1956 - Frog Went A-Courtin'

The nineteenth book to be awarded the Caldecott Medal was Frog Went A-Courtin' retold by John Langstaff and illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky, published in 1955 by Harcourt.  

It is explained in the beginning of the book that Frog Went A-Courtin' is based on a story that was originally written down in Scotland 400 years ago (460 years now) and has been passed down from grandparent to parent to child for generations through song.  According to John Langstaff, the version used in this book came from "different ballads that are sung in many parts of America and other countries about the frog and the mouse and their little animal friends."

Who was Feodor Rojankovsky?

Feodor Rojankovsky, who was also known as Rojan, was born in Mitavia, in what is now Latvia, on December 24, 1891.  He had two brothers and two sisters, all of whom were born throughout the Russian Empire as his father's job as a school administrator and teacher moved the family often.  

Rojan studied for two years at the private Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture before leaving to join the Imperial Russian Army during World War I in 1914.  While in the Ukraine during the Russian Revolution, he began working on children's book illustrations.  In 1919, he was conscripted into the White Army and became a prisoner-of-war in Poland.

After he was released, Rojan stayed in Poland and found work as the art director for a fashion magazine and a book publisher before moving on to Paris.  Between 1927 and 1941 he found work in advertising, film studios, and publishing firms.  While there, he released his first book for a Western publisher, Daniel Boone in 1931, which started his career as an illustrator.  Rojan emigrated to the United States in 1941 after the German occupation of France.

Rojan went on to illustrate over 100 children's books.  He became well known for his unique style of bright colors and high contrast as well as his drawings of animals and nature. It was a trip to the zoo at a young age that cemented his love of art: "l was taken to the zoo and saw the most marvelous creatures on earth: bears, tigers, monkeys and reindeer, and, while my admiration was running high, l was given a set of color crayons. Naturally, I began immediately to depict the animals which captured my imagination."

Feodor Rojankovsky died October 12, 1970 in Bronxville, New York.

The Illustrations

Frog Went A-Courtin' is a sweet story written in verse.  It tells the story of Frog asking Miss Mouse to marry him.  The illustrations alternate between black, white, and green and full color.

I love the fact that Uncle Rat goes out in a robe and slippers

Frog rode his horse to Miss Mouse's house and proposed to her only to be told they need her Uncle Rat's permission.  After explaining to Uncle Rat that they knew where the wedding breakfast would be held, what would be served, and that Old Miss Rat from Pumpkin Town would make the wedding gown, he agreed to allow his niece to marry Frog.

What follows next are all their animal friends arriving for the wedding.

Beetles, a raccoon, a snake, ants, a bumblebee, a goose, fleas and a fly all arrived.  As well as a baby chick.

The baby chick ate too much and became sick, so he had to be feed castor oil through a funnel. This was quite a party.

The last guest to arrive was an old tom cat who decided to put a stop to the party because...well, I guess because cats are jerks.

I assume everyone survived the cat attack.  In the end, Frog and Miss Mouse moved to France.

Frog is rockin' that beret.

The illustrations are colorful and beautifully realized. Rojan did a fabulous job of showing the details in the animals and giving them unique personalities.

1955 Caldecott Honor Books

Play With Me , by Marie Hall Ets 

Crow Boy by Taro Yashima

1955 - Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper

The eighteenth book to be awarded the Caldecott Medal was Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper translated from Charles Perrault's French version and illustrated by Marcia Brown, published in 1954 by Scribner, now a part of Simon and Schuster.

We're all familiar with the story of Cinderella, the young woman left to the whims of her mean stepmother and heartless stepsisters after her father passes away.  This version is a little different from Walt Disney's movie, Cinderella , and much lighter and more kid-friendly than the story found in Grimm's Fairy Tales .

Who is Marcia Brown?

Marcia Brown was born in Rochester, New York on July 13, 1918, one of three daughters of Reverend Clarence and Adelaide Brown.  The family moved throughout upstate and northern New York as her father accepted new ministries.  While living in Cooperstown, New York, Marcia discovered the artwork in the books at her local library and it was then that she decided to become an artist.

