This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

Klassen, J. (2012). This is not my hat. Sommerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen is a simple, humorous picture book that won the Caldecott Medal in 2013. A sneaky little fish steals a bowler hat from a sleeping, much larger fish and swims away insisting page after page that he will not get caught. Little does he know that the big fish is on his tail and finally recovers his hat after all! The illustrations are very simple and consist of the little fish, the big fish, the hat, and some seawood all placed on a dark black background. The light colored fish are in stark contrast to the dark background making the reader’s eye focus on the fish, the main characters. This book would be best for younger preschool aged or early elementary school aged students do to the simple comedy and design. The illustrations very subtly show emotion through eye movements and color, therefore, a teacher could use this book to help young readers determine the emotions of the characters. The students could act out different emotions using just their own faces to practice. At the end of the book, the big fish gets his hat back but the reader does not get to see how it happens. Students could make a prediction about what happened when the big fish swam into the seaweed behind the little fish and then came out with his hat. Overall, I did not enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed the other Caldecott books that I read. It was okay, but I was somewhat turned off by the smug attitude of the little fish and I did not particularly love that fact that he was stealing. While I did not enjoy this book, I can see how young children might enjoy the story.

(Image from candlewick.com)

Flotsam by David Wiesner

Wiesner, D. (2006). Flotsam. New York, NY: Clarion Books.

Flotsam was written by David Wiesner in 2006 and received the Caldecott Medal in 2007. The illustrations are absolutely breathtaking in this wordless picture book. They tell an intriguing story about a magical camera that travels around the world capturing surreal images of undersea life. A young boy finds the camera on a beach and discovers this fantastical water world after he develops the photos from the camera. Upon further investigation, the boy realizes this magical camera has been taking amazing images of ocean life for dozens of past generations. At the end of the story, the reader is taken to a new beach with a new child and realizes that the magical camera will continue its work well into the future. This is a fascinating picture book and it’s almost hard to believe that the story is told entirely through illustrations alone! It is no wonder how it was awarded the Caldecott Medal. This book is appropriate for children of all ages. In lower elementary grades, the book can be used as a catalyst for story writing. In upper elementary grades, students can use the book to infer story elements and make predictions. Also to extend comprehension, a teacher could ask inferential questions such as “why does the author show the pictures within pictures?” or “how does the reader know that this camera has taken pictures in the past?” I truly loved this picture book!! It is beautifully illustrated and tells an wonderfully imaginative story.

(Image from www.hmhbooks.com/wiesner)

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka

Raschka, C. (2011). A ball for daisy. New York, NY: Schwartz and Wade Books.

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka is the 2012 Caldecott Medal Winner. The whimsical, nearly wordless picture book chronicles the story of a ball-loving puppy that suffers the heartbreaking loss of her beloved ball after it is ruined by another puppy friend. However, in an act of goodwill and responsibility, the owner of the puppy friend replaces Daisy’s ball and then once again all is right in Daisy’s world. The simple, colorful illustrations weave the tale of Daisy and her ball beautifully. In addition to the minimal word count, Daisy’s emotions are easily seen on her face and in her body language making the book appropriate for young readers. It would be easy for children to relate to Daisy since most children have a favorite toy and sometimes have even experienced the loss of that toy. This book could be used for shared writing or independent writing in a Writer’s Workshop depending upon the ability of the students. It could also be used to practice inferencing skills or determining character traits and feelings for first, second, or third graders. The cute, whimsical story told in A Ball for Daisy was very appealing and will be one that I will use in my classroom or library.

(Image from amazon.com)

Locomotive by Brian Floca

Floca, B. (2013). Locomotive. New York, NY: Atheneum for Young Readers.

Locomotive  was written and illustrated by Brian Floca. It won the Caldecott Medal in 2014. The book chronicles the journey of passengers headed out west by way of a steam train during the great westward expansion in the mid-late 1800’s. As the passengers are riding along on the new transcontinental railroad you experience the sights and sounds of the era through realistic illustrations,creative fonts and bold text. The endpapers of the book are worth mentioning as well because they provide valuable information to the reader about the actual construction of the railroad in the 1800’s and the inner workings of a steam locomotive. The “main character” of this book is probably the actual locomotive itself rather than the passengers. The story revolves primarily around the sights, sounds, and feel of the steam locomotive moving across the country. The text and content of the book is best suited for upper elementary school students. In the classroom, this book could easily be used across the curriculum particularly when discussing westward expansion. It provides rich nonfiction text about the railroads and trains. Additionally, nonfiction text features could be discussed using the endpapers. Further, due to the use of unique fonts and text, a teacher could use this book to discuss writer’s craft with students and perhaps even encouraging them to employ some of the techniques used by Brian Floca. Locomotive is a fun and exciting story that is sure to please many young readers. I enjoyed this book, the illustrations, and even the endpapers very much!

(Image from brianfloca.com)