Detailed item info | Synopsis | Profiles six Caldecott award winning books and their authors, including Robert McCloskey's "Make Way for Ducklings," Marcia Brown's "Cinderella," Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are," William Steig's "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble," Chris Van Allsburg's "Jumanji," and David Wiesner's "Tuesday."
| | Size | | Length: | 48 pages | | Height: | 11.0 in. | | Width: | 9.0 in. | | Thickness: | 0.5 in. | | Weight: | 16.0 oz. |
| | Publisher's Note | To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Caldecott Medal, noted children's book historian Leonard S. Marcus draws an absorbing and informative picture of the world's most prestigious illustration award and six of its acclaimed winners: Robert McCloskey, Marcia Brown, Maurice Sendak, William Steig, Chris Van Allsburg, and David Weisner.
| | Industry reviews | Filled with witty anecdotes and pithy observations, Marcus's (Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom) approach to examining the works of six Caldecott Medalists will be of as much interest to adults as to picture book readers. He has chosen one book from each decade, "so that viewed together, the six offer an informal cross section through time of the American picture book": Robert McCloskey's Make Way for Ducklings, Marcia Brown's Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper, Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, William Steig's Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Chris Van Allsburg's Jumanji and David Wiesner's Tuesday. With a generous sprinkling of the artists' own words and sometimes those of his or her editor, Marcus chronicles the inspiration behind these works, the creative process, the artists' reactions to winning the prestigious award and its effect on their careers. He fills the volume with the kinds of details children relish: McCloskey once shared his Greenwich Village digs with 16 ducks and Steig does black-and-white drawings first, then fills in each color one by one throughout the book. Encouraging readers to see each picture book through the artist's eyes, Marcus shows Brown's compositional studies, explains how Van Allsburg chose from which perspective to view the coiled python in the living room and how Sendak decided "that the illustrations leading up to the rumpus would get larger and larger, as Max's emotions pushed out the words." He traces the evolution of the illustrations for Tuesday from Wiesner's first quick sketches, when the idea occurred to him on a jet plane. With Marcus's sure hand guiding this tour, readers will find cause for celebration. All ages. (Oct.)
Leuchtenburg
Gr 3-6-First given in 1938, the Caldecott award has been won by many distinguished illustrators, six of whom are profiled in this handsome book. Choosing a winner from each decade, Marcus has assembled an impressive lineup of talent-Robert McCloskey, Marcia Brown, Maurice Sendak, William Steig, Chris Van Allsburg, and David Wiesner. Each chapter opens with a photo of the illustrator, some information about the Caldecott-winning book, and a quote from his or her acceptance speech. While the focus is on the creation of the award-winning book, a great deal of background about the artists' lives and the way in which they work is given. The large, attractive pages invite readers to savor the multitude of illustrations. Some of them show the various drafts leading up to the finished art so that readers can easily see the evolution of the artists' ideas. Anecdotes about the relationship between the illustrators and their editors are also included, reinforcing the idea that this collaboration is very important in the creation of excellent books. With an index, a glossary (lithographic crayon, pre-separated art, etc.), and a bibliography of all of the Caldecott Medal winners (though not the Honor Books), this title has just about everything readers might want. Most of all, it has such wonderful tidbits-Robert McCloskey sketching the bottom of a duck's bill from his vantage point on the floor, Maurice Sendak buying an armful of roses for Ursula Nordstrom when he won, etc. So many good stories for children and adults to enjoy.-Barbara Scotto, Michael Driscoll School, Brookline, MA
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