1941 Caldecott Medal Winners and Honor Books

They Were Strong and Good

By: Robert Lawson

Medal Winner

Reviewed by: Sandy Hall
Also read and recommended by: Jeannette Tulis, Sherry Early

The stories of our ancestors need to be told! In this book, Robert Lawson does just that. He tells the life story of his father and mother and of their fathers and mothers. Coming from many different backgrounds, his ancestors' lives represent the lives of many of our own relatives. The characters were from New Jersey to Alabama; some were soldiers, some were sailors, some were farmers. The men fought in the Seminole War and the Civil War. One of them feared the "Indians" and another owned slaves. One actually fought in the Civil War battle near Atlanta where I live! My favorite illustration is of Lawson's mother's mother leaning over the side of a ship obviously very seasick. She and her husband were on their honeymoon to the islands of the Caribbean. The text says, "My mother's mother liked the monkeys and the sugar cane and the parrots, but she did not like sailing on the sea." My own dear husband loved sailing; I went out with him one time on Lake Erie in a sailboat and spent the whole trip seasick leaning over the side. Oh, I know how this dear lady felt! This book would make a fun introduction to ancestry. Make a family tree using the information Robert Lawson shared, and then help your children make their own family tree. They might even be inspired to write a short story about each person: parents and grandparents. Lawson does not name his parents and grandparents in this book, but with today's ancestry technology, those names could probably be found, which would be another fun project. I am currently writing my own life story and the stories of my ancestors using the website www.storyworth.com, so this book really strikes a chord with me. I highly recommend this book!

April's Kittens

By: Clare Turlay Newberry

Honor

Reviewed by: Sherry Early
Recommended age: Ages 4-7
Also read and recommended by: Jeannette Tulis, Sandy Hall

April is a “nice little girl” who lives in New York City with her mother, her father, and a black cat named Sheba. The family lives in a small “one-cat apartment” because “nobody has much room in New York because so many people are trying to live there at the same time.”  And when Sheba has three kittens, April’s daddy says that they can only keep one cat, either Sheba or one of the kittens.

The remainder of the story is about what happens to Sheba and her kittens, Charcoal, Butch, and Brenda. April, of course, wants to keep all four cats, but there just is not enough room. April is six years old and still sleeps in a crib because there is not enough room for a real bed for her in their tiny apartment. To find out how April and her family solve their cat dilemma and their space dilemma, you’ll have to read the story.

This picture book is a bit more text-heavy than some more modern picture books, with several paragraphs on one page and a large illustration on the facing page. However, it would be perfectly readable in one read aloud session for five and six year olds, maybe even younger. And again, if you or your child is a Cat Person, then the story will not be too long, nor will the pictures lose their appeal even after much perusal.