After toying with the idea of becoming a doctor, Brown decided to teach instead and in 1935 she enrolled at New York State College for Teachers. While in college, she continued to grow as an artist and contribute to the college's literary and humor magazines.  Brown served on the art staff of the school's magazines State Lion and State College Echo as well as co-editor-in-chief of The Statesman. She graduated in 1940 with majors in English and Drama.

After graduating, Brown taught high school in Cornwall, New York before taking on a job in the New York Public Library's Central Children's Room in 1943.  While there, she was exposed to a huge selection of books and gained storytelling experience.  

The Little Carousel, Brown's first book, which she both wrote and illustrated, was published in 1946. The following year, Stone Soup (Aladdin Picture Books) was published and went on to become a 1948 Caldecott Honor Book,  

Brown would have five more books named Caldecott Honor books: 1949's Henry, fisherman;: A story of the Virgin Islands, 1950's Dick Whittington and His Cat, 1951's Skipper John's Cook, 1952's Puss in Boots, and 1953's Steadfast Tin Soldier. 

Cinderella was Brown's first Caldecott Medal winning book, but she would go on to win two more (more on those books in later blog posts).

Brown's chosen forms of media include woodcuts, pen and ink, and gouache.  

Marcia Brown is currently living in California.

The Illustrations

This version of Cinderella was originally written by Charles Perrault (1628-1703), a French author who specialized in fairy tales based on pre-existing folk tales.  His best known works include Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Puss In Boots, The Sleeping Beauty, and Blackbeard.  Many of his stories were rewritten by the Brothers Grimm.

The illustrations in this book definitely have an old French feel to them. 

 Looking at the prince, my first thought was "Oh, he's a fancy boy, isn't he?"

The colors are muted and have a lot of gold, blue and shades of red.

While each version - Perrault, Grimm, and Disney -  all differ a bit, they contain a lot of the same elements.  Including the stepsisters who made Cinderella wait on them and dress them for the party she wasn't allowed to attend.

Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, who was her godmother who just happened to be a fairy, appeared after her stepmother and stepsisters left for the ball.  She turned Cinderella's rags into a gown, a pumpkin into a coach, mice into horses, and a rat into a coachman.

The rules were the same, she had to be home before midnight or her gown would turn into rags and her coach back into a pumpkin.

In this version, I did like that at the ball, Cinderella went out of her way to be kind to her stepsisters, talking to them and offering them lemons and oranges.  Of course, they didn't recognize her, but they remembered the beautiful woman who was so kind to them.

The ball was a two night event and on the second night, Cinderella was having so much fun, she forgot to watch the time.  As the clock struck midnight, she rushed from the castle, leaving her glass slipper behind.

The prince searched high and low for the woman who would fit the glass slipper.  Yes, the stepsisters tried, but it didn't fit.  No one cut off their toes or their heels (seriously, Brothers Grimm?)

Cinderella watched her stepsisters try it on before asking if she could try.  Her stepsisters and stepmother laughed, but the men who brought the slipper had been instructed to have every woman in the kingdom to try it on.  

Of course, the slipper fit.  And then Cinderella reached into her pocket and pulled out the matching slipper.  At that moment, her fairy godmother appeared, waved her wand, and turned Cinderella's rags into a gown.  Her stepsisters recognized her as the woman at the ball and fell to their knees, begging her forgiveness.  Cinderella asked the to stand and told them she forgave them and all she asked in return is that they love her.  

Cinderella married the prince and lived happily ever after.  She even opened the castle to give her stepsisters a home and she found them lords of the court to marry.

I don't know.  Maybe I'm cynical.  Maybe I'm Cinderella'd out.  But this book didn't do much for me. I appreciate Marcia Brown's talent, she really is a wonderful illustrator and author, as evidenced by her 6 Caldecott Honor books and 3 Caldecott Medal winning books, and my love of Stone Soup is well known, but I'm not quite sure what it was about this book that set it so high above all the other books that came out in 1954.

