My Caldecott challenge: Although these Caldecott winner and honor books are not, for the most part, books I’ve read aloud to my son, I still found them interesting. A few I had strong negative opinions of; they show that even books that earned the Caldecott award do become dated!
I enjoyed Seven Simeons: A Russian Tale, retold and illustrated by Boris Artzybasheff (Caldecott Honor 1938). In a style reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm, seven brothers with seven remarkable talents aid in securing a bride for a good-looking young king. Artzybasheff’s illustrations are spare penned drawings, but they contain rich detail and bright colors.
My only complaint is that there were not enough illustrations for the text-heavy pages. I don’t know many children who could sit through a reading of this picture book. I’d still recommend this picture book for the older reader.
