Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

Make Way for Ducklings

    written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey 

 

Robert McCloskey (1914-2003) wrote and illustrated 8 books and illustrated 10 books for other authors. McCloskey won two Caldecott Medals: one for Make Way for Ducklings (1941) and the second for Time of Wonder (1957). Before writing Make Way for Duckings he bought and lived with live ducks in a studio apartment, where he watched and drew them in every position. 

 


Make Way for Ducklings won a Caldecott Medal in 1941 as "The most distinguished American picture book for children." The warm story follows ducks through Boston, where a mother and father duck look for the best place to raise their ducklings. After the babies are hatched, mother and babies travel through the city into busy streets to meet father duck at the Public Garden. 




The charcoal illustrations accompanying the text are beautifully done. McCloskey's attention to detail, from cars to buildings to people's clothing, makes each page a piece of art. McCloskey uses personification to allow the ducks to think and speak their ideas to one another throughout the story, a commonly used strategy for this age group (3-8). 

 Professional Reviews for Make Way for Ducklings

• Kirkus Review,  1941: "An enchanting and very original book."

• The New York Times, 1941: "This brilliantly illustrated, amusingly observed tale of Mallards on the move as won the hearts of generations of readers... one of the merriest picture-books ever."

Click here for lesson plans to go along with the book.

Watch a short video about the author.

See a list of McCloskey's published works.

McCloskey, Robert. Make Way for Ducklings. New York: The Viking Press, 1941. 

ISBN 978-0-670-45149-4

$15.12 at Barnes & Noble

Work consulted: Vardell, Sylvia M. Children's Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide. Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2008. 

Author info retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/01/arts/robert-mccloskey-88-of-make-way-for-ducklings-is-dead.html

Thumpy Feet by Betsy Lewin

Thumpy Feet

written and illustrated by Betsy Lewin

 

Betsy Lewin has written and illustrated over thirty children's books and has collaborated with her husband to create several works inspired by their travels around the world. Lewin was given a silver medal from the Society of Illustrators Original Art show and a Caldecott Honor for Click, Clack, Moo; Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, and several of Lewin's books have appeared on the New York Times Best Seller List.

Thumpy Feet takes the reader into a day in the life of an orange cat. Large and bright illustrations show the cat eating, cleaning itself, playing and sleeping. There are only a few words on each page and each activity is described with one word varied and repeated.

Lewin uses alliteration to describe what the cat is doing and the sounds change from page to page, depending on the activity. For example, during play time the text says "flip flippy flippy flip flip," and on another page "snoozy snooze." The simple and repetitive text seems fun and not too overwhelming for this age group (2-5). All of the watercolor illustrations are shown on a white background and the pictures are outlined in a thick black. Lines are drawn around the cat to show motion and the bright colors truly make the story.

 Professional Reviews for Thumpy Feet

• Kirkus Review,  2013: "Chock-full of personality and charm, Thumpy Feet will be warmly welcomed by readers everywhere."

• Booklist, Nov. 2013: "With great economy of images and words—but still enormously playful—Lewin depicts a friendly, goofy feline’s almost zen-like existence... this one will leave children happy, happy."

•  Publishers Weekly, 2013: “Lewin's Thumpy Feet may exist in an analog format, but he's as endearingly, idiosyncratically feline as any YouTube star... Minimally propped and set against crisp white backgrounds, the action couldn't be more catlike in its concision.”

 Click here for a list of other books by Betsy Lewin.

Meet the author: A video with Betsy Lewin.

Lewin, Betsy. Thumpy Feet. New York: Holiday House, 2013. 

ISBN 978-0-8234-2901-1

$15.46 at Barnes & Noble

Work consulted: Vardell, Sylvia M. Children's Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide. Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2008. 

Author photo retrieved from http://www.betsylewin.com

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka

A Ball for Daisy

written and illustrated by Chris Raschka

 

Chris Raschka has written and illustrated over twenty children's books and has illustrated books by other authors. He has received two Caldecott Medals for A Ball for Daisy in 2012 and The Hello, Goodbye Window in 2006, as well as a Caldecott Honor Award for Yo? Yes! in 1994. 

A Ball for Daisy is a wordless book, which challenges children to use their imagination to create their own text. This adorable story follows a dog named Daisy through her playtime adventures with a beloved red ball. Daisy is thrilled until her red ball pops and she becomes disappointed and sulky... until she receives a gift from a kind friend.

Raschka created an interesting book by using illustrations to stimulate and involve the reader. There are no words, so the reader must rely 100% on the illustrations along with their own imagination to tell the story. The style of art is appropriate for the age level intended (ages 3-7) and the reader can easily identify with the main character, Daisy. The colorful illustrations move the plot along quickly and colors drastically change depending on Daisy's mood. For example, when Daisy's ball pops and she is unhappy Raschka uses darker colors to portray her emotions.