Switch on the Night

Author: Ray Bradbury
Illustrator:   Leo and Diane Dillon
Publisher:  Alfred A. Knopf
Publication Year:   1993
Location: Knox County Public Library- Lawson McGhee

Awards:   featured on NYT Book page

Summary:  A lonely little boy hides in his bed because he does not like the night. One night he's alone in his house with all the lights on, when there's a knock at the window. A little girl named Dark shows up and tell him that when he switches off the light, he's switching ON the night. You switch on the crickets, the frogs, the stars, and the "white ice-cream moon." The imagery is lovely. Leo and Diane Dillon illustrated this book with gorgeous mysterious, surrealistic paintings that more than nod to the work of M.C. Escher.

Classroom Ideas: There is lovely descriptive language here along with alliterative elements ("parlors and pantries and cellars and cupboards and attics and alcoves and hollering in the halls"). The illustrations are just amazing.

Magritte's Marvelous Hat

Author & Illustrator:   D.B. Johnson
Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin
Publication Year:   2012
Location: Knox County Public Library- Lawson McGhee

Awards:   ALSC Notable, School Library Journal & Publisher's Weekly starred reviews

Summary:  The surrealist painter Rene Magritte is pictured here as a suit-clad hound who sees a perfect hat in a store window. Suddenly, the hat floats onto Magritte's head. When he takes it home, his painting comes more easily than it ever has. The hat keeps pretending to blow away and wants to play, but when Magritte ignores it to continue painting. The hat flies away and Magritte realizes he can't paint without it. When the painter quits chasing it and instead plays a hide-and-go-seek game, the hat finds him and Magritte can paint again.With clear overlay pages, pipes & smoke rings for a front porch and many more strange details, this is the perfect depiction of a surrealistic world. Kids will love pouring over the details in these illustrations.

Classroom Ideas: This would be a great introduction to surrealism for an art teacher. It would also be a good example of fantasy, as well as a story of friendship, in a way.

Extras: Author's note at the end that discusses Rene Magritte's and the surrealist painters of his time. It also explains what surrealism is.

Always Room for One More

Author: Sorche Nic Leodhas
Illustrator:   Nonny Hogrogian
Publisher:  Henry Holt
Publication Year:   1965
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   Caldecott, ALA Notable

Summary:  Lachie MacLachlan and his wife & his ten "bairns" lived in a "wee house in the heather." He invited every traveler who came by to come and stay with them and promised there was always one room for one more. There is a big party and soon the house is so full that they all tumble out. Then they all work together to build a new house. There is a glossary of Socttish dialect in the back to help readers understand the story. The illustrations are striking-- the backgrounds are beautiful watercolors that use only two colors, a dark green and a beautiful pinkish purple while the figures are made with only back hatched lines.

Classroom Ideas: The theme of the book is about hospitality and being welcome to all. It is a wonderful example of dialect and, of course, of artistic style.

The Hueys in The New Sweater

Author & Illustrator:   Oliver Jeffers
Publisher:  Philomel
Publication Year:   2012
Location: Knox County Public Library- Halls

Awards:   NYT Best Illustrated

Summary:  This was published in the UK as The New Jumper.  The Hueys are little pill shaped creatures with stick arms and legs and they were all the same. Until the day when one of them, Rupert, knitted himself an orange sweater. The other Hueys were shocked because he stood out but his friend Gillespie thought it was interesting so he knitted himself a matching sweater. Soon all the Hueys were knitting sweaters. Then Rupert decides to wear a hat...."And that changed everything."

Classroom Ideas: The theme here is one of nonconformity and individuality. This text could be used as a mentor text for younger children to then write and illustrate their own Huey story (while Jeffers' art is beguiling, the Hueys would be very nonthreatening for children to sketch.) An art teacher could use them to talk about shape and line.

Rapunzel

Author & Illustrator:   Paul O. Zelinsky
Publisher:  Dutton Children's Books
Publication Year:   1997
Location: Knox County Public Library- Lawson McGhee

Awards:   Caldecott Medal

Summary:  When a man steals some rapunzel from a witch for his pregnant wife, the witch catches him and steals the baby away. The story follows the familiar plot line as a prince discovers the secret tower and falls in love with Rapunzel. They get married and Rapunzel gets pregnant. In a rage, the sorceress cuts her hair off and sends her off into the wilderness where she gives birth to twins. The sorceress tries to blind the prince but Rapunzel's tears heal him and the family lives happily ever after. Zelinsky's gorgeous paintings in the Italian Renaissance style are framed in traditional fairy tale style.

