Caldecott Celebration: Seven Artists and their Paths to the Caldecott Medal Book

To celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the Caldecott Medal and another decade of award-winning picture books, noted children’s book historian Leonard S. Marcus has updated this absorbing and informative picture of the world’s most prestigious illustration award and seven of its acclaimed winners: Robert McCloskey, Marcia Brown, Maurice Sendak, William Steig, Chris Van Allsburg, David Wiesner, and now Mordicai Gerstein.

Along with a newly added preface and an introduction that provides a historical perspective on the origins of the award, Marcus takes us into the studios and behind the drawing boards of these seven noteworthy artists, each representing a decade of the award’s history. Through personal anecdotes and glimpses of their prize-winning books and works in progress—from doodles to sketches to dummies to finished art—readers will find out how their favorite picture books were imagined and created. The artists reveal their inspirations, work processes, and private reactions to receiving this unparalleled honor.

A Caldecott Celebration illuminates the creative process while applauding the talents of the creators themselves. Complete with an up-to-date list of winners, this essential book belongs on the bookshelf of every teacher, parent, child, or book collector who has ever been dazzled by the art of children’s book illustration or has aspired to create original work of his or her own.

School Library Journal

Gr 4 Up- Marcus has updated his 1998 introduction to six medalists to include a six-page chapter featuring Mordecai Gerstein's creation of The Man Who Walked Between the Towers (Millbrook, 2003). Written as the author/illustrator's response to the 2001 destruction by terrorists of New York's World Trade Center buildings, Gerstein's book is a well-chosen representative of the winners of the past 10 years. Other changes in this new edition include a two-page preface, an extended "Index of Proper Nouns," and an updated list of Caldecott Medal winners (through 2007). Illustrations include preliminary drawings and photos of authors, book covers, and related items and places. The value of this volume is that Marcus makes these exceptional author/illustrators, and the processes by which they created their award-winning picture books, accessible to children and to adults who value children's literature. His insights-derived from interviewing each of the artists-allow readers to become sideline participants in the creative processes that resulted in the characters and stories that we have come to love. Teachers, librarians, and parents will find a source of inspiration here.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH