A Caldecott Celebration: Six Artists and Their Paths to the Caldecott Medal

A combination of biographical information and
   artistic history --
          ~on the road to winning a Caldecott

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Marcus, Leonard. A Caldecott Celebration: Six Artists and Their Paths to the Caldecott Medal. New York; Walked & Co., 1998.
ISBN 0802786561

Marcus S. Leonard

PLOT SUMMARY:

In celebration and observance of the sixtieth anniversary of the Caldecott Medal the following Caldecott honorees - recipients from each decade were interviewed and profiled:

1942 Make Way for Ducklings-by Robert McCloskey;

1955 Cinderella/The Little Glass Slipper-by Marcia Brown;

1964 Where the Wild Things Are-by Maurice Sendak;

1970 Sylvester and the Magic Pebble-by William Steig;

1982 Jumanji-by Chris Van Allsburg;

1992 Tuesday-by David Wiesner

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

Leonard S. Marcus delves into the subjects -- both texts and creators -- showing the amazing stories behind them. Marcus shows the labor and happenstance that went into the conception and construction of these great books.  Filled with anecdotes and concise observations, Marcus's approach to examining these six works and the artists --- this book is just as captivating as the Caldecott Medal winning books.

REVIEW EXCERPT:   

BookPage Childrens' Review: "Marcus's short but wide-ranging discussion of each artist will appeal to both older school-age children as well as adults. Who couldn't help but be charmed to hear that for Make Way for Ducklings, McCloskey consulted with duck experts, studied duck specimens, and brought 16 ducks home for up-close study."

Publisher's Weekly: "Encouraging readers to see each picture book through the artist's eyes, Marcus shows Brown's compositional studies, explains how Van Allsburg chose from which perspective to view the coiled python in the living room and how Sendak decided 'that the illustrations leading up to the rumpus would get larger and larger, as Max's emotions pushed out the words.' He traces the evolution of the illustrations for Tuesday from Wiesner's first quick sketches, when the idea occurred to him on a jet plane. With Marcus's sure hand guiding this tour, readers will find cause for celebration. All ages."

AWARDS:

ALSC 1999 Notable Children's Books

CONNECTIONS:  

* Choose and read one of the books/authors Marcus profiled

* Create a collage representing one of the books

* Read other books created by one of thee selected/profiled authors