 This is definitely a much more kid friendly version of Cinderella than the Brothers Grimm and it is a beautiful alternative to the Disney version.  I really love how Cinderella treats her stepsisters.  What causes this story to stand above the other versions is Cinderella's generosity to the women who had been so cruel to her.  It is a wonderful lesson in forgiveness and kindness.

1955 Caldecott Honor Books
Marguerite De Angeli's Book of Nursery & Mother Goose Rhymes illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli Wheel on the Chimney illustrated by Tibor Gregely, written by Margaret Wise Brown
The Thanksgiving Story illustrated by Helen Sewell, written by Alice Dalgliesh

1951 - The Egg Tree

The fourteenth book to be awarded the Caldecott Medal was The Egg Tree by Katherine Milhous, published in 1950 by Scribner.

The Egg Tree tells the story of a brother and sister, Carl and Katy, spending Easter with their grandmother and cousins on a farm in Pennsylvania's Dutch Country.  On Easter morning, Katy and Carl took part in their first Easter Egg hunt, but while all the other children seemed to be successful, Katy wasn't able to find any eggs.  Feeling disappointed, Katy wanders up to the attic where she finds a beautiful surprise that leads to a new family tradition.

Who was Katherine Milhous?

I wasn't able to find a picture of Katherine Milhous, so here is her autograph.

Katherine was born into a family of Quakers on November 27, 1894 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Her parents, Katherine and Osborn Milhous made their living as printers.  When Milhous was young, her family moved to Pitman, New Jersey, but she later returned to Philadelphia to attend the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art, now the school is known as The University of the Arts and the museum is the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Milhous helped to pay for her school by illustrating magazines and in 1934, she won the Cresson Traveling Scholarship, which allowed her to study overseas. Returning home to Philadelphia, she shared a studio for the next forty years with fellow artist and friend, Frances Litchen.

From 1935-1940, Milhous worked as a supervisor for the Philadelphia Federal Art Project, a branch of the Works Progress Administration.  During this time, she created posters that promoted Pennsylvania using the Pennsylvania Dutch designs Milhous admired.

One of Milhous' WPA posters

During an exhibition at a Federal Art Project gallery, Alice Dalgliesh, the head of the Children's Book division of Charles Scribner's & Sons, saw some of Milhous' artwork and hired her as a staff designer.

During her time with Charles Scribner's & Sons, Milhous teamed up with Dalgliesh to co-write and illustrate several books.  She also illustrated books for other authors, including Mabel Leigh Hunt and Lorraine Sherwood.  Milhouse wrote and illustrated eleven books of her own.

Katherine Milhouse died in Pennsylvania on December 5, 1977.

The Illustrations

As I've been writing this blog, the first thing I do is read the book, then I do my research on the illustrator.  I like going into these books with an open mind and no background knowledge.  I don't read the book flaps or the author bio in the back and, in the case of The Egg Tree, I did not read the author's acknowledgements in the beginning of this book.  But I did recognize the Pennsylvania Dutch influence right away.

I have spent the majority of my life living in south central Pennsylvania, I am very familiar with Lancaster and the Amish community.  I noticed the Hex sign on the side of the barn and the use of tulips in the artwork, tulips were used to represent faith, hope, and charity in German folk art.

The feel of the artwork and colors used, not to mention the inclusion of horse and buggies, were all familiar to me.

The Egg Tree takes place on Easter morning when young Katy wakes up as the rooster crows.  She is excited to get started on her first egg hunt with her brother Carl and their cousins Susy, Luke, Johnny, and Appolonia.

The egg hunt took place all over the farm, in the barn, the garden, and then into their grandmother's house.  Katy and Carl were so disappointed to see all their cousins, even little Appolonia, find eggs.  Finally, Carl found some eggs hidden in the branches of the magnolia tree.  They all moved into the house to hunt for eggs in the kitchen.

Feeling let down by the Easter Rabbit, Katy decided to check one last place: the attic.  Hidden in a hat box, nestled inside an old beaver hat, were five beautifully painted eggs.

