Picture Book Review Genre 1 - A Caldecott Celebration

1. Bibliography
Marcus, Leonard S. 1998/2008. A caldecott celebration: seven artists and their paths to the caldecott medal. New York: Walker Publishing Company, Inc. ISBN 9780802797032

2. Plot Summary
This book paints a picture of seven Caldecott Medal winning artists including a brief biography of each, how their winning books came to be, and what the prize meant to them. There is one winning artist profiled from each decade that the prize has been awarded. The book includes Robert McClosky, Marcia Brown, Maurice Sendak, William Steig, Chris Van Allsburg, David Weisner, and Mordicai Gerstein. In this updated reprint that was published in 2008, Mordicai Gerstein is added to include a winner from the aughts. There is also a nice preface in the 2008 expanded edition that points out the fact that David Weisner has won two additional Caldecott Medals since the first printing. In addition to the artists' profiles, Marcus includes information about who Randolph Caldecott was, how the prize is awarded, and a complete list of Caldecott Medal winners through 2007.

3. Analysis
This book really gives the reader an inside perspective on just exactly how much hard work really goes into creating an award winning book. Since the Caldecott Medal is awarded to the artist, the pictures of the works in progress in this book are especially intriguing. To see the little "dummies" with rough sketches and how they are transformed into works of art is amazing and inspirational to any budding artist. Take, for example, Maurice Sendak who took over seven years to write Where the Wild Things Are and even wrote "ABANDON!" at the end of the dummy before finally deciding to make a finished product.

The true magic of this book is conveyed through the rough sketches, hand written notes, and personal anecdotes from each of the artists. One thing I found interesting was that Marcus chose to focus on author/illustrators, meaning that each artist profiled also wrote the book. One can learn from this book that the illustrating process is intertwined with the writing process, in that they both take several steps, including numerous revisions, before the final product can be published.

4. Review Excerpts
School Library Journal Starred Review - "Teachers, librarians, and parents will find a source of inspiration here."
Booklist Starred Review - "A beautifully made book."
Publishers Weekly Starred Review - "With Marcus's sure hand guiding the tour, readers will find cause for celebration."

5. Connections
*Of course, readers of this book should read each of the profiled Caldecott winning books.
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey ISBN 9780670451494
Cinderella, or The Little Glass Slipper by Marcia Brown ISBN 9780689814747
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak ISBN 9780060254926
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig ISBN 9781416902065
Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg ISBN 9780395304488
Tuesday by David Wiesner ISBN 9780395870822
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein ISBN 9780312368784

*Children can write and illustrate their own story following the process of drafts and revisions before making a final product.

*Art teachers could use this book to inspire children to use different media to produce illustrations for a story.