choices that were made in the story. Along with this you can explore the decision making process.

This book is definitely worth the read, and a great addition to your lesson plans. Check it out.

Key to the Treasure by Peggy Parish

Key to the Treasure by Peggy Parish (1966)

This is the book that made me realize that I loved reading. I'm not sure how I got a copy or why I decided to read it the fine Saturday morning instead of going outside, but it was a very important moment in my life. I read this book from cover to cover in a single day, and I was only in second grade.

Peggy Parish is best known for her character Amelia Bedelia, the maid with no understanding of figurative language. However, Parish wrote a variety of stories including a set of stories during her life including a series of young children solving mysteries.

Key to the Treasure, is the first of these stories involving siblings Jed, Bill, and Liza. In this story, the children are spending the summer with their grandparents. Grandpa's family has a story that has been passed down for generations. Actually, there are two stories to tell.

When Grandpa's Grandpa was a boy, he lived near an old Indian woman names Old Jane. (This is written in the 60's when that name was acceptable.) When she died, she left him all of the tribal treasures she had collected.

When Grandpa's Grandpa grew up, he got married, and had three children-two boys and a girl. The children love their father's games, and the Indian treasures. Each of them has a special item that they love most. Grandpa's Grandpa is called away to fight in the Civil War, and to keep the kids out of trouble, he takes their favorite items and hides them. There are a set of clues to the hiding place. Grandpa's Grandma is given the first clue which she accidentally washes when she does the laundry. All that remains is a painting with a the Indian headdress, a clay pot, a strange key, and a question mark. Each generation tries to find the treasure, but there is something missing, some clue.

The next day, the children are playing with the headdress before it is sent to be a part of an exhibit at the local museum. They fight over whose turn it should be, and Bill accidentally pulls out one of the feathers. Inside the cup that holds the feather, they find a piece of old paper that holds a clue to the treasure. The children decide to try to find the treasure in secret so they can surprise Grandpa.

I love the clues because they are a variety of word puzzles that you can solve for yourself. You just need to write out the clues and stop the story long enough to solve them.

I actually used this book when I was doing my student teaching. I only had the one copy so I read it. We did all sorts of lessons with secret codes and puzzles. We learned Morse Code, and solved each of the puzzles.

I definitely suggest this book, and you should check it out as soon as you can.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (1970 Caldecott Book)

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1970)

William Steig has a very interesting story telling style that I enjoy, especially in this book.

Sylvester is a young donkey who loves pebbles. He collects them and is always searching for special stones to add to his collection. One day he discovers an unusual specimen. It is a small red pebble. "It was flaming red, shiny, and perfectly round, like a marble."

It's a rainy day, and Sylvester makes a casual wish that it would stop raining. Much to his surprise, the rain stops immediately. He decides this is because it is a magical pebble and wishes that it would start raining again. When the rain starts, Sylvester knows his guess is correct.

While heading home to share his magical pebble with anyone that needs assistance, Sylvester sees a lion approaching. In a panic, he wishes that he was a stone so the lion won't be able to find him. Sylvester instantly finds himself as a stone, but because he isn't touching the pebble he isn't able to turn back.

I won't tell you what happens next except to say that Sylvester's parents are extremely worried about their son. Check out the book to see what else happens.

So how can you use this in a classroom? There are lots of opportunities to use prediction strategies in this book. One example is starting the sentence "Then Sylvester turned into a..." and give the kids a chance to guess and see if they are right.

You can also talk about making good choices. Sylvester wants to use his pebble to help other people, which is a good choice, but then he makes a bad choice in wishing to be a stone. You can also review the steps of the story and see how much the children have retained.

Another fun activity is to let the children explore what they might do with a magic pebble.

So here we have a story filled with educational opportunities. Check it out and use it in your classroom.

