A Caldecott Celebration: Six Artists and their Paths to the Caldecott Medal

A Caldecott Celebration: Six Artists and their Paths to the Caldecott Medal by Marcus S. Leonard is a non-fiction book that explores the lives of several well known Caldecott winners: Robert McCloskey, Marcia Brown, Maurice Sendak, William Steig, Chris Van Allsburg and David Wiesner. An introduction provides valulable information about the history and importance of the Caldecott Medal. Each chapter is illustrated with photos of the authors, book covers of their award winning books and some of the original sketches that finally found their way into their final books. It shows a clear picture of how much work is involved – frequently years – in completing a picture book worthy of the Caldecott Medal. It’s interesting to note that while inspired by a British illustrator, the Caldecott awards are only given to Americans.

I enjoyed reading about the early lives of some of my favorite authors. The first chapter on Robert McCloskey brought back childhood memories of other books he wrote such as Homer Price and Centerburg Tales: More Adventures of Homer Price. It dawned on me what an amazing versatile artist he is. I loved looking at the progress of Marcia Brown’s Cinderella illustrations. How I loved that book as a child (and still do!). I was fascinated with the story of Maurice Sendak’s unique books. My children adored his In the Night Kitchen, which won a Caldecott Honor in 1971.

This book is a great way to teach the history of the Caldecott Medal and to learn about the lives of some of their favorite authors. While best suited for upper elementary through junior high level, it will be interesting and useful for adults as well.

Keywords associated with this book: Caldecott Award, Caldecott Medal, Caldecott Honor, Robert McCloskey, Marcia Brown, Maurice Sendak, William Steig, Christ Van Allsburg, David Wiesner, children’s book illustrators, children’s book awards, children’s books.