Wolf in the Snow
by Matthew Cordell
2018 Caldecott Medal
Hardcover: 48 pages
- Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (January 3, 2017)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1250076366
- ISBN-13: 978-1250076366
Bravery in the face of fear, kindness and trust, friendship and finding your way home.
Narrative plot
A little girl walks home from school in a snow storm. At the same time, a wolf pup gets separated from its pack. Finding the cub struggling in the deep snow, the girl picks it up and bravely carries it towards the howling pack and mama wolf and pup are reunited. The girl is lost trying to find her way home, eventually collapsing from cold and exhaustion. The wolf pack, repaying her kindness, gather around and their howling leads her family to her. The story ends with the family circled together, much like it began.
Relationship between text and visual pictures
With the only texts being animals sounds—the dog barking, the pup whining, and the wolves howling—and the girl huffing, the illustrations propel the story and the page turning. Cordell artfully creates emotion with the girl’s eyes. We see her despair, her fear, and her joy with the simple eyes and eyebrows. The full two page spread of the girl and pup meeting, their emotions are the same. The use of color adds to the bleakness of the cold winter, and using two page spreads for a wide landscape view portrays just how far she’s traveled. The close up of both the girl’s and the mama wolf’s eyes is the most suspenseful moment in the story. It was interesting to note in the author’s comment at the end of the book where he revealed he had researched wolves and pack behavior for this story. Even the artist knew that scene could potentially go either way—good or bad. I can imagine a young child reading this, turning the page and the immense relief when the mama wolf acknowledges the kindness and walks off in the opposite direction.
Storytelling and appeal
A wordless picture book with a story like this are tremendous imagination and storytelling with younger children, especially in the 2-4 year old range.
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10 Sleeps
by TrichNZ, artwork by nidhiart
Digital book: 10 pages
Published: May 21, 2015 on Storybird.com
Published: May 21, 2015 on Storybird.com
Target audience: Young children ages 1-4
A story about places to sleep.
Narrative plot
A simple narrative of showing other creatures sleeping, ending with a child falling asleep on the couch.
Relationship between text and visual pictures
The visual pictures blend with the text, encouraging a child to point out each animal and how and where they’re sleeping. The illustrations also encourage storytelling with the child about how it would be to sleep in a tree, or out by a fire.
Storytelling and appeal
The use of short rhyming text creates a soothing bedtime story rhythm, ending with the calm, quiet scene of the child sleeping. Just the sort of story to appeal to a younger child.
Effectiveness in digital format
While the story itself is a well written bedtime story, it loses some of the coziness in digital format. Also, I’m weary of digital books for this youngest age group where the page turn is a huge part of the book experience.
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The Adventures of Beekle: the Unimaginary Friend
by Dan Santat
2015 Caldecott Medal
- Hardcover: 40 pages
- Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1st Edition edition (April 8, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0316199982
- ISBN-13: 978-0316199988
Target audience: Young children ages 4-7
This is a story of waiting, bravery, diversity, and how everyone is deserving of friendship.
Narrative plot
Born on an island where imaginary friends are born, Beekle waits and waits and waits for his real child to imagine him, all the while imagining all of the incredible things the child is experiencing. Eventually he’s tired of waiting and bravely goes off on his own adventure to the real world to find his child. It’s nothing like he imagined and he still can’t find his friend. And then there she is! They’re both awkward and the friendship takes time. But then they realize they’re a perfect fit and go on adventures together.
Relationship between text and visual pictures
There is a lot going on in the illustrations on every single page! On the pages where there is minimum text, the pictures take over and continue the story. The drastic change in the brilliant color of the island to the dark, muted colors of the real world is a dramatic way to portray the differences between the two lands. Then back to the bright colors when he finds a playground full of imaginary friends and their children. The library description of the book list the illustrations as “mixed media.” It was such a delightful discovery to read the back page of the book and see that the mix includes pencil, crayon, watercolor, in and Adobe Photoshop. All of the media a young elementary student has at their disposal and it’s brilliant!