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (2010)

Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (2010 Newberry Medal Winner)

Against her better judgement, Abilene Tucker has been sent to the small town of Manifest, Kansas by her father who has found work in a train yard, and he has convinced her that it would be better if, this one time, she didn't travel with him.  It comes as a surprise, and she isn't completely happy about it, but there is one reason for Abilene to be excited about this move-she will have a chance to place her father in all of the stories that she has heard from him about the town of Manifest. In all of her stories, he hasn't had a place.

Manifest is a poor town trying to survive the Great Depression and the loss of the coal mine that was the only business that really kept it afloat.

Abilene is leaving with Shady, a man that works as the interim preacher for a number of years of a Baptist church that burned down many years ago. He runs poorly attended meetings and Abilene wonders about the bottle of booze that sits in what passes for his kitchen.

Abilene finds a box filled with letters from a WWI soldier to a boy named Jinx. Through a strange mishap, Abilene starts working for Miss Sadie, a woman that the people in the town think might be a witch, and a fortune teller. Miss Sadie has the compass that Abilene got from her father.

Miss Sadie tells the story of Jinx and his time in Manifest. How he came to town running from a past that wasn't his fault, and becomes a part of the struggling community. Most of the people of Manifest suffer because the owner of the mine oppresses them and makes them work long hours for little pay with only on store in town owned by the mine.

Will Jinx be able to help the people of Manifest get out from under the thumb of the mine? Will Abilene be able to find where her father fits into the story of Manifest?

This story is great for discussions of history. The story of Jinx happens during the time of World War II. It also faces the issues of racism and bigotry. Abilene's story happens during the Great Depression and during a time when the railroad was an important part of making America happen.

There is also opportunity to talk about the importance of stories, and the stories of family.

Lon Po Po by Ed Young (1990 Caldecott Medal Winner)

Lon Po Po by Ed Young (1990)

Ed Young loves to draw from his childhood home of China when it comes to creating stories for young children. As an author and an illustrator, Ed Young is a well know name in Children's literature.

Lon Po Po is a telling of a tale that will seem familiar since it is very similar to Red Riding Hood, but with a bit of a twist, but even though it seems familiar, it isn't a re imagining of Red Riding Hood. Instead, it is a fairy tale from China.

As I mentioned, the story will seem familiar, but there are some similarities and differences.

Similarities

• A wolf that talks and pretends to be a grandmother.
• Child(ren) alone against the wolf.
• The wolf trying to cover up his physical differences.

Differences

• The mother goes to see grandma, and leaves the house.
• There are three children.
• Rather than a hunter saving the day, the children save themselves.

I won't say anything beyond that because I don't want to ruin the story. Check out this tale for yourself. If you are using it in the classroom, be sure to pair this book with another version of Red Riding Hood in order to let the children analyze the differences.

Holes by Louis Sachar

Holes by Louis Sachar (1999 Newberry Medal Winner)

There isn't much in life that Stanley Yelnats can enjoy. The only cool thing about his name is that is spells the same backwards as it does forwards. He's over weight and unpopular. His father stinks up the house with his attempts to find the cure for stinky feet. Worse than that, Stanley's whole family is cursed by an old gypsy woman because the original Stanley Yelnats broke a promise to her.

How does Stanley know they are cursed? Bad things just keep happening. They may seem good at first, but something always goes wrong. Take for example the day when Stanly was walking down the street, and a really nice pair of sneakers fell on his head. They were really nice, and they looked like they might even fit his feet, but very soon after he found them, the police were arresting him for stealing them.

It turns out the shoes were a donation from a famous athlete to help raise money for needy kids. No one accepts Stanley's reasons why he has the shoes, and even worse, the judge decides to sentence him to either go to jail or Camp Green Lake.

Stanley is pretty excited to learn that he will be spending his time at Camp Green Lake. When Stanley gets to the camp, he discovers that it is a strange work camp where boys who are trying to avoid jail are forced to dig hole in an area that used to be a lake, but is now a dried-up pit in the ground. Their job consists of digging a hole each day. Each hole has to be 3 feet long by 3 feet wide by 3 feet deep.

