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In this book, Leonard Marcus takes us �behind the scenes� of the creation of six masterpieces. Six creators of children�s books, and winners of the Caldecott Medal Award, share with readers their journey towards their accomplishment. These books include Make Way For Ducklings, Cinderella, Where The Wild Things Are, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Jumanji, and Tuesday. The reader is taken through a short walk in which the hard work and dedication which goes into each of these books is depicted. In Make Way For Ducklings, for example, |
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Robert McCloskey lived with 16 ducks in order to fully understand their way of living, moving, and to capture the details of their appearance in his drawings! In the section dedicated to Where The Wild Things Are, we learn that Maurice Sendak came frighteningly close to fully abandoning the creation of this amazing book. Because the story never seemed to work, he labeled the file as �ABANDON!!!!� and told himself it was a �dreadful story� never to be worked on again. Luckily, just four days later, he came back to it and turned it into the classic masterpiece children and adults have come to love! Equally interesting background stories are shared about the creation of the other award-winning books.
This book is a must-have for teachers, librarians, and aspiring children�s books authors and illustrators. It creates a sense of value in both illustration and content of our children�s books. Adults will appreciate the hard work that goes into the creation of what some might refer to as �a simple children�s book�, and children will enjoy learning everything that involves the creation of several of their favorite books. They may even be inspired to become illustrators themselves! An overall informational, at times comical, and inspiring book.
Marcus, Leonard S. 1998. A Caldecott celebration: six artists and their paths to the
Caldecott Medal. United States: Walker Publishing Company, Inc. ISBN 0-8027
8656-1. |
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