Caldecott Books in March

Here are the Caldecott Medal Winner books I read in March with the Ant Bug. The books we enjoyed and will likely read again are marked large.

1946: The Rooster Crows by Maud & Miska Petersham
1953: The Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward
1954: Madeline's Rescue by Ludwig Bemelmans
1956: Frog Went A-Courtin', illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky; text: retold by John Langstaff
1966: Always Room for One More, illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian; text: Sorche Nic Leodhas, pseud. [Leclair Alger]
1969: The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship, illustrated by Uri Shulevitz; text: retold by Arthur Ransome (The Ant Bug wasn't interested in this one, but this is worth trying again in a few years)
1970: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
1972: One Fine Day, retold and illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian
1980: Ox-Cart Man, illustrated by Barbara Cooney; text: Donald Hall
1996: Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann

Scripture of the Week: Mosiah 13:5

“Now it came to pass after Abinidi had spoken these words that the people of King Noah durst not lay their hands on him, for the Spirit of the Lord was upon him."
Mosiah 13:5

This scripture was chosen to along with our Family Home Evening lesson on scripture stories from the Book of Mormon.

Recently Read: The Tales of Beedle the Bard

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.L. Rowling

Being an avid Harry Potter fan, I knew that I would need to read this book. It's a very quick read, only about 100 pages. It's quite different from the original Harry Potter series, and I didn't find it super thrilling. It did, however, put me in the mood to go back and reread Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

On our bookshelf: Eric Carle

One of my favorite children's book authors is Eric Carle. Of course, his most famous book is the The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This book is well-deserving of its fame, and is beloved in our home.

Did you know that caterpillar has been around for 40 years?

His first book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? was a collaboration with Bill Martin Jr. Published in 1967 it quickly became a best seller. We added it to our permanent book collection this past Christmas.

One of our favorite Eric Carle books is From Head to Toe.

"I am a gorilla and I thump my chest. Can you do it?"

This one was an early favorite in our family. I just discovered this photo from 2005, when the Ant Bug was nearly a year old. It's a great book for the times when you also need a little activity, since it gives the readers the opportunity to move their bodies like various animals. It was also a hit with our ward nursery on a few occasions.

Another one that has been on our library checkout list numerous times is Papa, please get the moon for me. The fold-out pages are a lot of fun.

I thought this was an interesting description of his work:

"Eric Carle’s art is distinctive and instantly recognizable. His art work is created in collage technique, using hand-painted papers, which he cuts and layers to form bright and cheerful images. Many of his books have an added dimension—die-cut pages, twinkling lights as in The Very Lonely Firefly, even the lifelike sound of a cricket’s song as in The Very Quiet Cricket - giving them a playful quality: a toy that can be read, a book that can be touched. Children also enjoy working in collage and many send him pictures they have made themselves, inspired by his illustrations. He receives hundreds of letters each week from his young admirers."(Taken from The Official Eric Carle Web Site)

He has illustrated more than 70 books, and you can see the complete list here. Which one is your favorite?

Scripture of the Week: D&C 88:119

"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God"
D&C 88:119

This scripture was chosen to go along with our Family Home Evening Lesson: Family Members Have Important Responsibilities.

Recently Read: The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

An interesting book about the south, racial tensions, and mothers and daughters. And beekeeping, of course.

Caldecott Books in January and February

One of my reading goals for this year is to read all of the Caldecott Medal Books. Here is a list of the books I read in January and February with the Ant Bug. The books we enjoyed and will likely read again are marked large.

1938: Animals of the Bible, A Picture Book illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop
1939: Mei Li by Thomas Handforth
1941: They Were Strong and Good by Robert Lawson
1943: The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

The Ant Bug really liked this one, we read it numerous times.

1963: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
1964: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak*
1968: Drummer Hoff, illustrated by Ed Emberley; text: adapted by Barbara Emberley
1986: The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg*
2003: My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann*
2005: Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
2006: The Hello, Goodbye Window Illustrated by Chris Raschka, written by Norton Juster


*This book is a permanent member of our book collection.

Scripture of the Week: John 6:69

"And we believe are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God."

John 6:69

This scripture was chosen to go along with our Family Home Evening lesson: My faith in Jesus Christ grows when I know who he is.