When Katy took the eggs downstairs, her grandmother was surprised and pleased to see the eggs she had painted herself when she had been a young girl.  She explained to the grandchildren that the eggs were hollow, dyed and hand-painted.  Grandmom allowed each child to pick an egg to keep, but the children couldn't decide what to do with these eggs they couldn't eat.

Grandmom slipped out of the kitchen and returned with a small tree.  She then took thread, ran it around each egg, and hung them on the branches.  The children were thrilled with their egg tree.

The children all decided they wanted to paint their own eggs, so Grandmom showed them how to hollow out the eggs, dye them, and then either paint or carve the image into the shell.  With so many new eggs, the boy cousins went to the woods and brought back a small birch tree to hang all their eggs on.

They were all so excited about their beautiful egg tree, they held a party to share it with their neighbors and friends.

The following year, the children started weeks ahead of time painting eggs and putting up an even larger egg tree.  Word spread and people came from all over to see the egg tree, bringing gifts and baskets, and wooden eggs.

The Egg Tree is a sweet story told with beautiful, colorful artwork that will especially appeal to those with an interest in the Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish communities.  It tells of a simpler way off life and give families a great idea for an Easter craft they could create together, to start their own annual tradition.

The book even includes directions on the back of the book on how to hollow eggs and decorate them.

1951 Caldecott Honor Books

Dick Whittington and His Cat by Marcia Brown
The Two Reds, illustrated by Nicholas Mordvinoff, written by William Lipkind
If I Ran the Zoo (Classic Seuss) by Dr. Seuss
The Most Wonderful Doll in the World, illustrated by Helen Stone, written by Phyllis McGinley
T-Bone, the Baby Sitter by Clare Turlay Newberry

1944 - Many Moons

The seventh book to be awarded the Caldecott Medal was Many Moons written by James Thurber and illustrated by Louis Slobodkin, published in 1943 by Harcourt Brace, now a part of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Many Moons tells the story of Princess Lenore, a young girl who falls ill after eating too many raspberry tarts.  Her father, the King, will do anything to help his daughter feel better and when she asks for the moon, he calls in his wisest men to help get it for her.

The author of Many Moons is James Thurber, a well known author, cartoonist, playwright, and journalist.  When I was in school, there were few required reading assignments I truly enjoyed and even fewer that I actually finished (I loved reading and read more books than I can count, but if I didn't enjoy something, I just didn't finish it).  The three assigned readings I remember the best and loved the most were Arthur Miller's The Crucible, John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and James Thurber's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  I don't remember what grade I was in when we read Walter Mitty, but I remember rereading it several times before the assignment was over.

But, alas, this blog is about the Caldecott Medal and so we will talk about the illustrator.

Who was Louis Slobodkin?

Louis Slobodkin was born on February 19, 1903 in Albany, New York.  By the time he turned 15, Slobodkin knew he wasn't meant for traditional school and convinced his parents to allow him to dropout so he could attend Beaux-Arts Institute of Design in New York City.  Reportedly, he held a "one-man sit-down strike" until they allowed him to go.

He spent 5 years working odd jobs to pay his way at the Institute and during that time he was awarded The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Fellowship and 22 medals for life study, composition, and drawing.

At the age of 20 Slobodkin joined the merchant marines and traveled the world.  When he returned to the U.S., he began an apprenticeship in commercial art studios before becoming a sculptor's assistant in Europe.  He returned to New York City and got involved in several New Deal art projects and organizations.  

In 1927, Slobodkin married Florence Gersh, a poet and children's book author.  They went on to have two sons, Larry and Michael.

In 1938, the U.S. Treasury Section of Fine Arts put out a request for entries of sculpture that exemplified "the most unique example of American Unity" to be placed at the 1939 World's Fair.  Slobodkin entered and his work, a 15-foot steel and plaster rendering of a young Abraham Lincoln, called the Rail Joiner was chosen.

