The is awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American for children.

Aardema, V. (1975). Why mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. This is African fable features familiar animals in a jungle setting. Mosquito tells Iguana a lie that launches a series of unfortunate events. As each character crosses the path of another, the consequences of mosquitoes lie become direr. Eventually, one of Mother Owl’ babies die and she refuses to wake the sun. King Lion finds out who was the cause of all this trouble. Mosquito hides herself and that is why mosquitos always buzz in people’s ears. This story has wonderful characters and onomatopoeia words that could be used in an impromptu play. The artwork features a rich palette of colors with simple shapes that students can recreate. (Caldecott Award 1976).

Haley, Gail. (1970). A story a story. New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Company. Once Nyame the Sky God owned all of the earth’s stories. Ananse, the Spider man, spun a web to the sky to buy Diaz, David. (1994). Smoky some stories from the Sky God. The Sky God demanded that Ananse bring him three things: Osebo Mmbro, and night. New York: Harcourt Mmoatia in payment. Through stealth and cunning, Ananse fulfills the Sky Gods requests. The Sky King gives his Brace & Company. stories to Ananse and they become known as Spider Stories. The illustrations for this book were created using Set during a street riot, a woodcuts that were printed in Miss Haley’s shop. Similar stories could be created using rubber stamps and paint. Daniel and Gena (his mother) (Caldecott 1971). watch the events unfold from their apartment building. The young boy is scared, Keats, Ezra. (1962). . New York, NY: Viking Press. but his mom convinces him to go to bed. Later, Peter wakes up to a snowy day. After donning his red snow suit, Peter goes outside and makes tracks, frantic knocks on the door alert them to the fire snow angels, a smiling snowman, and gets in a snow ball fight. On his way home he tucks a snow ball burning in the building. Escaping through the into his pocket to play with the next day. After a warm bath, where he thought about his adventures, strewn streets, they arrive at a shelter. They are he searches for his saved snow ball. Alas, his snow ball is gone and Peter is sad. However, by the next safe but they cannot find their cat. A fireman morning, more snow is fallen and Peter heads out again. This time he brings a friend. Mr. Keats uses arrives with their cat and another cat belonging to collage art to bring the books settings alive. This would be a wonderful opportunity to share favorite Mrs. Kim, a grocer. Gena and Mrs. Kim agreed to snow activities as well as write alternative endings to this classic story. (Caldecott 1963). share drinks with each other when things begin to settle down. Collage art work adds great detail Pinkney, J. (2009). The lion & the mouse. New York, NY: Little Brown Books to the story. Found items as well as richly hued oil Spectacular watercolor art work enhances the classic Aesop’s tale of the lion and the mouse. Mouse is paint lends to the feeling of chaos and nightfall. running from an Owl through the savannah when she climbs Lion’s back. The king of the beasts catches (Caldecott 1995). the little mouse, but then releases her. Lion goes about his business and is caught in a trap set by hunters. He roars in outrage and the Mouse hears him. Coming to his rescue, Mouse chews through his ropes and McCloskey, Robert. (1941). frees Lion. Lion thanks Mouse and Mouse brings a knot of the rope home to her babies. Stunningly illus- . New trated and sparely worded, this book lends itself to interpretation and point of view study. (Caldecott York: Viking. 2010). Mr. and Mrs. Mallard are looking for a safe place to raise their family. While investi- Rathmann, P. (1995). Officer Buckle and Gloria. New York, NY: G.P. The Putnam & Grosset gating various places they Group. meet Michael a friendly police man. After flying around the Officer Buckle is a safety officer with the police department. He travels from school to school city of Boston they find a lovely place to lay and giving boring speeches on safety. One day he is introduced to Gloria, the new department hatch their ducklings. Mrs. Mallard has her duck- police dog. Officer Buckle takes Gloria on his presentations. Gloria performs wonderful tricks lings and teaches them how to swim and be prop- behind Officer Buckle’s back and the audiences love her. When a TV camera films on of the er ducks. Mr. Mallard goes exploring and asks duo’s presentations, Officer Buckle is upset to find out what is happening behind his back. He Mrs. Mallard to meet him in a week at the Public refuses to do anymore presentations. Gloria does one presentation by herself, but it is a Garden. Mrs. Mallard with the help of several disaster. After a giant accident the Officer Buckle and Gloria realize that they are better to- police officers gets her brood to the Public Gar- dens where Mr. Mallard is waiting for them. Mr. gether than apart. (Caldecott 1996). McCloskey’s etchings of the ducks are wonderfully detailed and he has infused each with distinct characteristics. The study of the habits and habi- Wiesner, David. (2006). Flotsam. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. tats of ducks would be enhanced by this story. An ordinary day at the beach is made extraordinary by the discovery of an antique (Caldecott 1942). underwater camera. The young man who finds the camera develops the film and finds amazing photographs from under the sea. He also finds pictures of other kids Yolen, J. (1987). Owl who have found this camera before. He takes a picture of himself and throws the moon. New York, NY: camera back into the sea, where later it is discovered by someone new. The art work Putnam Publishing Group. in this book is spectacular and other worldly. There is no text so the pictures allow the A young girl heads into the story to flow and we are transported to another world. Every panel in this book could woods with her father to be used to create another story. In a classroom setting, words could be independent- go owling one night. They ly added to this story and compared to one another. (Caldecott 2007) walk and walk, but there are no owls in sight. Slowly, her father cups his hand and hoots for an owl. After walking further into the woods, an owl Yorinks, A. (1986). Hey Al. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. returns her father’s hooting call. Just then the Al a janitor and his dog share a tiny apartment. Eddie longs for a bigger giant bird is caught in the beam of her father’s place to live. Later that evening, a giant tropical bird promises Al a great flashlight. The owl and the pair stared at each other for a while before the owl lifted off into the place to live. Al packs his bags and rides the bird with Eddie to their new night. Schoenherr’s watercolor illustrations allow home. Once on the magical island in the sky they are having a wonderful the moon to glow and become a character in the book. The father and daughter are made small and time until they realize they are turning into birds. After escaping the island, indistinct to accent the scale of the characters Al and Eddie discover that there is no place like home. (Caldecott 1987). versus the setting. (Caldecott 1988).

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