The Caldecott Medal Winners have been announced! If you're not familiar with the Caldecott, it's the award for the most distinguished children's picture book given by the American Library Association.
This year's recipient is Brian Floca, for his book Locomotive.
Here's what the ALA has to say:
All aboard! Accompany a family on an unforgettable weeklong train trip from Omaha to Sacramento in 1869. Brian Floca’s dramatic watercolor, ink, acrylic and gouache illustrations incorporate meticulously-researched portraits of the train, the travelers and the crew as they traverse the American landscape on the new transcontinental railroad.
“The committee was impressed with Floca’s ability to creatively capture the immensity and inner workings of the early locomotive and combine it with a family’s adventurous journey west,” said Caldecott Medal Committee Chair Marion Hanes Rutsch.
******
Let's not forget the runners up...
The 2014 Honor Books:
(I have to admit, I was pulling for Aaron Becker)
Journey, written and illustrated by Aaron Becker and published by Candlewick Press .
Finding a magical red crayon, a bored and lonely girl draws a new door on her bedroom wall that leads her to a wondrous but perilous new world. Her drab, sepia-toned, humdrum reality gives way to sumptuous, lushly-hued watercolor and pen and ink landscapes.
These illustrations clicked with me emotionally.
I've been on a Moroccan kick lately, so this was extra appealing. Isn't the palette lovely?
Flora and the Flamingo, written and illustrated by Molly Idle and published by Chronicle Books LLC.
The budding relationship between an awkward young girl and a graceful flamingo is revealed through carefully orchestrated flaps. The minimalist setting, limited color palette, use of white space and page turns create a timeless and joyful visual experience. The call-and-response of this balletic duet is cinematic and comedic.
It's pretty dang adorable. 'Nuff said.
Mr. Wuffles! written and illustrated by David Wiesner and published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Mr. Wuffles finds a new toy that is actually a tiny spaceship in this nearly wordless science fiction tale of epic and miniature proportions. Crisp watercolor and India ink illustrations shine in an innovative graphic novel, picture book hybrid featuring hidden worlds, alien languages and one peeved cat.
Wiesner's work is always intriguing and fresh.
Did any of you have your hopes on an illustrator that didn't make the list?
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.