Stanley's new bunk mates give him the nickname Caveman probably because of his large size, and Stanley struggles every day under the hot sun.

So why are these boys digging holes every day? Is it a way to help them rehabilitate and make better choices about their futures? No, it turns out when this hole in the ground was still a lake, a treasure was lost in a sinking boat. The woman who runs the camp, and her ancestors, have been searching for years for that treasure.

Along with this, there are some other interesting plot points that I won't get into in case you haven't read this book. (If you haven't read it, then shame on you.) Let's just say that Louis Sachar can weave together a story with multiple layers that will leave you wondering what will happen next.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead (2011 Caldecott Medal)

Let's take a journey through a typical day of zoo keeper, Amos McGee. He has a very specific pattern to his day. He makes tea, he gets dressed, he rides the bus to the zoo, then he spends time with each of the animals-play chess, reading stories, and many other things.

One day Amos gets sick and cannot go to work. His friends at the zoo miss him, so they take the bus to Amos' house to visit him. Amos gets to enjoy all of the activities that are usually only enjoyed at work, and it helps him feel much better.

Stead is both writer and illustrator, and the illustrations are breathtaking and yet simple. Stead does a great job of telling the story through the art and making the visuals compelling. Not everyone can act as author and illustrator, but Stead does a fantastic job with this story.

We used this with preschooler when we were talking about being thankful and talked about being thankful for being healthy, but you can also hit on friendship and the things that friends might do. It would also be great to combine with a trip to the zoo. You can talk about the animals you might see at the zoo, or what animals you had seen at the zoo after you had already been there.

*A quick correction-The Caldecott list shows Erin E Stead as the illustrator, and I just noticed that so does the picture of the cover I have listed. Sorry for the confusion.

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (1995 Newberry Medal Winner)

I've know about Sharon Creech for several years. I first encountered her from reading Love that Dog, a collection of poetry written by a young boy learning about poetry in school, and followed closely by Hate that Cat a continuation of that tale. I also stumbled upon Heartbeat, the story of a young girl who loves to run, but doesn't want to be a runner, also told in poems.

When I saw her name on the list of Newberry Medals, I half expected to find a book of poetry, but instead we get the tale of Salamanca Tree Hiddle as she travels with her grandparents telling them the story of her friend Phoebe and her mother. This story helps to illuminate Sal's own troubles with her mother leaving their family.

Sal and her father have moved from Bybanks, Kentucky to Euclid, Ohio to be near a woman, Mrs. Margaret Cadaver with whom her father has become attached. Sal hates leaving her home and the connection that home has with the mother she loved so dearly.

Sal believes that if she can arrive in Lewiston, Idaho by her mother's birthday, then Sal will be able to bring her home. Sal knows that this is a foolish belief, but that doesn't stop her from wanting it to be true. She is travelling with her grandparents on her father's side. They are an odd duo, and they love listening to the story of Peeby (the name they use for Phoebe) and Sal's part in that story.

Phoebe is a fun character to read about although I'm not sure that I would actually want to spend much time with her. Her first reaction to most situations is to come up with a horrible explanation. What happened to Mrs. Cadaver's husband? She killed him and buried him in the back yard. Why did her mother disappear? A lunatic took her away.

Phoebe is the perfect foil to unravel the story of Sal's mother's disappearance. Both girls have similar stories about mothers that leave, and we get to understand Sal much better because of this parallel.

Oh, I should talk a little bit about Sal. She is an only child although her parents had wanted to have a large family. She loves the outdoors, especially the outdoors of her home in Bybanks, Kentucky. She misses her mother, and can't let go of the past because of that love.

This is a fun adventure. I especially enjoy getting to know Sal's grandparents. They also have a fun story to experience. Even several days after finishing the book, I still find myself saying, "Huzzah, huzzah."

A Ball for Daisy (2012)

A Ball for Daisy by Christopher Raschka (2012 Caldecott Medal Winner)

Generally a Caldecott winner is picked because of the combination of image and text. In this case, though, there are no words. I was surprised by this narrative choice, but it works out extremely well. Although there are no words, it isn't very hard to figure out the story.

I took this to the day care where I work, and "read" it with one of the classes, and worked with them to tell the story. It worked out great. Even at 3-4 years of age, they had little trouble working out the story.

So what is the story? Daisy is a dog with a red ball. Daisy really loves her ball, and doesn't really want to be without it. One day, Daisy's owner takes her to the park. They play catch, and have a great time until another dog gets Daisy's ball. While this other dog is playing with the ball it bursts. Daisy is heartbroken and is miserable until the next day when they go to the park and the girl that owns the other dog offers Daisy and new blue ball.

All of this story is done without a single word. There isn't even a sound effect for the ball popping. It is just a great example of visual story telling that can be a great lesson for kids. This is something that has been popping up in shorts before animated movies this past summer, where there are shorts with little to no words, maybe just some sound effects. This allows children to practice creating a story.

Check out this book for yourself, and any kids in your life.

Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson (1945)

Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson (1945 Newberry Medal Winner)

It's hard to believe that this is the book that started off the Newberry Medal. It is much shorted and less complicated than modern winners, but more importantly, it follows a very strange format and story. This story is similar to the ending of The Big Snow because it seems to be about people being responsible for providing for the needs of animals.

All the animals of Rabbit Hill are excited because there are New Folk comin' to the old house. Lots of other human characters get names, but even after we learn the couple's names, they are still called New Folk. The main conflict seems to be whether the New Folk are also Nice Folk and Planting Folk but not Trap-Setting Folk or Hunting Folk.

The 'adventures' are weak and the characters are shallow. Mother is always afraid, and Father is obsessed with Kentucky Blue Grass. In one moment, the animals act like they can't do anything without humans and the next they are decrying humans for trying to take care of what the humans have worked to produce.

The New Folk are just confusing. How do they hear a field mouse fall into a rain barrel and call for help? What is their motivation for doing nice things for animals besides following the model of Francis of Assisi?

The best comparison I can find is think about the Redwall books. What if there were humans, and the animals of the Abbey decided not to do any work and let the humans take care of everything instead? Redwallers get stuff done, and even when times are hard, they work to find a way through the problems. The animals in Rabbit Hill do not.

I do want to make on quick comment on Little Georgie's song. Why is everyone singing it? How do the humans pick up on it? What is the point aside from adding a chapter to the book? It's just "New Folks comin', oh my!" over and over again. Is this where pop songs came from?

Look, Rabbit Hill is an important book since it was the first book to win the Newberry Medal, but that doesn't mean it has continued to be a good book after all this time. Animals can fend for themselves most of the time, and it's a shame to see them brought so low.

Although this blog is called Excellent Children's books, I wouldn't recommend that you check this one out of the library, and certainly don't spend money on it.

The Big Snow by Bertha and Elmer Hader (1949)

The Big Snow by Kathrine Milhous (1949 Caldecott Medal Winner)

Just like The Egg Tree, this book is rather lengthy compared to today's picture books, but don't hold that against this tale. The story follows all the different creatures of the forest as they decide what to do for the winter. You get excellent illustrations and a fictional look into the minds of these animals. How will the winter impact their choice of homes. We get to see animals that migrate and nonmigratory animals.

After the choices are made, we get to see how a big snow negatively impacts these animals. How are the food sources diminished because of the falling snow? How will the animals survive?

The answer turns this tale from a fiction to an autobiography of sorts. An older couple cleans up the sidewalk in front of their house and then provides food for all of the animals. I'm guessing that this is something that the Haders did most winters. Although the couple doesn't participate in the celebration, they do imagine the joy the animals feel from the offering.

