Criteria
The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. One Award Book is selected each year in January. One or more Honor Books are also awarded, based upon the determination of the members of the Caldecott Award Committee.
History
The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott.
2006 Caldecott Medal and Honor Books
Caldecott Medal
The Hello, Goodbye Window illustrated by Chris Raschka and written by Norton Juster. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2005.
In this sunny portrait of familial love, a little girl tells us about her everyday experiences visiting her grandparents’ house. Raschka’s style resembles the spontaneous drawings of children, perfectly mirroring the guileless young narrator’s exuberant voice. White space balances the density of the layered colors, creating a visual experience that is surprisingly sophisticated.
Caldecott Honor Books
Rosa illustrated by Bryan Collier and written by Nikki Giovanni. New York: Henry Holt, 2005.
>From the arresting cover through the endpapers, Rosa, with Giovanni’s spare, elegant prose and Collier’s iconic illustrations, celebrates the quiet courage of Rosa Parks. Collier’s radiant watercolors of faces and hands highlighted against the edges of his richly colored collages create another distinguished work of art from this award-winning illustrator.
Zen Shorts written and illustrated by John J. Muth. New York: Scholastic Press, 2005.
Zen Shorts, Muth’s story of inquisitive siblings befriending a wise panda, is told through luminous watercolors interwoven with three lessons, set apart by starkly contrasting Asian-inspired brush paintings. The interplay of artistic styles elegantly conveys the gentle, timeless messages of self-knowledge and acceptance.
Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride written and illustrated by Marjorie Priceman. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2005.
Energetic lines and rich watercolors animate Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride, an aerial adventure over 18th-century France. Priceman, who previously received a 1996 Caldecott Honor for Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin, combines spare text, dynamic design and masterful perspective to illuminate the humor and high jinks of three animals swept up in the winds of history.
Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems illustrated by Beckie Prange and written by Joyce Sidman. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005.
Eleven joyful songs of everyday pond life throughout the seasons are celebrated through Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems, an elegant and satisfying combination of visual drama, poetry and scientific facts. The organic lines of Prange’s exceptionally executed, hand-colored woodblock illustrations enlarge upon Sidman’s expressive nature-themed poems.
*Book descriptions come from ALA-Association for Library Service to Children.
The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. One Award Book is selected each year in January. One or more Honor Books are also awarded, based upon the determination of the members of the Caldecott Award Committee.