Caldecott Medal Winners & Honor Books

To begin my reading journal, I chose to select Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad. This book received the 2008 Caldecott Honor Book Award for its compelling story and beautiful illustrations.
This story is about Henry Brown, a young slave who doesn't know how old he is, or even when his birthday is. When Henry's master becomes ill, he is sold to another man and is separated from his family. From here Henry meets Nancy, who later becomes his wife. Henry and Nancy have children and fear that they may be sold and their family will be torn apart. There fears become reality and Nancy and their children are sold. Henry seeks the help of James and Dr. Smith and forms a plan. His plan is to be mailed to safety in a wooden box! Henry's adventure as "mail" leads up to his first birthday- the first day of his freedom! Henry "Box" Brown celebrated his birthday March 30, 1849.

I absolutely love this book. I have read this to my classes each year and I love watching their expressions change as their emotions take over. This book has wonderful illustrations and the insight of one man's courage and determination for freedom.



So You Want to be President? written by Judith St. George was the 2001 Caldecott Medal Winner. This book was illustrated by David Small. What I really enjoyed about this book was how it incorporated Social Studies content and also ways to relate the topics to real life connections. The book introduces each president and gives students some background knowledge for each president. For example, it describes Theodore Roosevelt's children and how they ran a zoo! The wonderful illustrations kept my eyes busy while I was reading this book! I loved how the illustrator uses his own personality on each page.
This book is an awesome teaching tool that can be used when discussing the presidents and also government!




Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, written and illustrated by Mo Willems was a 2005 Caldecott Honor book. I had never read this book before, but my nieces and nephew have read this book nightly! I must say, I absolutely loved the illustrations and how the author incorporated real pictures into this book.
This is the story of Trixie and her loyal stuffed rabbit Knuffle Bunny. Trixie and her father are out busily running errands and wind up at the Laundromat. While Trixie is helping her father load the washer and inserting the coins, Knuffle Bunny has vanished! Poor Trixie, and her father, do not realize that Knuffle Bunny has been left until they are a block away. Trixie, who has yet to say her first words, is frantically trying to communicate with her father, who just doesn't get it! When they return home, her mother asks where Knuffle Bunny is, and that is when her father finally realizes why Trixie was so upset! They race back to the Laundromat and unload the washer until Knuffle Bunny is returned, safe and sound, and clean!


The Three Pigs, written and illustrated by David Wiesner received the 2002 Caldecott Medal winner. In this tale of the three little pigs, the author uses his personality to modify the original tale into one of humor and imagination. In this version, the three little pigs run off the page before the big, bad wolf can gobble them down. They head off for adventures in different fairy tales and meet friends along the way.
I love how the author uses his illustrations to continue the story even without the use of words. This book would be a great addition to any library or used for literacy activities. This story is very open-ended so students could use their imagination to rewrite the endings or add parts into the story. I would definitely recommend this book!



The Red Book, created and illustrated by Barbara Lehman was a 2005 Caldecott Medal Winner. This book is very different from your everyday books you might find in your local library or even school library. The Red Book has no words! I never thought about a book without words, or trying to "read" a book without words, but I my eyes were opened in this page turner!
This book, although has no words, has a magical tale to tell. I love how Barbara Lehman uses her illustrations to have the reader tell a story. There is not right or wrong version of this story of a magical red book, or why it works the way it does. The illustrations allow the reader to envision the words on the page and to tell the story as they see it.
I would love to use this book in my classroom as a literacy/writing activity. After viewing the book, I would have my students write the story in their own words, or how they see fit. I would definitely recommend this book to colleagues!