This book definitely won't work for very young children, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it be very effective at the 3rd or 4th grade level. If it were a bit longer and used some bigger words, this book might possibly be eligible for a Newberry Medal today.

The Egg Tree by Katherine Milhous (1951)

The Egg Tree by Kathrine Milhous (1951 Caldecott Medal Winner)

A lot has changed in Children's Literature since the Caldecott Medal was created. The Egg Tree is a great example of those changes. It is certainly an interesting story, but it is so long compared to most children's books. Let me give you a quick synopsis:

Grandmom has her six grandchildren over the night before Easter. All of the children go searching for eggs, which have been placed in the most unlikely of places, so when Katy can't find any, she decides to go searching in the attic. There she finds and old hat box with six hollowed-out eggs that Grandmom had made when she was little. After giving the winners (the children with the most eggs a very strange prize, (bunny-shaped cookies with eggs baked in the middle) Grandmom makes an Easter Egg tree with the six eggs. The children want to learn how to make their own eggs, so Grandmom teaches them. With all of the eggs they make a bigger tree, and show it off to anyone that wants to come and see it. (There are also directions for making an Egg Tree in the back of the book.)

Exhausting isn't it? Sadly this book is very focused. You can't use it for anything other than an Easter unit, and even then, it really doesn't apply unless you want to make an Egg Tree with your class. I'm sorry, but I have no interest in blowing out 15-25 eggs just for one project that will probably involve lots of broken eggs. sure it won a medal a long time ago, but it wouldn't win that award these days.

Dead End in Norvelt (2012 Newberry Medal Winner)

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos (2012)

Jack Gantos has a big problem standing in the way of his summer vacation plans-his mother.

It's 1964 and Jack lives in a small community called Norvelt. It was established by former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in an attempt to help impoverished people develop a new home and community where they could work together. Only a handful of the original Norvelters, as they are called, are still alive and living in town.

In the opening scenes of the books we find Jack using a pair of binoculars this father had claimed during the World War II from an abandoned Japanese bunker. Jack also has his father's Japanese rifle. Jack is using the binoculars to watch an war film at the drive-in miles away. Since it is just a movie miles away and the rifle isn't loaded, Jack pretends to shoot the enemy soldiers. The only problem is that the gun is actually loaded and goes off.

Several things happen at that point. First Jack's nose starts to bleed like a fountain, which happens everything something disturbing happens. Next his mother runs out and starts shouting at him. Next he wonders what happened with the bullet. Maybe it made it all the way to the drive-in or accidentally his one of his neighbors.

With a promise not to tell his father, Jack is grounded for the rest of the summer. This keeps him from hanging out with friends and playing with the player deficient little league team. The only thing that Jack will be allowed to do is help old Miss Volker, one of the few remaning original Norvelters, and the woman that Mrs. Roosevelt entrusted with keeping Norvelt healthy, and keeping track of all the original Norvelters. It is her duty to declare deaths, and write obituaries. Unfortunately, her hands are so arthritic that even with a hot-wax bath, she can hardly write anything. Jack is taken as her secretary.

There are lots of mysterious deaths in the community as original Norvelters die at a frightening rate. There is also the mysterious death of a Hells Angel that bought one of the old houses. This leads to some arson attempts by his biking brothers.

Many of the characters face feelings of being trapped in Norvelt. Jack's father wants to move to a more prosperous area. Miss Volker feels trapped while she waits for the rest of the Norvelters to die. Jack feels trapped by being grounded.

Will any of these characters manage to escape a dead end in Norvelt?

There are 69 Newberry Medal books and even more Caldecott Medal books.

I've read some in each category, but I've never read them all. However, I've always wanted to try it, so why not make a blog about it to make it a little harder to give up? I recently read Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos, and in a day or two I'll have a review ready, but not quite yet. I also have several Caldecott books handy.

My plan with all of this is to read and review all of these books (133 I think) I will probably add in some other reviews of books that I would recommend.