Martin's Big Words 2002 Correta Scott King Award

This is a biography of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was written by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Bryan Collier. I like it because it is easy for children to read and understand. It includes some very insightful thoughts and some quotes from some of Dr. King's famous speeches. I use this book every year in my first grade classroom in honor of Dr. King's birthday. It is a great way to introduce students to the civil rights movement and to have them reflect on how they treat others. The artwork in this book is beautiful.

The Tale of Despereaux 2004 Newbery Award

The Tale of Despereaux was written by Kate DiCamillo. This fairytale features the character Despereaux Tilling, a mouse with very large ears. It is a tale of an unlikely hero. It is a very entertaining story with some important underlying messages about being yourself and that an interesting fate often awaits those that don't conform. This story contains a mix or wit and humor. DiCamillo's use of language is fantastic bringing "voice" to the story. It reminds me of Grimm's fairy tales. DiCamillo was also the author of Because of Winn Dixie.

Criss Cross 2006 Newbery Award

Criss Cross was written by Lynne Rae Perkins. I would call this a "coming of age" book. It would be a great book for preteens and young adult readers. Debbie, the main character in this novel, wishes for something good to happen to her. Her story criss-crosses with those of her friends in a search for first love. Young teens can easily relate to the self consciousnesses and uncertainty of all the characters. I think we all go through that time in our teen years when we are tyring to figure out who we really are and what we will become. It is a realistic novel and is creatively written. I think it would be a great book to do a literature circle with especially with middle school age students. I think young female readers would particularly enjoy this novel.

Olivia 2001 Caldecott Award

This is one of my favorite books. It was written and illustrated by Ian Falconer. I love the character, Olivia, because she reminds me of myself when I was young, and she also reminds me of some of the students I teach. Olivia is a very spirited little pig with a somewhat mischievous personality. The text is complimented by simple illustrations of black,white, and red. It is interesting to see what Falconer decided to illustrate with red. In one illustration it is Olivia's swimsuit, in another it is her dress. I think this was a genius way to illustrate the story just because it is so different. Very unique!

My Friend Rabbit 2003 Caldecott Award

Written and illustrated by Eric Rohmann, this is a simple story about a friendship between a rabbit and a mouse. Rabbit sends a toy air plane plying with Mouse as the pilot and the plane gets stuck in a tree. Rabbit comes up with a plan to get it down. There is minimal text in this book but the illustrations will draw your attention. The illustrations are hand-colored relief prints with heavy black outlines. The pictures are very comical! This book will easily put a smile on the readers face. I read this to my four year old daughter and she laughed at the illustrations and loved the story!

Kitten's First Full Moon 2005 Caldecott Award

Kitten's First Full Moon was written and illustrated by one of my favorite authors, Kevin Henkes.  This story is full of suspense as a kitten mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk and tries to lick it!  The illustrations in this book are black and white which is very different from many of the other books Henkes has illustrated, such as Wemberly Worried and Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. The illustrations were done in charcoal and features thick, black outlines.  It captures all the many shades of black. I think this was the perfect idea for the illustrations since the story takes place at night when the moon is full and bright.  

The Hello, Goodbye Window 2006 Caldecott Award

This book was written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Chris Raschka.  After reading this story, I will never look through a window quite the same way!  This story is narrated through the eyes and imagination of a young girl who is visiting her grandparents' house.  The illustrations are very childlike with the lines appearing to be somewhat like scribble/sketch marks.  The colors looked like water colors and were very vibrant making the house and the window seem almost magical.  The illustrations were very appealing to look at!  I liked this book because it reminded me of all the visits to my grandparents' house growing up.