Classroom Ideas: Zelinsky is a very versatile artist and it would be interesting to compare this book to his others and talk about artistic style. This book could also be part of a fairy tale unit, to compare with other versions or even with the Disney movie Tangled.

green

Author & Illustrator:   laura vaccaro seegar
Publisher:  Roaring Brook Press
Publication Year:   2012
Location: Knox County Public Library- Lawson McGhee

Awards:   Caldecott Honor, Kirkus Best Book, Publisher's Weekly, Horn Book, School Library Journal & Kirkus starred reviews

Summary:  Gorgeous watercolors with creative cut-outs illustrate poetry about the color green. The painting have strong brushstrokes reminiscent of Van Gogh (my favorite color and my favorite artist!) I could not POSSIBLY choose a favorite spread- luscious, amazing, delicious colors!! And at the end, there's a little environmental twist.

Classroom Ideas: In art, this would introduce shades, color mixing, and techniques. In Science, you could talk about the environment. But mostly, I just want to stare and stare at this book.

Blue Chicken

Author & Illustrator:   Deborah Freedman
Publisher:  Viking
Publication Year:  2011
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   featured on "Calling Caldecott" blog; Kirkus, Booklist, & School Library Journal starred reviews, Kirkus Best Book

Summary:  On the front endpaper, its a grey rainy day in a framed picture of a barn (Is it a window or a frame?) The narrator is an unseen artist who is almost finished with her painting- everything except the barn. But, one of the chicken leaves the painting and heads for the pot of blue ink. It spills and blue ink goes everywhere! It floods and colors everything blue! The (now blue) animals are mad, and the chicken heads for the water cup to try and "undo the blue." She washes it off and everything is back to the same, except the sky which stays blue. At the end, the artist is seen outside the window painting her real barn white. The hilarious final endpaper shows a fire-engine red barn and animals.

Classroom Ideas: Great vocabulary here (peevish, sincerely). An art teacher could use this to talk about ink and watercolors. The plot would be easy to map out, and Blue Chicken's problem solving could be discussed as well.

Brother Sun, Sister Moon

Author: Katherine Paterson
Illustrator:   Pamela Dalton
Publisher:  Chronicle Books
Publication Year:  
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   featured on "Calling Caldecott" blog, Booklist & Kirkus starred reviews

Summary:  This is  a retelling of the stories of Saint Francis of Assissi. The words are beautiful and simple. The papercuts and watercolor on a black background are stunning in their detail. The Sister Moon spread is breathtaking.

Classroom Ideas: The obviously religious text would make this a difficult book to use in a public school although it could be shown to talk about papercutting. I think a Christian school teacher/librarian should absolutely have this beautiful book in their collection.

Mousterpiece

Author & Illustrator:   Jane Breskin Zalben
Publisher:  Roaring Book Press
Publication Year:   2012
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   Kirkus & Booklist starred reviews, featured on Calling Caldecott blog, Kirkus Best Books

Summary:  Janson the mouse creates homages to many famous modern artists. When the modern art wing is under renovation, Janson paints canvases and hangs them in the museum. When the curator realizes she did them, he gives her an exhibition of her own. Janson's favorite painting is the one she does in her very own style.

Classroom Ideas: An art teacher could use this, along with other resources, to introduce different artistic techniques and artists.

Interrupting Chicken

Author & Illustrator:   David Ezra Stein
Publisher:  Candlewick Press
Publication Year:   2010
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   Caldecott Honor,

Summary:  Little Chicken can't stop interrupting Papa during storytime. She jumps into the traditional stories and changes the endings of them all. Finally, when they're out of stories, Little Chicken tells him a story and puts him fast to sleep. The illustrations are so warm and inviting when they're in Chicken's bedroom and the completely different style when Papa is reading are perfect. I love this book!

Classroom Ideas: In art class, it would be great to discuss styles and how they connect to stories. It would be a great mentor text to write your own "Interrupting" story.  It has an easily followed plot example as well.