Where the Wild Things Are
By: Maurice Sendak
Medal Winner
NOT REVIEWED
Maurice Sendak, author-artist of the Nutshell Library and illustrator of such classics as A Hole is to Dig and the Little Bear books, has written and illustrated a picture book little children will love.
Max, sent to his room for acting wildly, sails to the land where the wild things are. His adventures there, and the inevitable and satisfactory ending, form a unique and unforgettable experience.
Every child will recognize Max's feelings and his fantasy. And they, as well as adults, will revel in the rich, glorious pictures painted as only Sendak could paint them.
From the dust jacket
All in the Morning Early
By: Sorche Nic Leodhas
Illustrated by: Evaline Ness
Honor
NOT REVIEWED
For her first picture book Sorche Nic Leodhas, author of Thistle and Thyme, a runner-up for the 1963 John Newbery award, turns to her childhood and an enchanting Scottish nursery tale that was passed down from her own grandfather.
"There was a lad in Perthshire and his name was Sandy . ." the tale begins, inviting children into the picturesque world of old Scotland. With lilting, infectious rhythms, Miss Nic Leodhas recounts what happens to Sandy when he starts out for the mill with a sack of corn, "all in the morning early."
Evaline Ness has filled each page with illustrations that evoke the delightful collection of characters that join Sandy on his journey.
The result is a picture book of timeless beauty, flavored with Gaelic charm, that will delight the eye and warm the heart of any child.
From the dust jacket
Mother Goose and Nursery Rhymes
Illustrated by: Philip Reed
Honor
NOT REVIEWED
One of the earliest and most notable of all Mother Goose books, published in England some time between 1760 and 1765 by John Newbery, was called Mother Goose's Melody or Sonnets for the Cradle. No original copy of this book is available, but a pirated American version can be seen. The book was illustrated with woodcuts, some of them quite crude, but full of life and vigour. Almost exactly two hundred years later, here is a Mother Goose illustrated again in wood with the same life and vigour. This time the pictures are wood engravings printed in six colors, something John Newbery might have loved but could not have done.
The rhymes are the same as they have been through the years. Some of them are very familiar, others, equally delightful, are not so well known. And of course, not all of the more than eight hundred different verses that Mr. Reed found in his research could be included. But the ones here are among those he likes best. And with them and with his pictures he has made so perfect a book that it cannot help but delight children.
From the dust jacket
Swimmy
By: Leo Lionni
Honor
NOT REVIEWED
Because of a tragedy quite usual in the life of the sea—all his brothers and sisters have been swallowed by a hungry tuna—Swimmy, the only black fish of the entire school, is left wandering alone and in dangerous waters!
However, being a curious little fish, he is soon able to overcome his initial fears and decides—hesitantly at first—to explore the unknown depths of the ocean.
At the sight of each new marvel his courage grows step by step with his curiosity, until at last he devises for himself and his newly adopted brothers and sisters a safer way to live in this world.
From the dust jacket
