Raschka’s wordless picture book, told through watercolor, ink and gouache, tells the story of a white and gray terrier whose beloved red ball is stolen by a bigger, brown poodle. While the bigger dog is playing with the ball it bursts and Daisy’s spirit seems to break with it. That is until the big brown poodle returns with a blue ball that leaves the pets and their owners equally content.
Raschka said “Daisy” was inspired by his son, who at age 4 was devastated when his yellow ball broke. The author said he began thinking of “those first feelings of losing something beloved” and knowing you can’t get it back. For the story, he changed the main character from a boy to a dog in order to make the book less scary for the young children who the book is geared towards.
Each year the Newbery Medal is awarded by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American children’s books published the previous year. However, as many persons became concerned that the artists creating picture books for children were as deserving of honor and encouragement as were the authors of children’s books, Frederic G. Melcher suggested in 1937 the establishment of a second annual medal. This medal is to be given to the artist who had created the most distinguished picture book of the year and named in honor of the nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph J. Caldecott. The idea for this medal was also accepted enthusiastically by the Section for Library Work with Children of ALA and was approved by the ALA Executive Board.
The Caldecott Medal “shall be awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American Picture Book for Children published in the United States during the preceding year. The award shall go to the artist, who must be a citizen or resident of the United States, whether or not he be the author of the text.
Love this post Felissa ;D
Thank you for stopping by!
Looks like a great book!
That’s charming … so many classics with that medal!
Book loves great
What a wonderful book review! I will have to check Worldcat and see if I can get a copy from the library. You have a beautiful blog, Felissa. I need to be sure to come back often.
Thank you so much Alan! I would love for you to come back and visit again.
Felissa, this is a great review and you have really nice blog :), I will keep visiting.
Very nice review! That book looks great… Like your blog by the way, very well taken care of.
Caldecott winners are always “keepers.” How wonderful that it’s about dogs and an uplifting message!
Laurel, Alex and Baker
celebrating the love of dogs at http://laurelhuntbooks.com
Bark Wag Love
The book looks great! I will definitely keep an eye out for it; we are definitely a “dog family!” Thank you for the review. If you’re looking for a non-children’s book about dogs, check out Lee Harrington’s “Rex and the City.” It’s a really good book about a young couple who adopts a dog and the many ways he changes their lives.
Thanks for recommending my book, Justin. What an honor!
Cheers,
Lee