Song of the Swallows
By: Leo Politi
Medal Winner
NOT REVIEWED
Leo Politi's charming picture books are loved from coast to coast. They have a quality all their own; a quality that is hard to put into words. He has his own secret for capturing in a few brief pages, beauty, friendliness and an unusual tenderness or children and animals.
This time the story is of the friendship between Juan, a little boy in the California town of Capistrano and Julian, the old gardener and bell-ringer at the Mission of San Juan Capistrano. It is Julian who tells Juan of old days at the Mission. Together they ring the bells to welcome the swallows as they come flying in from the sea on St. Joseph's Day.
Lovely, colorful pictures show the Mission, the California coastline, and the swallows' return. There are two songs—one is sung by the children of the Mission school as the swallows fly home.
From the dust jacket
America's Ethan Allen
By: Stewart Holbrook
Illustrated by: Lynd Ward
Honor
Reviewed by: Sandy Hall
Recommended age: Ages 8 to 13
Stewart Holbrook, the author of America’s Ethan Allen, was a historian, logger, and conservationist who often wrote about the Pacific Northwest, but here writes about America’s colonial Northeast. This short biographical novel tells the story of Ethan Allen and how he forged the state of Vermont from the “Hampshire Grants” and as leader of the Green Mountain Boys. The story is told of his courage, resourcefulness, and leadership learned at a young age when his father died, and he was the provider of his large family of siblings. The artwork of Lynd Ward complements so well the story of early America. With monochromatic sketches in the margins as well as one and two-page spreads in color, Ward captures the remarkable tale of Allen’s life and Colonial America. Ward went on to illustrate another Caldecott Medal book: The Biggest Bear, as well as many other titles including Little Baptiste, My Friend Mac, The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, and The Silver Pony. His art and illustrations were and are highly regarded in the field of children’s literature.
Bartholomew and the Oobleck
By: Dr. Seuss
Honor
NOT REVIEWED
Oobleck is the new strange thing that came down.
Rain...sunshine...fog...and snow...they had always come down from the sky.
But those four things weren't enough for Old King Derwin.
Old King Derwin wanted five!
So...he called his Royal Magicians.
"I must," he commanded, "have something extra special come down! I must have something come down from my sky that no other kingdom has ever had before!"
The new stuff was greenish! It was sticky! It was oobleck!
Oobleck almost wrecked the little kingdom.
And it would have, if it hadn't been for Bartholomew Cubbins.
The hero of the classic 500 Hats returns to save the Kingdom of Didd in this latest imaginative splurge.
From the dust jacket
★
REVIEW TEAM FAVORITE
The Happy Day
By: Ruth Krauss
Illustrated by: Marc Simont
Honor
Reviewed by: Lara Lleverino
Recommended age: 4-6 years of age
Also read and recommended by: Christine Kallner, Jeannette Tulis, Sandy Hall, Tanya Arnold
As I started reading this award-winning picture book, I kept thinking that although the black and white illustrations communicated so well the cold quiet of winter in the forest, I longed for some soft colors, maybe in the style of Berta and Elmer Hader's The Big Snow. But the brilliance of choosing the black and white illustrations pops into your face when the final splash of color emerges.
The repetitive text will be enjoyable for the youngest of listeners but might make older readers set aside this book quickly for more challenging texts.
Henry Fisherman
By: Marcia Brown
Honor
NOT REVIEWED
Henry was an American boy who lived on the island of St. Thomas, in the blue Caribbean sea.
More than anything in the world, Henry wanted to be a fisherman. No matter what he was doing, Henry thought of his father's boat, the Ariadne, and of how some day he would sail far out to sea.
When the great day came, and Henry went on his first fishing trip, he had an adventure that not every boy had on a first trip. And after that Henry was, as his mother said, "a fisherman for true."
Here in five colors, coral and dark green, turquoise and gold and brown, is Henry's tropical home, the beaches, the sea, the fishing boats, the market and coconut groves of St. Thomas. Henry's story is warmly and appealingly told with real feeling for the setting and for the idioms of island speech.
From the dust jacket
The Wild Birthday Cake
By: Lavinia R. Davis
Illustrated by: Hildegard Woodward
Honor
Reviewed by: Jeannette Tulis
Recommended age: kindergarten and up.
Also read and recommended by: Sandy Hall
Johnny, a young boy who lives in the country heads off one spring morning for a day of adventure. He passes several neighbors who ask for his help with garden tasks which he politely declines eager to find adventure and equipped with his new knapsack. When he meets up with the Professor, a local naturalist and wildlife rehabber, he invites Johnny to his birthday party later that evening. Now Johnny has a new challenge: to find a birthday gift for his beloved friend the Professor. Surprising even himself, Johnny catches an injured wild duck at the pond and carries it home determined to make it into a pet. Then he heads off to the Professor's house. While there, Johnny makes a very difficult but mature decision which turns out to give everyone great joy and explains perfectly the name of this book. This book would be a perfect read aloud for young listeners. The descriptive detail about Johnny, and nature all around him is very appealing. This is a story about generosity, and self sacrifice and love of nature. The illustrations by Hildegard Woodward ar done in soft tones of blues, greens, and yellows of Spring and are perfection. This book has more text than the average picture book and would be engaging for nearly any age child.
