Reading the Art in Caldecott Award Books: A Guide to the Illustrations

by Heidi K. Hammond, Gail D. Nordstrom

Reading the Art in Caldecott Award Books is a practical and easy-to-use reference handbook explaining what makes the art in Caldecott Medal and Honor books distinguished. It is a useful manual for librarians, teachers, and others who want to better understand picture book illustration. This book includes many useful components: .Short entries about fifty-six books .Information on styles and media .Artistic analysis of the illustrations .Appendixes on selected sources for further reading, Randolph Caldecott Medal terms and criteria, bibliography of entries, and a list of Caldecott winners .Glossary of art terms . Indexes of author-illustrator-title, media, and style This book, used as a handbook in conjunction with Caldecott Award books, provides readers with ready-to-use information they can share with children and others, while helping to build confidence in one s ability to talk about art in all picture books."

Genres: Nonfiction, Professional Development, Books About Books, Art, Reference, Adult

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Cheryl]

Skimmed a library copy, want my own... but no way is it worth anywhere near the list price... unless you're a teacher and can get budget to buy it for you, in which case it'd be justified because you'd be sharing it with many students... I think home-schoolers should consider a copy...
I'm just an interested reader, no access to children, so I'll wait and hope I can get a used copy next year whenever the price goes down...

wishlisted on pbs

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a helpful resource for me to read alongside the Caldecott books that it lists. I wanted to understand what makes for good picture book art and what makes certain art "distinguished." Some entries were more helpful than others. I learned a bit about composition and different art techniques. I think it helped me notice more things about picture books. I'm not sure that I feel any more equipped to evaluate what makes art good or not other than my personal preference, but this book made it possible for me to discuss picture books with my kids and point things out to them.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic resource -- great for planning an art program based on picture books, like Picture This. And for those who love art & children's literature.

[Danielle H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was great for little tidbits to filter into my discussion of Caldecott books, but I was hoping for some meatier content for the cost of the title. The glossary is very helpful and I will certainly use information from this book with my students. - Elementary School Librarian

[Cara Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really useful resource for better understanding the attributes that led to a Caldecott honor or award for a selection of past winners.