From: Linnea Hendrickson <lhendr>
Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 17:14:37 -0700

My experiences with the Caldecott winners and honor books in my elementary school library have been similar to Dean Schneider's. I've been reading the Three Pigs for quite awhile, and although I love it, and the kids (of all ages) love it, too, it takes a lot of effort to read aloud, and I find I have to keep improvising and ad-libbing as I read. There are so many decisions to be made about how to "read" the book, just as there are with Tuesday and Sector 7, two other Wiesner books that I've shared with students quite often.

It is lots of fun to ask them to tell me the story of the three pigs, and I've been pleased that 90% of the children in my school seem quite familiar with the original story. Several of them have also asked me if I know the "true story" told by A. Wolf, or the one about the 3 little wolves and the Big Bad Pig. There are certainly possibilities to make connections among the many versions of the 3 pigs, and also to various styles of art in other books. I've brought in some L. Leslie Brooke pig pictures, and have thought the dragon pages look like both Trina Schart Hyman's and Howard Pyle's. Has anyone found a direct inspiration for the nursery rhyme page? And does anyone know what that duck is doing peeking out from behind one of the pages (ugly duckling -transformation?). I suspect there are more details in the pictures that would reward more attention. And what about that cat (?) that the dragon is looking at? Could it be a reference to one of Sendak's monsters or to the Cheshire Cat?

There's something wonderful about how how the pig smoothes out the rumpled wolf at the end, and the story resumes, completing the home-away-home circle. I let the kids chant the repeated lines with me, and they pretty much have them all by heart.

I've also been reading Martin's Big Words to many classes. They all recognize and can call out the name of the man on the cover. I like to point out that the BIG Words on the back are printed BIG. One child asked why the book opened up backwards, thinking that the title had to be on the front. Martin's Big Words is a much more restful, and quieter book to read than The Three Pigs. I like the way the simplicity of the book and the pared down quality of the words leave room to stop and think, and to talk about them if we want to.

The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins has attracted a lot of interest, and the kids have been fascinated as I've told the story, sometimes reading bits and pieces. I love the way Boss Tweed hogs a whole page to himself, so mean and small and grim, not willing to share -- especially effective in this book where most of the pages are rich in detail and color. Lots of kids want to borrow this book afterwards.

The copy of the Stray Dog that I ordered months ago has not arrived, but I'm a great admirer of Marc Simont's work. I thought it was amazing in 1997 that he was still illustrating books. The Goose that Almost Got Cooked was a favorite of mine that year, and I still love that book. But to think that he won a Caldecott for A Tree Is Nice in 1958! I wonder if he holds some kind of record for the longevity of his career as an illustrator and the time span during which he has been producing notable and award-winning books? What keeps him going? How does he keep his child-like playfulness and creativity alive?

I've also found The Other Side by Woodson to be a nice book to read with Martin's Big Words, and together they give a sense of the history of an era.

-Linnea

Linnea Hendrickson Albuquerque, NM Lhendr at unm.edu http://www.unm.edu/~lhendr
Received on Sun 27 Jan 2002 06:14:37 PM CST