Award Book Activities

CALDECOTT AWARD

2013 Medal Winner

The 2013 Caldecott Medal winner is This Is Not My Hat, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen, published by Candlewick Press.

In this darkly humorous tale, a tiny fish knows it’s wrong to steal a hat. It fits him just right. But the big fish wants his hat back. Klassen’s controlled palette, opposing narratives and subtle cues compel readers to follow the fish and imagine the consequence.

“With minute changes in eyes and the slightest displacement of seagrass, Klassen’s masterful illustrations tell the story the narrator doesn’t know,”   Caldecott Chair Sandra Imdieke said.

Extending Literacy Activity #1: Print Motivation             from Candlewick Press

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words While reading This Is Not My Hat aloud, point out the eye of the big fish as he displays different emotions (surprise, anger, contentment). Note the way an illustrator is able to convey emotions just by changing a shape or color, or through an ever-so-slight picture cue—in this case, the eye of the big fish. Discuss the emotions of the crab as well. Ask, How do you think he feels about the big fish?

After you’ve finished reading, hold a discussion about stealing. Point out that the small fish knows it’s wrong to steal the big fish’s hat, but he thinks that his secret, as well as his identity, is safe. Ask, Who reveals the small fish’s location? Is the big fish angry? How do you know? Using the accompanying reproducible, have children draw a face and use its facial features to express emotion, then fill in the line “My face is . . .” Invite children to share their pictures and explain how they conveyed emotion through their drawings—for example, “my face is happy because the mouth is smiling and the eyes are closed. Maybe she is eating chocolate.”

Extending Literacy Activity #2: Building Narrative Skills from Candlewick Press  

Explain to the children that author-illustrator Jon Klassen is very clever in that he doesn’t quite tell the reader what happens at the end of the story. The reader may assume that the big fish has eaten the small fish. After all, he got his hat back. Ask, What do you think happened? Allow the children to be as creative as they like in their responses. Perhaps the two fish talked it out, or the big fish let the small fish swim away in secret so the big fish wouldn’t lose his reputation as a tough fish. Brainstorm various endings. Then using the reproducible, have children write and illustrate their own ending.

Listed below are the 2013 honor books, take the activities from above and apply them to these stories too.
Other options:

• Ask your child what they think of the pictures. How do they make them feel?
• Are the colors light or dark?
• Should the book have ended differently? What would you have like to happen?
• Try and read all the of the following books and have your child rate them in numerical order.
• Take elements from each story and build and activity around it. For example, with the title  Extra Yarn after you have completed reading it create a yarn collage.

2013 Honor Books

Creepy Carrots!, illustrated by Peter Brown, written by Aaron Reynolds and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

Jasper the rabbit loves carrots until he notices they are everywhere. He is convinced they’re coming for him! Pronounced shadows, black borders and shaded edges enhance this ever so slightly sinister tale with a distinctly cinematic feel. This is one serving of carrots children will eagerly devour.

Extra Yarn, illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Mac Barnett and published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

A selfish archduke threatens to halt a little girl's transformation of a colorless town and steal her box of magical yarn.  Klassen's innovative digital technique results in shifts of color that signal character change and critical turns of plot -all done with just the right stitches of humor.

Green, illustrated and written by Laura Vaccaro Seeger and published by Neal Porter Books, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press

In this original concept book, Seeger engages all the senses with her fresh approach to the multiple meanings of “green.” Using thickly-layered acrylics, word pairings and cleverly placed die cuts, she invites readers to pause, pay attention and wonder.

One Cool Friend, illustrated by David Small, written by Toni Buzzeo and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group

Energetic line and dizzying perspective combine for a rollicking tale of Father, Elliot and a highly improbable pet (or two). Buzzeo’s text, brimming with sly wordplay, earns its perfect counterpoint in Small’s ink, watercolor and pencil illustrations with chilly details and visual jokes that invite many repeated readings.

Sleep Like a Tiger, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Mary Logue and published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Surrounded with dreamlike images of crowns, ornate patterns and repeated visual motifs, her parents coax her into bed. Using mixed media artwork on wood enhanced with computer illustrations, this is a whimsical story with universal appeal.

2013 Newberry Medal Winner

The 2013 Newbery Medal winner is The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, published by HarperCollins Children's Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers

Ivan’s transformative emergence from the “Ape at Exit 8” to “The One and Only Ivan, Mighty Silverback,” comes to life through the gorilla’s own distinct narrative voice, which is filled with wry humor, deep emotion and thought-provoking insights into the nature of friendship, hope and humanity.

“Katherine Applegate gives readers a unique and unforgettable gorilla’s-eye-view of the world that challenges the way we look at animals and at ourselves,” said Newbery Medal Committee Chair Steven Engelfried.

2013 Honor Books

Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz, published by Candlewick Press

Lizzie Rose, Parsefall and Clara are caught in the clutches of a wicked puppeteer and a powerful witch in this deliciously dark and complex tale set in Dickensian England, where adventure and suspense are interwoven into nuanced explorations of good versus evil.

Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin, published by Flash Point, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press.

Balancing intersecting threads of scientific discovery, political intrigue and military strategy, “Bomb” is a riveting historical nonfiction drama. Sheinkin’s engaging narrative explores the complex series of events that led to the creation of the ultimate weapon and introduces many memorable personalities involved in the pursuit. 

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage, published by Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.

In the rich tradition of Southern storytelling, rising sixth-grader Mo LoBeau leads the eccentric residents of Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, on a rollicking journey of mystery, adventure and small-town intrigue as she investigates a murder and searches for her long-lost mother.