Caldecott Award Winners

The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott.  It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

2014 Honor

Wiesner, D. (2013). Mr. Wuffles. New York, NY: Clarion Books.

Mr. Wuffles, the cat, ignores all of the cat toys his master gives him.  When a miniature spaceship manned by tiny green aliens appears amongst his toys, Mr. Wuffles plays with it roughly, damaging the spaceship.  The aliens are forced to go into hiding as they try to repair their ship.  They meet some insects who have also been harassed by the cat.  Together, they find a way to repair the space ship.

Follow-up:  Visit the Website of David Wiesner at http://www.hmhbooks.com/wiesner/mr-wuffles.html.  Read Wiesner’s biography, watch Mr. Wuffles book trailers, and find out about the creative process that went into the artwork of the book.

2008 Winner

Selznick, B. (2007). The invention of Hugo Cabret. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station.  He keeps hidden and continues his deceased uncle’s job of keeping the many station clocks wound and running, with all the gears and levers moving accurately.  He must not be discovered or he, an orphan, will be locked up and sent away.  When his world suddenly connects with a bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the train station, Hugo’s undercover life and most precious secret are put in jeopardy.  The mystery intensifies as Hugo strives to solve the mystery of the hidden message from his father, using a drawing, a notebook, a stolen key, and a mechanical man.

Follow-up: Click the link by Scholastic to find these great activities.  You can sign up for free.

http://www.scholastic.com/hugocabret/

Students will enjoy these engaging interactive activities that bring the book to life.  Students can:

• Listen and watch the author share his writing and illustrating process of the book with “Inventing Hugo Cabret.”
• Discover Hugo Cabret by listening and following along to this audio excerpt of the mystery.
• Browse a slideshow of Selznick’s drafts of the cover to see how it evolved with “Invention of Cover.”
• Watch the Author Video to find out what inspired him to write the Invention of Hugo Cabret.
• Collect everything they need to build their own automaton collection.
• Move Hugo around the Mechanical Maze, answering questions as they go.
• Put their know-how to the test as they build and repair mechanical men with Automaton Workbench!
• Use the Book Creator to create their own original, printable stories!
• Meet the Author with this brief bio of Selznick.
• Read a Q&A with Brian Selznick, where he discusses the writing process, his favorite books as a kid, and more.
• Read “More from Brian Selznick” on other books he’s illustrated.
• Get recommendations for More Best Books that Hugo Cabret fans will love.
   

Learning Objectives

While participating in “Flashlight Readers,” students will:

·         Offer observations, make connections, react, speculate, interpret, and raise questions in response to text

·         Identify and discuss book themes, characters, plots, and settings

·         Connect their experiences with those of the author and/or with characters from the books

·         Support predictions, interpretations, conclusions, etc. with examples from text

·         Practice key reading skills and strategies (cause-and-effect, problem/solution, compare-and-contrast, summarizing, etc.)

·         Monitor their own comprehension

·         Discuss ideas from the book with you, the author, and/or other students online