1995 Caldecott Winner - John Henry

What a great tale about the birth of a legend! The animals came to witness his birth and the sun stayed up just to see him. John Henry grew through the roof the day he was born and an addition to the house had to be made the next day. John Henry was good at manual labor and was always entering races. He won a race against Ferret-Faced Freddy; John Henry was on foot and Freddy was on a horse. He left his home to go to work in West Virginia. He beat a steam drill in a contest drilling through a mountain. John Henry drilled a mile and a quarter and the steam drill only drilled on quarter of a mile. John Henry drilled so fast and furious, that was a rainbow around the outside of the area he was drilling in. John Henry literally worked himself to death.


There are very good illustrations in this book. Jerry Pinkney does a great job with the details. John Henry is shown as the big man he is said to be in the story. The muted browns and blacks are a great asset to the age of the story. This would be a great story for children from kindergarten through late elementary.



Lester, Julius. (1994). John Henry. New York: Dial Books.

Lester, Julius. (1994). Retrieved February 24, 2009 from Web site: http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&q=john+henry+book+cover&btnG=Search+Images

1953 Caldecott Winner - Puss In Boots

This book is a great story about a cat who uses trickery to bring fortune to his master. The cat wears boots and tricks animals into going into bags that he then takes to the King, telling him the animals are gifts from his master. When the King and his daughter come through the area where the cat and his master live, the cat pushes his master into the water and hides his clothes. This forces the King to have his servants save the master and loan him royal clothes. Puss in Boots goes ahead of the King's caravan and tricks workers into saying the land where they are working belongs to his master. The cat then comes to a castle owned by a magician and tricks the magician into turning himslelf into a mouse, then Puss in Boots eats him. When the King, princess, and the master arrive at the magician's castle, the castle is thought to be the master's. The King offers his daughter's hand to the master and they are married and live in the magician's castle.

The illustrations in this book are tremendous. The cat with boots is brought to life by the illustrator, he even has the facial expressions to match the devious tricks he conjures. I think this would be a very good book for children ages six and up. They will love the pictures and the story. They always like a story with a princess and any animal who can talk and wear clothing score huge points.



Penault, Charles. (1990). Puss in Boots. USA: Horowitz/Roe Manufacturers.

Penault, Charles. (1990). Retrieved February 24, 2009 from Web site: http://www.amazon.com/Puss-Boots-Caldecott-Honor-Book/dp/0374361606

1999 Caldecott Award Winner - No, David

This book is about a little boy named David, who is constantly in trouble. No matter what he does, his mother always says the same things: "No, David!", "That's enough, David!", "Come back here, David!". David does such things as breaking a vase and getting mud on the carpet. Despite constantly being told "No", his mother always pulls him close, hugs him, and tells him she loves him.

This book teaches a good lesson to kids and parents both. Children learn that their parents may punish them, but they will love them no matter what. Parents need to know that their children will make mistakes, bu that is part of growing up.

My students in school absolutely love the David books. I have had to repair the two I have in my classroom more than once and am ready to replace them. They love the illustrations. The vibrant colors and the way David is portrayed in the pictures. They can relate to the book because many of them have done the same things David does.


Shannon, David (1998). No, David!. New York: The Blue Sky Press.

Shannon, David (1998). Retrieved February 18, 2009 from Web site: http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?&index=books&keywords=david%20shannon&_encoding=UTF8

2000 Caldecott Award Winner: When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry

This 2000 Caldecott Award winner written by Molly Bang is about a little girl named Sophie and how she deals with anger. Sophie gets angry when her mother makes her share with her little sister. Her way of dealing with anger involves temper tantrums, slamming out of the house, running until she can not run anymore, and then, crying, Sophie climbs her favorite tree, lets the world comfort her, and then returns home.


This book has fabulous illustrations. Molly Bang not only wrote th book, but also illustrated the book. The colors are very bright and vibrant. There is a variety of bright red, yellow, green, and purple. There are lots of details in these illustrations that will not go unnoticed by children. Sophie comes to life in the illustrations and the facial expressions are priceless.


This is a good book to use for elementary school children when talking about feelings. Children deal with anger in different ways, and this book would be a great starting point for talking about anger. This book allows you to discuss the right and wrong way to deal with anger. The fact that the anger was caused by being forced to share with a younger sibling is something most children can relate to.

Bang, Molly (1999). When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry. New York: The Blue Sky Press.


Bang, Molly (1999). Retrieved February 15, 2009 from Web site: http://www.mollybang.com/sophie.html