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