If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a Caldecott Medal picture book is a mine rich in literary gems. For 2012, the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) (a division of the American Library Association), has awarded the Caldecott Medal once again to writer and illustrator Chris Raschka, this time for his book A Ball for Daisy. The ASLC’s website described the wordless book as, “The story of an irrepressible little dog whose most prized possession is accidently destroyed. With brilliant economy of line and color, Raschka captures Daisy’s total (yet temporary) devastation. A buoyant tale of loss, recovery and friendship.” Though we have not seen a copy of the book yet, it is said to be appropriate for children aged 2-7 and parents of all ages.
Raschka previously won the 2006 Caldecott Medal for his illustrations in The Hello, Goodbye Window; written by Norton Juster. It is a book about time spent with grandparents and the magic of looking in and out their kitchen window. As with any Caldecott Medal books we can get our hands on, Reina and I read The Hello Goodbye Window many times and we look forward to getting a copy of A Ball for Daisy soon.
The ALSC nominated three other titles as 2012 Honor Books: Blackout, written and illustrated by John Rocco; Grandpa Green, written and illustrated by Lane Smith; and Me … Jane, written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell. If you can judge a book by its cover, then all three will bring great joy to your young readers.
To see how your kid’s bookshelf stacks up to all the Caldecott winners since 1938, click here. If your favorite Beijing bookstore doesn’t sell these titles, check out Amazon.cn here:
