Contemplating Caldecott
by Amy Vaccarella, Librarian
Last week the students from Kindergarten to 6th grade voted on the best picture book of 2014. Around 140 students voted and they overwhelmingly chose The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend as their overall favorite book of year!
The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by a committee of librarians and teachers, supported by the American Library Association. It is given to “the artist of a most distinguished American picture book for children” published in the United States in the previous year.
During the month of January, the students read, discussed and evaluated some of the best picture books published in 2014. We also examined former Caldecott Medal recipients, and discussed what made these books receive one of the highest medals for children’s literature.
There is so much value in the picture book read-aloud. Many picture books are made intended for a middle-grade audience. Picture books are ideal for biography and nonfiction subjects. The short length usually allows for us to complete the book and have discussion in one sitting. Students are able to make inferences and predictions, and see the rich connections between image and text. There is so much meaning embedded in a picture book, in the images and the words.
Continue reading Amy’s blog about the Caldecott Medal study during Library specialist.
