Book Review - A Caldecott Celebration: Six Artists and Their Paths to the Caldecott Medal

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Marcus, Leonard S. 1998. A CALDECOTT CELEBRATION: SIX ARTISTS AND THEIR PATHS TO THE CALDECOTT MEDAL. New York: Walker and Company. ISBN 0-8027-8656-1.
PLOT SUMMARY
Leonard S. Marcus, children's book historian, biographer, and children's book critic, has written a delightful and informative book on six Caldecott medal winning illustrators. The book begins with an introduction to the award's namesake, an explanation of the selection process, and a description of the benefits of winning a Caldecott medal. The six chapters that comprise the body of Marcus' book each represent one of the six decades (1940's-1990's) of the award's existence. They are essays about a Caldecott Medal winning illustrator and the book for which he or she won the award. Each chapter has background information on the illustrator including his or her training as an artist. The creative process for each book is discussed by the illustrator - how he or she prepared for and rendered the final product. At the end of A Caldecott Celebration: Six Artists and Their Paths to the Caldecott Medal, is a list of all the winners from 1938-1998, a glossary of terms about illustration methods and materials, and an index of proper nouns.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Marcus has provided us with an excellent view into the process of illustration. By showcasing award winning illustrators, he has piqued our interest in the stories behind some well-known children's books. He uses these personal stories as a vehicle to acquaint readers with the decisions and methods, materials and media that go into book illustrations. Children and adults will be amused and captivated by the personal stories of the illustrators' efforts to study the subjects of the illustrations.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publishers Weekly: "Filled with witty anecdotes and pithy observations, Marcus's ...approach to examining the works of six Caldecott Medalists will be of as much interest to adults as to picture book readers."
Horn Book Magazine: "A fresh, inviting examination of an established process and ritual."
CONNECTIONS
>Read the featured Caldecott Medal winning book after reading the chapter in Marcus' book about the illustrator. Continue on a weekly basis until all six are read.
>Look at other books by the illustrators featured in A Caldecott Celebration. Look for similarities in style and composition between these books and the medal winners presented in Marcus' book.