A Caldecott Celebration: Six Artists and Their Paths to the Caldecott Medal

Bibliography
Marcus, Leonard S. 1998. A Caldecott Celebration: Six Artists and Their Paths to the Caldecott Medal. New York: Walker and Company. ISBN 0802786561

Plot Summary
Book historian Leonard S. Marcus celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Caldecott Medal by presenting the profiles of six winners of the award, one from each decade of the medal's history--Robert McCloskey, Marcia Brown, Maurice Sendak, William Steig, Chris Van Allsburg, and David Wiesner. The path to each artist's success as as a noted illustrator is shared with readers.

Critical Analysis
Marcus' introduction to the book explains the origin of the Caldecott Award and its significance. The profile of each artist featured is uniform in format. Each begins with a picture of the winning book's front cover, a photograph of the illustrator, the year in which the medal was awarded, brief biographical facts, the publisher, and the medium used to create the illustrations. A quote from the artist's acceptance speech is framed, creating interest to the reader.

Marcus dedicates five to eight pages to each artist, relating the artist's life and mixing it with commentary from the artist himself. The commentary is insightful, as it reveals the ways in which the artists work and their personal reactions to receiving the award. The pages attract attention with a multitude of illustrations, some of which show preliminary drawings leading up to the finished art for the winning book. This allows readers to see the evolution of the artists' ideas and get a more in depth understanding of the creation of a picture book.

Review Excerpt(s)
The Horn Book - "The text is remarkable for the smooth integration of explanatory material with overall commentary, and selective detail creates a sense of intimacy and understanding. The research never overpowers the narrative, but the reader knows that it is there--a firm footing for the structure it supports."
Book Report - "This 'celebration' supplies valuable background material for teachers and librarians and an informative and inspirational resource for students interested in picturebooks and their creators."

Connections
*Other books about the creation of chidren's picture books:
Salisbury, Martin. Illustrating Children's Books: Creating Pictures for Publication. ISBN 0764127179
Evans, Dilys. Show and Tell: Exploring the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration. ISBN 0811849716