When Slobodkin and his wife arrived at the Fair to check on the statue, they were told it had been destroyed by sledgehammers.  It was later discovered Theodore Hayes, executive assistant to the federal commissioner, had the statue destroyed after a friend of the commissioner said she felt it was not in "good taste."

While on vacation at Cape Ann, Massachusetts in 1941, the Slobodkins met Eleanor and Rice Estes, two young librarians.  Eleanor convinced Slobodkin to collaborate with her on a children's book, The Moffats.  The book was such a success, they agreed to work together again on The Middle Moffat and Rufus M., as well as The Hundred Dresses.

All told, Slobodkin illustrated nearly 90 books, and wrote 50 of those books, including instructional books on sculpture and drawing.  He also teamed up with his wife on five books.

Louis Slobodkin died in May of 1975.

The Illustrations

The only way I can describe the illustrations in Many Moons is "whimsical abstract".

Princess Lenore in bed after eating too many raspberry tarts.

I love the colors and the small illustrations that frame the text on several of the pages.

Princess Lenore ate too many raspberry tarts and is sent to bed after becoming ill.  When her father the King is sent for, he appears at her bedside and tells her he will do anything to help her feel better.  Princess Lenore asks for the moon, her father vows get it for her.

And so the King calls the Lord High Chamberlain, the Royal Wizard, and the Royal Mathematician to his throne and asks them how they can get the moon for his daughter.

Lord High Chamberlain, Royal Wizard, and Royal Mathematician

Each man tells the King the moon is too far away and too big.  At a loss, the King calls his Royal Jester to come and sing for him.  When the Jester asks the King what is wrong, the Jester comes up with idea of asking the Princess how far away she thinks the moon is and how big she thinks it is.  

The Princess tells the Jester she believes the moon is smaller than her thumbnail and just above the tree outside her window.

The Jester went to the Royal Goldsmith and asked him to make a small gold moon, smaller than the Princess' thumbnail, and to put it on a gold chain so the Princess may wear it around her neck.

The next morning, the Jester took the moon to the princess and she was thrilled.  The following day she was well enough to get out of bed and play.

But the king was concerned that the Princess might fall ill again if she saw the moon in the sky that night.  He once again called the Lord High Chamberlain, the Royal Wizard, and the Royal Mathematician to help.  But the ideas they came up with just wouldn't work.

Set off fireworks all night to camouflage the moon?

So, the king called his Royal Jester again to sing to him and try to make him feel better.

The Jester suggested they ask Princess Lenore what she thought about the moon returning to the sky.

The Jester raced up the stairs to see the Princess

The Princess assuaged the Jester's fears by explaining that when she loses a tooth, a new tooth grows in it's place.  The moon is just like that.

I loved this book, so much.  It is such a wonderful story that shows how adults tend to lose their imagination as they grow up and over complicate the simplest things.  The Lord High Chamberlain, Royal Wizard, and Royal Mathematician were considered the wisest men in all the world, but they used analysis and facts and figures when all that was needed to get Princess Lenore the moon was a little girl's imagination.

When I first started reading this book and Princess Lenore asked for the moon, I was afraid she would be portrayed as a spoiled brat, a little Veruca Salt.  Instead, she proved to be the wisest person in the King's court.

I found it strange that in 1990, Many Moons was rereleased with new illustrations by Marc Simont:

They are beautiful watercolors and there is a foreword by James Thurber's daughter where she admits it was a difficult decision to agree to the reprint.  Personally, I have no opinion one way or the other when it comes to reprints (except for books that are changed because of a movie, that annoys me) but when your picture book wins the highest award for illustrations, it just seems like an unnecessary money-grab.

1944 Caldecott Honor Books
Small Rain: Verses From the Bible, illustrated by Elizabet Orton Jones, text selected by Jessie Orton James Pierre Pidgeon, illustrated by Arnold E. Bare, written by Lee Kingman The Mighty Hunter, written and illustrated by Berta & Elmer Hader A Child's Good Night Book, illustrated by Jean Charlot, written by Margaret Wise Brown Good - Luck Horse, illustrated by Plato Chan, text written by Chih - Yi Chan