From: Julie Ranelli <jrr03e>
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 22:02:49 -0500

I like the basis for the story "The Pot that Juan Built"--how it follows the style of "The House that Jack Built" and also how it is based upon a real potter named Juan in Mexico while also including explanatory material.

Illustrator David Diaz also won a Caldecott in 1995 for _Smoky Night._ I don't recall that the illustrations in that book were as vibrant as these. I particularly like the use of yellows to create light around Juan, his tools, and his art.

David Diaz is also linked to _Harvesting Hope_ author Kathleen Krull; he illustrated her book about Wilma Rudolph. Yuyi Morales is the illustrator of _Harvesting Hope_. I think she is exceptional at displaying emotion on the faces of the people in this book, and I can imagine reading this book aloud and having children be mesmerized by the honesty, color, hopefulness, and even whimsy in the illustrations. Has anyone tried this as a read-aloud with a group of children?

I also observed that the books on the Belpre list were not as widely held in the local libraries as were winners of Caldecott, Newbery, Prince, or King awards. Did anyone else have difficulty accessing these titles?


Julie Ranelli FSU MLS student
Received on Tue 16 Mar 2004 09:02:49 PM CST