Special Collections
Caldecott Award Winners
- Table View
- List View
Dick Whittington and His Cat
by Marcia BrownThis a the well-loved tale of the London waif whose cat's prowess as a ratter results in Dick's becoming a successful merchant and Lord Mayor of London.
Winner of the Caldecott Honor
The Noisy Paint Box
by Mary Grandpre and Barb RosenstockVasya Kandinsky was a proper little boy: he studied math and history, he practiced the piano, he sat up straight and was perfectly polite. And when his family sent him to art classes, they expected him to paint pretty houses and flowers--like a proper artist. But as Vasya opened his paint box and began mixing the reds, the yellows, the blues, he heard a strange sound--the swirling colors trilled like an orchestra tuning up for a symphony! And as he grew older, he continued to hear brilliant colors singing and see vibrant sounds dancing. But was Vasya brave enough to put aside his proper still lifes and portraits and paint . . . music? In this exuberant celebration of creativity, Barb Rosenstock and Mary GrandPré tell the fascinating story of Vasily Kandinsky, one of the very first painters of abstract art. Throughout his life, Kandinsky experienced colors as sounds, and sounds as colors--and bold, groundbreaking works burst forth from his noisy paint box. Backmatter includes four paintings by Kandinsky, an author's note, sources, links to websites on synesthesia and abstract art.From the Hardcover edition.
The Treasure
by Uri ShulevitzA poor man, inspired by a recurring dream, journeys to a far city to look for a treasure, only to be told to go home and find it.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for grades 2-3 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Mother Goose
by Tasha TudorThis Caldecott award winner includes seventy-six traditional nursery rhymes.
The Graphic Alphabet
by David PelletierMost alphabet books for pre-readers and early readers set out to make the somewhat abstract idea of letters as clear and as clearly linked to words as possible. In The Graphic Alphabet, graphic designer David Pelletier has created an alphabet book that aims to explore letters for their beauty and complexity as design elements as well as help teach kids how to read. His "A," for example, stands for "avalanche," and with its normally pointed top tumbling down the right diagonal, the letter doesn't just stand for the avalanche, it becomes the word. Pelletier is equally ingenious throughout. And while this might not be the best book to make the concept of letters concrete for youngsters, it will certainly help instill in them a sense of wonder about letters and words.
Winner of the Caldecott Honor
When I was Young in the Mountains
by Cynthia RylantA story about the childhood reminiscences of growing up in the Appalachian Mountains & the pleasures in life.
A Chair For My Mother
by Vera B. WilliamsThe jar of coins is full. The day has come to buy the chair--the big, fat, comfortable, wonderful chair they have been saving for. The chair that will replace the one that was burned up--along with everything else--in the terrible fire. A book of love and tenderness filled with the affirmation of life.
Moses
by Carole Boston Weatherford and Kadir Nelson2007 Caldecott Honor book
I SET THE NORTH STAR IN THE HEAVENS AND I MEAN FOR YOU TO BE FREE . . .
Born into slavery, Harriet Tubman hears these words from God one summer night and decides to leave her husband and family behind and escape. Taking with her only her faith, she must creep through the woods with hounds at her feet, sleep for days in a potato hole, and trust people who could have easily turned her in.
But she was never alone.
In lyrical text, Carole Boston Weatherford describes Tubman's spiritual journey as she hears the voice of God guiding her north to freedom on that very first trip to escape the brutal practice of forced servitude. Tubman would make nineteen subsequent trips back south, never being caught, but none as profound as this first one. Courageous, compassionate, and deeply religious, Harriet Tubman, with her bravery and relentless pursuit of freedom, is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.
Winner of the Coretta Scott King Medal
Hershel And The Hanukkah Goblins
by Eric A. KimmelA traveler rids a village synagogue of ghosts. A Caldecott Honor Book.
Jambo Means Hello
by Muriel L. FeelingsA children's introduction to Swahili. Winner of the Caldecott Honor Medal and an ALA Notable Book.
The Relatives Came
by Cynthia RylantIn a rainbow-colored station wagon that smelled like a real car, the relatives came.
When they arrived, they hugged and hugged from the kitchen to the front room.
All summer they tended the garden and ate up all the strawberries and melons.
They plucked banjos and strummed guitars.
When they finally had to leave, they were sad, but not for long.