Storytelling and appeal
The use of ellipsis increase the anticipation while also encouraging the page turn. The final text opens up the possibly for the reader to continue the story in their own imagination. The story of two slightly awkward characters learning to be friends would be a comfort to children looking for new friends, at the same time encouraging them to maybe talk to someone different.
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BIG CAT, little cat
by Elisha Cooper
2018 Caldecott Honor
- Hardcover: 40 pages
- Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (March 14, 2017)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1626723710
- ISBN-13: 978-1626723719
Target audience: Young children ages 3-6
This is a story about friendship, family, acceptance, loss, and new beginnings.
Narrative plot
The story begins with one big cat, all alone. Then a new little cat comes. Big Cat teaches Little Cat all about what it means to be a cat. They spend years together, and Little Cat outgrows Big Cat and is Bigger Cat. They live, they play, their lives are full. Then Big Cat goes away and Bigger Cat is all alone. Until a new little cat arrives, and Bigger Cat teaches Little Cat all about what it means to be a cat. The narrative comes around full circle in such a poignant, touching way.
Relationship between text and visual pictures
The simple black and while lines of the cats brilliantly illustrate the text, following each other around the page. Full two page spreads are used for each of the three illustration with the two cats curled up together sleeping. The background is mostly left white and stark, except when darkened to a gray that adds to the sadness of the black cat and the family.
Storytelling and appeal
The short pieces of text help propel the story, repeating the same text for the two pairs of cats. Multiple groups of text on two page spreads are exciting and show action. Single lines of text on the page are emotional, either uncertainly regarding the new cat or grief over the loss of Big Cat.
There’s a lot going on in Big Cat, little cat and young minds will find it stimulating. The illustrations would work well with imaginative story telling, there’s something new to discover every time they read it. It also has the potential to help children sort out different feelings. It’s the kind of picture book that young children will want to read on repeat.
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The Homework Monster
by jennerporter, artwork by claudiocerri
Digital book: 7 pages
Published: Jan. 21, 2015 on storybird.com
Target audience: Young children ages 5-8
Narrative plot
A story of a girl explaining to her teacher why she doesn’t have her homework. Because a monster ate it and found it delicious.
Relationship between text and visual pictures
The art works well to match the text. Repeating the same image but with different crops adds a cohesiveness to the design.
Storytelling and appeal
There’s a rhythm to the story with her use of rhyme, though the rhymes feel a little forced at times. Overall, it’s a cute story that would appeal to the younger elementary school reader just learning all of the joys of homework.
Effectiveness in digital format
I think digital format is a great book option for the young readers, like the 5-8 range, who are just beginning to read and appreciate narrative. In this case, the format works just fine for the story.
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(I know A Ball for Daisy is outside of the last five years perimeters of the assignment, but I fell in love with Daisy and had to include it.)
A Ball For Daisyby Chris Raschka
2012 Caldecott Medal
- Hardcover: 32 pages
- Publisher: Schwartz & Wade; 1 edition (May 10, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 9780375858611
- ISBN-13: 978-0375858611
Target audience: Young children ages 3-7
This is a story of a dog and her ball. It’s also a story about loss, and finding a friend.
Narrative plot
The story is creatively told through the poignant illustrations without text. Daisy’s expression and body language reveal her delight in her ball, her anxiousness when she can’t reach it, and her complete devastation when the ball pops and is thrown away, as well as her joy in her new friend and new ball.
Relationship between text and visual pictures
Raschka’s storytelling technique is seen in how Daisy’s reactions move the story. A child experiencing the story can relate to all of Daisy’s emotions. The joy, the anxiousness, and the meltdown of sorrow.
Storytelling and appeal
In addition to Daisy’s expression, the emotion of the story is portrayed through color. During Daisy’s meltdown, the background shading progressively darkens as she mourns. Her face is shaded purple as she sleeps. Then the whole background brightens in yellow as her ears and expression perk up at the sight of a new ball. It is a brilliant demonstration of how color can be used to show mood and feelings.
Beyond being a fun book to read to young children, A Ball for Daisy is also a book that could help with understanding our emotions, and acknowledging that we all have emotions and that t’s okay to feel all of these things.
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