Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
Frosty the Snowman, illustrated by Richard Cowdrey (published 1993), provides the words to the familiar song with beautiful, large illustrations. I particularly dislike the movie and the Little Golden Book for Frosty the Snowman. (Particularly, I don’t like the little girl hopping on a train car with a snowman bit…) But my son loves the story,
Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London (published 1992) is definitely not a favorite of mine (and I despise the others in the series), but given my son’s love of it, it is a perfect book to include on a snowy day book list. Froggy wakes up one winter morning and wants to play in the snow, despite his mother’s reminder
In the Snow by Hu Voun Lee (published 1995) is not a book I expected my son to enjoy so much, but he did. A mother writes Chinese characters in the snow, teaching her young son what the characters mean. Since my son is learning his letters, I think he was fascinated by the concept of
Snow by Uri Shulevitz (published 1998) is a magical snow day book. In the midst of a gray world, a little boy sees a snowflake. He calls out, “Snow!” but the adults in the town disbelieve him, apparently hoping he is wrong. By the end, the snow has covered the town and the boy is dancing
I have special memories of Robert Frost’s Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening (written in 1923) and the picture book illustrated by Susan Jeffers (published 1978) is a beautiful rendition. I love how reading or reciting this poem is calming. It reads like I really am stopping in abandoned snow-covered woods for a breath. It’s
The illustrations to Abraham Lincoln by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire are quaint color pencil, which matches the folktale-like subject matter. They don’t wow me as other Caldecott winners do, but as the 1940 Medal Winner, I think the art in d’Aulaires’ biography about Lincoln are sufficiently award-worthy. Abraham Lincoln reads like a novel; it was easy
The Ugly Duckling illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, with Hans Christian Andersen’s text adapted by Jerry Pinkney (Caldecott Honor 2000), is a picture book with sprawling, all-encompassing detailed watercolors. The illustrations do the traditional, familiar story justice. Pinkney does an incredible job of getting in to detailed “close-ups” of the scenes. From the birth of the ducklings
Puss in Boots illustrated by Fred Marcellino and with text translated from Charles Perrault by Malcolm Arthur (Caldecott Honor 1991) has gorgeous pictures. Each picture has a texture to it that gives it a sophisticated feel. The details are amazing. The story is the traditional story of Puss in Boots. I feel a bit ambivalent
Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky is absolutely beautiful and much deserving of the 1998 Caldecott Award. Zelinsky explains in the note at the end that he was trying to imitate the Renaissance style of art because that is what he thought of when he recalled the story of a girl in a tower. The story is
Rumpelstiltskin by Paul O. Zelinsky (Caldecott Honor 1987) is a beautiful picture book that retells of various versions of the Grimm’s story. I liked the tenderness in the expression of the mother and baby and the golden room was gorgeous. Rumpelstiltskin himself was exotic and strange and highly appropriate for the story at hand. I have
Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert with text translated by Randall Jarrell (Caldecott Honor 1972) is a retelling from the Brothers Grimm. I did not like this book, either the translation or the illustrations. The illustrations are infrequent and the text heavy (there is a two-page spread of text and then a
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as translated and illustrated by Wanda Gág is an enjoyable illustrated retelling of the fairy tale, first published in 1938. It is rather text heavy, and the story is morbidly close to the Brother’s Grimm’s account with the witch eating the boar’s heart. But in this version, the black-and-white line
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