The Randolph Caldecott Medal

and the 2009 Caldecott Medal Winner Is...

In the United States, the Randolph Caldecott Medal is the most prestigious award for children's picture book illustration that an artist can receive. The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announces the annual Caldecott winners at the ALA's annual Midwinter Meeting in January. On January 26, 2009, the 2009 Randolph Caldecott Medal and Honor Book illustrators were announced.

The 2009 Caldecott Medal

Illustrator Beth Krommes is the recipient of the 2009 Caldecott Medal for The House in the Night, which was written by Susan Marie Swanson and published by Houghton Mifflin Co. According to the ALA media release:

"Richly detailed black-and-white scratchboard illustrations expand this timeless bedtime verse, offering reassurance to young children that there is always light in the darkness. Krommes’ elegant line, illuminated with touches of golden watercolor, evoke the warmth and comfort of home and family, as well as the joys of exploring the wider world.

'With her clear artistic vision, Krommes has created visual poetry,' said Caldecott Committee Chair Nell Colburn."

The House in the Night is a quiet, peaceful bedtime story that also emphasizes the power of books to spark the imagination. I recommend The House in the Night for two- to four-year-olds. I was particularly pleased to see this picture book honored since I had included it on my personal list of the Best Illustrated Children's Books of the year. (Compare prices.)

The 2009 Caldecott Honor Books

Note: The quotations below come from the American Library Association's media release about the award winners.

• A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever, written and illustrated by Marla Frazee, published by Harcourt, Inc. "In lively, detailed, subtly retro cartoons, Frazee gently pokes fun at adult expectations and captures the unbounded joy of two friends experiencing a parent-free summer adventure." (Compare prices.)
• How I Learned Geography, written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz, published by Farrar Straus Giroux. "Recounting memories of his family’s flight from the Warsaw Blitz and his years as a refugee during World War II, Shulevitz employs watercolor and ink to depict a boy liberated from his dreary existence through flights of fancy inspired by the map his father buys in the village market." (Compare prices.)
• A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, illustrated by Melissa Sweet and written by Jen Bryant, published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. "Sweet’s mixed-media collage and primitive watercolors flow seamlessly with Bryant’s prose to reveal the important bits and pieces of Williams’ ordinary, yet extraordinary, life as a doctor and poet." This is another book that is on my personal list of the Best Illustrated Children's Books of the year. I recommend A River of Words for children 10 and older, teens and adults. (Compare prices.)

The 2008 Caldecott Medal

Brian Selznick received the 2008 Caldecott Medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which he also wrote (Compare prices.) The book was published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic. According to the ALSC,

"From an opening shot of the full moon setting over an awakening Paris in 1931, this tale casts a new light on the picture book form. Hugo is a young orphan secretly living in the walls of a train station where he labors to complete a mysterious invention left by his father. In a work of more than 500 pages, the suspenseful text and wordless double-page spreads narrate the tale in turns." (ALSC)

Both the story of The Invention of Hugo Cabret and the way it is presented make this a fascinating book that I highly recommend for 9-15 year olds, as well as older teens and adults.

The 2008 Caldecott Honor Books

• Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, written by Ellen Levine, and published by Scholastic (Compare prices.)
• First the Egg, written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, published by Roaring Brook/Neal Porter (Compare prices.)
• The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, written and illustrated by Peter Sís (Farrar/Frances Foster) (Compare prices.)
• Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, written and illustrated by Mo Willems, published by Hyperion (Compare prices.)

The 2007 Caldecott Medal

David Wiesner received the 2007 Caldecott Medal for Flotsam, which was published by Clarion Books, an imprint of the Houghton Mifflin Company. (Compare prices.) This wordless picture book tells the imaginative story of an amazing day at the beach through the detailed watercolors of David Wiesner. According to the ALA news release,

"Wiesner’s Flotsam, published by Clarion, is a cinematic unfolding of discovery. A vintage camera washed up on the beach provides a young boy with a surprising view of fantastical images from the bottom of the sea. From fish-eye to lens-eye, readers see a frame-by-frame narrative of lush marinescapes ebbing and flowing from the real to the surreal.

'Telling tales through imagery is what storytellers have done through the ages. Wiesner’s wordless tale resonates with visual images that tell his story with clever wit and lively humor,' said Caldecott Medal Committee Chair Janice Del Negro."

The 2007 Caldecott Honor Books

• Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet, written and illustrated by David McLimans, published by Walker (Compare prices.)
• Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, illustrated by Kadir Nelson and written by Carole Boston Weatherford, published by Hyperion/Jump at the Sun (Compare prices.)

I hope you will take the time to look at these picture books and select some of them to enjoy with your child.