They all knew they would be together next summer.
Rumpelstiltskin
by Paul O. ZelinskyA miller's daughter finds her life at stake when she needs to turn straw into gold. A tiny man pops out and offers to help, for a very big price. All seems well until the man returns--and she cannot keep her promise. What will she do? Follow along in this retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm tale!
Winner of the Caldecott Honor
Dave the Potter
by Laban Carrick HillTo us it is just dirt, the ground we walk on... But to Dave it was clay, the plain and basic stuff upon which he formed a life as a slave nearly 200 years ago. Dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in South Carolina in the 1800s. He combined his superb artistry with deeply observant poetry, carved onto his pots, transcending the limitations he faced as a slave. In this inspiring and lyrical portrayal, National Book Award nominee Laban Carrick Hill's elegantly simple text and award-winning artist Bryan Collier's resplendent, earth-toned illustrations tell Dave's story, a story rich in history, hope, and long-lasting beauty.
Winner of the Coretta Scott King Medal
Three Jovial Huntsmen
by Susan JeffersDespite the many animals in the forest, three hunters see only a ship, a house, and a pincushion and find nothing to shoot.
Knuffle Bunny
by Mo WillemsTrixie, Daddy, and Knuffle Bunny take a trip to the neighborhood Laundromat. But the exciting adventure takes a dramatic turn when Trixie realizes somebunny was left behind. Using a combination of muted black-and-white photographs and expressive illustrations, this stunning book tells a brilliantly true-to-life tale about what happens when Daddy's in charge and things go terribly, hilariously wrong.
Snow-white and the Seven Dwarfs
by Randall JarrellThe story of the most gorgeous girl named Snow-White and her cruel stepmother.
Paddle-to-the-Sea
by Holling Clancy HollingA young Indian boy carves a little canoe with a figure inside and names him Paddle-to-the-Sea. Paddle's journey, in text and pictures, through the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean provides an excellent geographic and historical picture of the region.
Moja Means One
by Muriel L. FeelingsA counting book that portrays the life and culture of Swahili-speaking Africa, with a brief text and dramatic illustrations. The numbers one through ten in Swahili accompany two-page illustrations of various aspects of East African life.
America's Ethan Allen
by Stewart H. HolbrookThis book presents the life and legends of Colonel Ethan Allen and Green Mountain boys of the American Revolution.
A Very Special House
by Ruth KraussContinuing a two-year program to bring back twenty-two Maurice Sendak treasures long out of print, our second season of publication highlights one of the most successful author-illustrator pairings of all time. A pioneer of great children's literature, Ruth Krauss published more than thirty books for children during a career that spanned forty years. Krauss and Sendak collaborated on eight books, and we are delighted to reintroduce four of these gems in brand-new editions, together with a favorite Maurice Sendak picture book.
Peppe the Lamplighter
by Elisa BartoneA long time ago when there was no electricity and the streetlamps in Little Italy had to be lit by hand, Peppe lived in a tenement on Mulberry Street. His family was poor, and so, though he was just a boy, he needed to work. But a job as a lamplighter was not what his father had dreamed of for Peppe.
Coyote
by Gerald McdermottCoyote, who has a nose for trouble, insists that the crows teach him how to fly, but the experience ends in disaster for him.
Mice Twice
by Joseph LowA round of uneasy hospitality results when Mouse and Dog arrive at Cat's house for dinner.
The Desert Is Theirs
by Byrd BaylorSimple text and illustrations describe the characteristics of the desert and its plant, animal and human life.
Duke Ellington
by Andrea Davis PinkneyEdward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, "King of the Keys," was born on April 29, 1899, in Washington, D.C. "He was a smooth-talkin', slick-steppin', piano-playin' kid," writes master wordsmith Andrea Pinkney in the rhythmic, fluid, swinging prose of this excellent biography for early readers. It was ragtime music that first "set Duke's fingers to wiggling." He got back to work and taught himself to "press on the pearlies." Soon 19-year-old Duke was playing compositions "smoother than a hairdo sleeked with pomade" at parties, pool halls, country clubs, and cabarets. Skipping from D.C. to 1920s Harlem, "the place where jazz music ruled," Duke and his small band called the Washingtonians began performing in New York City clubs, including the Cotton Club, where Duke Ellington and his Orchestra was officially born.