A Caldecott Celebration

**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**

Book Review: A Caldecott Celebration: Six Artists and Their Paths to the Caldecott Medal


1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Marcus, Leonard S. 1998. A CALDECOTT CELEBRATION: SIX ARTISTS AND THEIR PATHS TO THE CALDECOTT MEDAL. New York: Walker and Company.
ISBN 0802786588

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Author Leonard Marcus chooses six artists who have received the Caldecott Medal for excellence in picture book illustration to feature in this book. Robert McCloskey (Make Way for Ducklings, Marcia Brown (Cinderella), Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are), William Steig (Sylvester and the Magic Pebble), Chris Van Allsburg (Jumanji), and David Weisner (Tuesday).

Marcus interviewed each illustrator/author noting the experiences each one went through while creating their works of art including discussions about how they came to the idea for their book, titles that were discussed, how they worked with their publisher on the book, and their personal connections to the content and themes of their books. Marcus also includes the authors’ reactions to winning a Caldecott award for their work.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Marcus does an excellent job of showing and telling the processes each artist used as they conceived the ideas for their illustrations and then put them onto the page. The snippets of conversation Marcus includes from his interviews with the illustrators reveal a close and intimate profile of the artist and their work. The emotional connections that the artists share with relation to the creation of their award winning books makes them very real and relatable to the reader.

Readers will have a better understanding and appreciation for the process that an award winning illustrators and authors go through as they create their original pieces. The writing process is well detailed through each of the interviews and stories. The historical connections to book making and the publication process prove to be an interesting and informative piece in this book due to the fact that Marcus featured six different artists from six decades beginning with the 1940’s all the way through the 1990’s.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Publishers Weekly: “He fills the volume with the kinds of details children relish.”
Booklist (starred review): "A beautifully made book, this will serve as a fine resource for children interested in illustration and for teachers researching author/ illustrator studies.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*This book can be shared with students who are learning the different stages and steps of the writing process. The six authors share details of the each stage of the writing process as it applied to their work. The authors and illustrators featured in this book can serve as a blueprint for young writers who take their own ideas and experiences and turn them into authentic writing.
*Bring in the book titles featured in this volume (see below) and other Caldecott books and compare and contrast how illustrations have evolved since the advent of the Caldecott award.
*Bring in other copies of books written and illustrated by the featured authors to discuss authors craft and style.

Books featured in A Caldecott Celebration:
1942 – Make Way for Ducklings. Written and Illustrated by Robert McCloskey. Viking.
1955 – Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper. Illustrated and translated from Charles Perrault’s French text by Marcia Brown. Scribner.
1964 – Where the Wild Things Are. Written and Illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Harper.
1970 – Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. Written and illustrated by William Steig. Windmill.
1982 – Jumanji. Written and Illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. Houghton.
1992 – Tuesday. Written and Illustrated by David Weisner. Clarion.