Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Classic Picturebooks/Randolph Caldecott Winners


If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Laura Numeroff
Grade Level: Pre-school and up
I love Laura Numeroff books! If You Give a Mouse a Cookie has the same layout of If You Give a Moose a Muffin and If You Give a Pig a Pancake; all starting off with one request from the main character that takes you to another request, and another, and another, and so on. Very cute! Kids love these books and they are definitely great read-alouds because the storylines are easy to follow. These books are good for doing a mini-lesson on cause and effect.

No, David!
David Shannon
Recommended Ages: 4-7, Interest Level: Pre-K -2nd grade
This Caldecott Honor is very cute. It tells the story of a little boy, David, who is constantly being told “No!” -Don’t color on the walls, or don’t jump on your bed, until he is finally told at the end of the story, “Yes”. I think that children find this book funny and relatable. This makes a great read-aloud because every time I’ve read this book, the students are hysterical laughing and can’t get enough of seeing the illustration of David running naked down the street. The illustrations are unique.

Strega Nona
Tomie De Paola
Caldecott Award Winner
Interest Level: K -2
I loved this book growing up because I call my grandmother Nonna and I told her about the book when I read it. She got a kick out of me calling her a witch! Strega Nona warns Big Anthony not to touch her magic pasta pot, but he does anyways. When the pasta continues to flow because he doesn’t know how to stop it, Strega Nona makes him eat it all. The idea of a guy eating enough pasta to fill up the town, when you are seven or eight years old is hysterical, or at least it was for me! This is another great read-aloud. The illustrations are average compared to today’s pictures.

Kitten’s First Full moon
Kevin Henkes
Caldecott Award Winner
Interest Level: Pre-K -2
Kitten believes the moon is a bowl of milk the first time seeing it. The story tells her quest of trying to get to the bowl of milk and will make children laugh when she tries to lick the moon and gets a bug on her tongue instead. The whole book is in black-and-white with a big font, but it is classic and enjoyable.  
 
Lilly’s Plastic Purple Purse
Kevin Henkes
Age Level: 4 and up , Grade Level: Pre-school and up
Lilly usually loves her teacher Mr. Slinger, but she gets angry with him in this book. That’s because he has taken away her new, favorite, purple, plastic purse that plays music. Even though Lilly was distracted by the purse, she’s so mad with Mr. Slinger that she writes a mean note/drawing to him. When Lilly gets her purse back she’s saddened to see a nice note from Mr. Slinger, which makes her feel bad about the drawing she made.  Illustrations and small details in this book are amazing. It is definitely a good read-aloud with a discussion to follow with questions like, Why did Lilly’s purse get taken? and How do you think she felt when she read Mr. Slinger’s note?


Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Judith Viorst
Age Level: 6 & up
Alexander has one of those days when everything seems to go wrong from the minute he wakes up, and continues throughout his day. This is relatable to everyone! Everyone has bad days, or has had bad things happen to them during the day, and sometimes even consecutively. So the message is very important; that it’s okay to have a bad day. The illustrations are decent, and the mom’s message to Alexander at the end is worth discussing with students/patrons.

A Chair for My Mother
Vera B. Williams
Caldecott Award Winner
Age Level: 3-6
This book is heartwarming. Rosa, her mother, and her grandmother lost their furniture in a house fire. The story tells of the three of them all saving their change so that they can buy “a wonderful, beautiful, fat, soft armchair". Awesome book, amazing illustrations! This would make a great read-aloud.

Goodnight Moon
Margaret W. Brown
1 and up
Goodnight Moon is one of the most, if not the most, classic picturebooks of all time (in my opinion at least). It is about a bunny saying goodnight to all of the objects, and even the inanimate things, around him. He says goodnight to things within and outside of the house (“cow jumping over the moon”). I believe parents have been telling this goodnight story for ages and will continue to for a long time. It is absolutely a read-aloud and a staple to many children’s personal libraries.

Make Way for Ducklings
Robert McCloskey
Caldecott Award Winner
Age Level: 3 and up, Grade Level: Pres-school and up
A male and a female mallard duck decide to raise their eight ducklings in the Public Garden Lagoon in Boston, Massachusetts. When the father duck is away for one week, the mother must teach the ducklings (all names ending in –ack) how to be a duckling. This includes how to cross the streets to get to and from the Garden. With the help of a few police officers who help stop traffic, the ducklings and mother cross the highway to meet their father. The book is definitely older, and the pictures are in black-and-white but it is still a lovely story. I could see why it is a Caldecott Award Winner.



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