History has shown us that the art of talking trash started eons ago, back when Cain first said to Able “Hey bro, sweet veggies. Nice parsnips! Oops, I meant parsNOPES. Boom!” Sadly, in the past decades, the hallowed hall honoring some of history’s greatest talkers of trash (Ben Franklin and Winston Churchill have prominent, lamp lighted-portraits hanging directly in the middle) has become increasingly empty. Young potential students, wandering aimlessly across the fields of fruit ripe for the bashing have no teachers, no Obi Wans to guide them or tell them to wait until the moment is perfect. Emily has shown us that.
With that being said, allow me to gracefully introduce you to my final two contestants in this competition.
I favor an older school of illustrating, one that puts emphasis on both originality and talent. (This is probably why I can’t get behind Chris Raschka, another Caldecott winner–check him out and make up your own mind, you may love him) It’s this perfect combination of artistry and imagination that makes Madeline’s Rescue by Ludwig Bemelmans such an amazing pick for this competition. As the story of Madeline, her classmates, and the ever-watchful Miss Clavel unfolds to introduce Genevieve the dog, Bemelmans moves seamlessly from childlike pen and ink drawings to breathtaking scenes of Paris that are playfully detailed, making it no wonder that it won the Caldecott in 1954.
It’s a normal day for the twelve little girls in two straight lines until Madeline falls in the river and is rescued by a heroic dog named Genevieve. Naturally the girls take Genevieve home to live with them and of course the board of trustees chooses this time to visit and expel the life saving canine with the awful words “DOGS AREN’T ALLOWED IN SCHOOL”. The girls and Miss Clavel spring into action! Will they find their beloved Genevieve again?
Parents just DON’T understand! Um, I mean trustees.
In the end, all is as it should be, twelve little girls in two straight lines who left the house at half past nine in rain or shine….plus maybe a dog or two extra.
You want more unbelievable fabulousness you say? Alright, first of all, calm down. Second of all, let me tell you about Amos and his perfectly sweet menagerie of friends. Teaming up to win the Caldecott in 2011, husband and wife duo Philip and Erin Stead (He writes, she illustrates) created an amazing book called A Sick Day for Amos McGee. This story chronicles a few days in the life of Amos, an elderly zookeeper who takes such good care of his animals that when he is taken sick one day, they decide to go to his house to take care of him in turn. Touching without being syrupy, this book is the cream of the crop. And the illustrations! Oh please can we talk about these illustrations for a minute? Combining the old school with the new Erin Stead gives us graceful pencil sketches that experiment with the back and forth between black and white and color. But that’s enough of me describing, just look at them. In this case, a picture really is worth a thousand words. (Or points.)
And that’s all, folks. We’ve limited ourselves to five contestants each and I truly believe that I picked the best of the best. What I’m going to do now is pick my absolute favorite one from the five I have chosen, which is hard because it’s like picking a favorite child, but here goes…..[pause while I walk away and do some shelving because this actually deserves some serious thought]…Ok, it’s been about 30 minutes and not only did I have a short visit with my mother in the store, I have also picked a favorite. It’s Amos. I love Mirette her red-headed determination. I love Sylvester and his silly blunderings, and I love, love that industrious Ox Cart Man. And gosh I love Madeline. But I honestly believe that A Sick Day for Amos McGee is the perfect blend of good storytelling and masterful art. It seems now that it would be silly to choose anything else. I await your final contender with great anticipation, Emily Grossenbacher.
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