Yesterday morning was the big announcement of this year’s Newbery and Caldecott children’s book award winners. Drum roll please…
“The Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.”
2010 WINNER - When You Reach Me
by Rebecca Stead
2010 HONORS -
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
by Phillip M. Hoose
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
by Jacqueline Kelly
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
by Grace Lin (YIPPEE!! Bought this for my 9 year-old for Christmas!)
Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg
by Rodman Philbrick
“The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.”
2010 WINNER - The Lion & the Mouse
by Jerry Pinkney
2010 HONORS -
All the World
illustrated by Marla Frazee, written by Liz Garton Scanlon
Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors
illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Joyce Sidman
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!!
PS: How well do you know your children’s book awards? If you can’t tell your Theodor Seuss Geisel Award from your Pura Belpré Award, then you can read up on them all here.
award winner, Book Recommendations, chapter book, children's books, exceptional illustrations, older children, picture books, young children
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award winner, award-winning book, Caldecott, Newbery
This award-winning book is based on a real incident occurring in the winter of 1984-1985 where nearly 3,000 beluga whales became trapped in a rapidly freezing narrow strait in Siberia. For seven weeks the local villagers and the crew of an ice breaker fought to save the whales, breaking up the ice so they could surface to breathe. Amazingly they succeeded in breaking a passage through the twelve foot thick ice and led the whales to the safety of the open sea by playing classical music!
This amazing tale with a happy ending is recounted here by musician Steve Schuch who narrates the tale through the eyes of the fictional Glashka, a little girl residing in the nearby Siberian village. Peter Sylvada’s amazing illustrations lend an eerie beauty that enhances this wonderful story.
Steve Schuch also created a piece of music called “Whale Trilogy” that I first heard on an NPR broadcast many years ago. This very original composition tells this same whale rescue story musically by melding violin and actual whale songs. That hauntingly beautiful music is what led me to purchase this book and the CD. I urge you all to listen to the MP3 excerpt from this piece online at Steve’s website. It will make you want to rush out and buy both the book and the album, Wellspring: Live at the Folkway, on which is recorded Whale Trilogy.
I think that Wellspring: Live at the Folkway is unfortunately now only available as a cassette, unless you buy a used CD - which I linked to below at Amazon, but try Half.com and Ebay too. It is a wonderful album of children’s music and I highly recommend searching for it on CD.
In addition to being a lovely book in and of itself, A Symphony of Whales is a good addition to a discussion about whales, or life in a Siberian village!
Awards: A New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year, A Parents’ Choice Honor Book, and Smithsonian’s Notable Books for Children.
animals, award winner, Book Recommendations, children's books, exceptional illustrations, nature, older children, picture books
| A Symphony of Whales, award-winning book, book, Book Recommendations, children's books, children's music, music, Steve Schuch, Wellspring, Whale Trilogy, whales, whalesong
My friend Wishy lent me this Caldecott Honor book and I immediately had to rush out and buy a copy to keep.
The non-wordy story is very simple: the contrast between a typical dog and cat day. Hondo the dog goes to the beach and Fabian the cat stays home with “the baby.” Guess who has the better day!
The soft illustrations are very sweet and soothing. Yet the expressions on the cat and dog faces convey such nuances of emotion that everyone, adult and child alike, will enjoy this book.
(Paperback is eligible for Amazon’s 4-for-3 promotion.)
animals, award winner, Book Recommendations, children's books, exceptional illustrations, picture books, young children
| award-winning book, Book Recommendations, Book Recommendations, Caldecott, children's books, Hondo & Fabian, Peter McCarty
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