The Lion and the Mouse

So, what does the librarian do when she has two Caudill nominees left and she's only halfway done with the one that was "scheduled" for today? She presents the Caldecott Medal winners and honorees. My first picture books! And, please note, ALL THREE are non-fiction! Woo Hoo!

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (J398.2/A) won the prestigious Caldecott Medal this year. Pinkney is both the author and the illustrator of this retelling of the classic Aesop's fable. This book is almost, but not quite, a wordless picture book. There are a few "squeaks" and "growls" here and there. When I first "read" this book to my daughters, I suggested that they narrate the story that the pictures were telling. They declined and the book became tedious. Oh well, the pictures are breathtaking.

I would suggest a refresher course on Aesop's Fables is in order. In The Lion and the Mouse, the lion catches an unsuspecting mouse. The mouse begs for his freedom in exchange for the possibility that one day he might return the favor. The lion finds this humorous enough to grant the wish and releases the mouse never expecting to need rescuing. One day the lion finds himself caught in a net and helpless. The mouse appears with a set of chompers and chews the lion free of the net. The moral of the story is that little friends may prove to be great friends.

All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee (811.6/S) is one of the honorees for 2010. I adore Frazee's illustrations in this book and her other works. I can spot her work easily and it is always pleasing to my eyes. I always get excited to see a new book with her name attached to it. I really wish that it were cataloged as a JE (juvenile easy) rather than as poetry. The book is written in nine rhyming stanzas, yes, but it is my opinion that it will get lost in the poetry section. It would have a higher circulation as fiction. While I have read this book, I have yet to bring it home and test it on the youngsters.

One of the neat things about this book is that the main family is biracial. The mother is white and the father is probably African American. The children are multiracial.

All the World is about how the children, with their parents, explore the world around them. They first interact with nature at the beach and in the rain. Then they get to interact with other families as they go out to eat and then go home to be musical. The book covers a day and shows our part in this wonderful world.

Now here is the book that the Henkel household LOVED. Red Sings from the Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski (J811.54/S) Again I will point out that I SO WISH this book were designated as a JE. It is gorgeous and I love the poetry. Yes, I just said I loved the poetry.

You see, I'm called the Crayola girl. Show me a color and I can name it. I'm not afraid of colors or using them either. My dining room is Candied Yam orange right next to a Faded Denim blue living room. And I can prove that orange and purple go together. Check out the crocuses! And here is a book that was made for me. The author describes what the colors look like, sound like, and even taste like as the seasons change. Ever imagine pink as the color of winter? Why yes, of course, it “prickles: / warm fingers / against cold cheeks.”

The Caldecott Medal, named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott, is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.