In January, the Caldecott medals are announced for picture books that have been published during the past year. Back in mid-March, I blogged about a wordless book, Journey, that received a Caldecott honor award. From reading this fascinating book, I decided to explore the other winners from this year. Here are the very different and interesting books chosen as the Caldecott winner and honor books.
(http://www.amazon.com/Locomotive-Caldecott-Medal-Brian-Floca/dp/1416994157/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397083828&sr=8-1&keywords=locomotive)
Locomotive, by Brian Floca, is a highly complex picture book with a vast array of information about how trains work as well as the beginning of travel in the United States. Students will enjoy the descriptive pictures and history of the time period when Americans expanded the country and were able to communicate with others thousands of miles away for the first time ever. Facts about the first American railroad are dispersed throughout the book; everything from the types of bathrooms that were on the train (FYI: it was inappropriate to use the train bathroom when it was stopped at a station) to the job of a switchman, who attached the engine to the train and usually did not have all of his fingers due to the dangerous work pushing and pulling the train cars together while holding them in place with links and pins, were included in this publication. The content and subject matter are not the only unique items in this Caldecott winner; the author uses various fonts to portray sounds of the train which make it visually pleasing. The Caldecott Committee Chair stated that “The committee was impressed with Floca’s ability to creatively capture the immensity and inner workings of the early locomotive and combine it with a family’s adventurous journey west," and I completely agree.
This book has many uses for students but I would recommend it for older children, being that the content is of a much higher level even though it is a picture book. Besides teaching about Westward migration and early American travel, students can learn about the struggles that people go through in order to have a better life, where the beginnings of our transportation and communication system began, as well as the simple machines that are used to make larger machines function. I would also use this book to teach writing and show the use of onomatopoeias, in addition to displaying how font choice alters the way a piece of writing is read.
(http://www.amazon.com/Flora-Flamingo-Molly-Idle/dp/1452110069/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397085367&sr=8-1&keywords=flora+and+the+flamingo)
Flora the Flamingo, by Molly Idle, is another Caldecott honor winner for 2014. This was an interactive, wordless picture book; MUCH different than the winner. It was interactive in the way that there were flaps to move and reveal the main character, Flora, in different stances, pretending to be a flamingo. Students of all ages enjoy moving pieces of a book, especially since this is usually not found in books beyond the age of three. I felt that this book involved friendship from two very unlikely characters. It also showed the reader how even though "copying" is a form of flattery, being unique is also important as well as helping others who need to learn this lesson.
This is definitely a story for younger children, especially since the storyline is relatively simple. Older elementary students would find it too easy a read but would still enjoy the interactive elements. I would enjoy sharing with my older students the background of the illustrator; she is an artist with a studio. This can show my students that many professions, not only authors, need to understand story elements and what makes an appealing plot, even if you are not using words.
(http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Wuffles-David-Wiesner/dp/0618756612/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397085394&sr=8-1&keywords=Mr.+wuffles)
Finally, the last Caldecott honor book for 2014 is Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner. Wiesner is not new to the Caldecott circuit; he was a medal winner for his book, Tuesday. This book is about a group of aliens that are trying to escape from the prying eyes of Mr. Wuffles, the house cat. This wordless book switches back and forth between the point of view of Mr. Wuffles and the aliens. Not only are the pictures elaborate and brightly colored, but the alien language that is represented in word bubbles makes the book entertaining.
This book can easily be used in the classroom with students of all ages. Younger students will enjoy the storyline and it would be educational for them to retell the story verbally or in written form. Older students could fill in the word bubbles which currently have alien language. What would they be saying if they spoke English? Students would have fun creating the dialogue of the intelligent species.
It is fascinating for me to find out the Caldecott winning books each year. Some of the winners I agree wholeheartedly with, and others I am shocked that they would be chosen. Either way, it is exciting to see the choices and view new publications to use with my class. Enjoy reading these great new stories!
Erica :)
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