Caldecott Medal Winners and Honor Books

The Hello, Goodbye Window, illustrated by Chris Raschka, was the Caldecott Medal Winner in 2006. This story tells of a little girl's everyday experiences at her Nanna and Poppy's big house. Most of these memorable moments deal with the large window found in the kitchen known as the "hello, goodbye window." My favorite experience the little girl recounts is looking out the special window with her Nanna to say goodnight to the stars. As a child, I remember doing this same thing with my mother out my bedroom window.

The illustrations in this book resemble the unstructured art work of a young child perfectly matching the voice of the little girl telling the story. You can feel the love of this family just from the pictures on each page. The colors and designs in this book were crafted carefully and create a visual experience that makes this book a must read.



No, David, written and illustrated by David Shannon, was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1999. This children's book goes through a normal day in the life of five year old David. The book tells of all the things David should not be doing as a child. The words, "No, David" are frequently heard from his loving mother. The illustrations do a wonderful job of portraying all the activities of the little boy that got him into trouble. You can easily see from the details in these pictures that David Shannon is that little boy!

The illustrations in this book are very colorful and seem to come to life with the movement drawn on the page. Children can definitely connect with each picture as they have probably participated in a few of the activities described in this story. My favorite illustration is the one where David is jumping on his bed dressed up as a super hero. In the picture, the reader can see the teddy bear flipping upside down and the pillow hopping all over the bed. I can picture in my head, my twin nephews, age 7, doing this exact thing in their room. The text on the page, "Settle Down!" is the same thing my sister is saying to my nephews. The story No, David shows young children that having fun and participating in a little mischief is a universal part of childhood!


In Knuffle Bunny, young Trixie looses her favorite stuffed animal while at the laundromat with her dad. The text is very simplistic throughout the story, yet truly conveys the temper tantrum Trixie throws when she realizes her prized possession is missing. The story makes you giggle and laugh as we have all experienced a child throwing a temper tantrum like this or have seen one occur in a department store or street corner. The simple brushstrokes used on the character's faces portray such strong feelings that you can easily see the emotion trying to be expressed.

Knuffle Bunny uses a different approach on illustrations. Willems uses a collage of actual photographs and drawings. The photographs are of actual buildings and are used as the background of the picture while the characters and other details are drawn in. This concept adds dimension to the picture and makes the characters stand out.

I enjoyed this story because just like Trixie, I had a favorite stuffed animal as a young child and losing it was as traumatic for me as it was for her. Many readers, both young and old, can relate to this story's plot by Mo Willems.

Henry's Freedom Box written by Ellen Levine and illustrated by Kadir Nelson was a Caldecott Honor Book in 2007. This book tells the true story of Henry Brown, a young enslaved African boy that was separated from his Mother at an early age. Henry was sent by his sick master to go and work in his master's son's tobacco factory. Henry was very lonely at his new job, until many years later, when he met another slave named Nancy. A few months after meeting, the two got married and had three children. The couple knew they were very blessed and lucky.

One morning while working at the tobacco factory, Henry received heart-wrenching news from a friend that his wife and children were sold at the slave market that morning. Henry leaves at lunch to go look for his family and arrives too late to see them disappearing down the dirt road in a wooden cart. Henry thought of a clever way to gain his freedom and be happy once again. He asked Dr. Smith and James to help him with this idea. Both men placed Henry in a wooden box and shipped him to Philadelphia, where he would be a free man. Henry's journey to Philadelphia was not one of relaxation but rather one of hurt and nervousness. Henry safely arrived in Philadelphia on March 30, 1849 which became his birthday and first official day of freedom!

The watercolor and oil paint illustrations in this book are truly touching and seem to come to life as you flip through each page. The characters in the book are drawn to perfection with crosshatched pencil lines. Nelson does a beautiful job of portraying each person's emotions as they change throughout the plot. My favorite illustration is the one where Henry's children and wife are being carted away at the slave auction. In this picture, you can see the feelings of distress on each child's face and the disappointment in Henry's eyes and body language. The illustrations alone make this book one all children should read but the added text makes it even more amazing.

In the book When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really Angry..., a little girl Sophie gets very upset when her sister grabs a toy she is playing with and insists it is her turn to play. The story goes through Sophie's emotions as she works to handle her anger in many different ways. The first part of the book shows the young girl as she is very upset. The reader can tell this from the illustrations as they include warm colors, such as reds and oranges. The pictures also show words in large lettering which symbolizes anger. The text in this first half also compares Sophie's anger to explosive things such as a lion's roar and a volcano.

In the middle of the story, Sophie's feelings begin to change. The reader can see this from the illustrations and text. The color scheme in the pictures begin to change from warm colors to cool colors, like blues and greens to resemble peace and calmness. The last half of the story tells of things Sophie does to calm herself down, such as climb a tree and watch the waves in the ocean. Once she feels better, Sophie makes her way home and everyone is excited for her return.

My favorite illustration is in the end of the book when Sophie returns and her family is completing a sailboat puzzle together with the gorilla sitting in the recliner in the background. The text on this page reads, "Everything's back together again." This illustration leaves the reader with a warm fuzzy feeling. Most all children can make a connection with this book as we have all been in a situation just like Sophie when we get very angry about something and have to deal with it. This book shows many different ways children can manage their anger and then slowly work to regain their composure. This book would be a great read aloud because it offers an opportunity for teachers, parents, and children to discuss anger management in an appropriate way at an early age.