1949 - The Big Snow

The twelfth book to be awarded the Caldecott Medal was The Big Snow by Berta and Elmer Hader, published in 1948 by MacMillan.

The Big Snow is the second snow themed book to win the Caldecott Medal in two years.  I was not overly impressed with White Snow, Bright Snow, but I really enjoyed The Big Snow.  While the previous winner concentrated on how a big snow storm affected four people in town, The Big Snow tells how the animals prepare for winter and how they survive after a particularly big snowstorm.

Who were Berta and Elmer Hader?

Berta Hoerner was born on August 1, 1890 in San Pedro, Coahuila, Mexico.  When Berta was three, her family moved to Amarillo, Texas.  Inspired by her mother's colorful sketches of Mexico, Berta took art classes and she became an avid reader, winning literary and artistic prizes.

Berta's father died when she was five years old.  Her family moved to northeast America and then moved again in 1909 to Seattle Washington.  She continued with her painting and reading before going on to attend the University of Washington School of Journalism.  Berta apprenticed at Western Engraving Company where she learned printing and fashion design, illustration, and printing skills.  Her supervisor eventually asked Berta to take over the freelance fashion illustration business in San Francisco, which she did, after a brief stopover in Carmel, California to attend art school.

While living in San Francisco, Berta befriended Rose Wilder Lane and the two women ended up renting a studio together.  It was at this studio where Berta first met Elmer Hader.

Elmer Hader was born on September 7, 1889 in Pajaro, California, but he spent much of his early years in San Francisco.  He was in the National Guard at the age of 16 and helped to restore order after the Great San Francisco Earthquake in 1906.  He worked on a survey party up the American River and returned to San Francico to work as a firefighter in the State Belt Railroad.  Using the money he earned from his work, Elmer paid for his first term at California School of design, earning scholarships to pay for the rest of his schooling.

Elmer was also involved in theater and vaudeville acts in France and the U.S.  He would do "Painting in a Minute" acts and a living statue routine that were so successful that he even considered giving up his career as an artist to become a full-time performer.  Instead, he returned to San Francisco and set up a studio in his parent's attic, where he painted, taught art, and arranged exhibits.  

Elmer and Berta met in San Francisco where they were a part of a larger group of artists and became good friends.  Elmer was drafted by the U.S. Army and was sent to France in 1918.  In 1919, Berta was invited to New York City by Bessie Beatty, the editor of McCall's magazine, to work in fashion design illustration.  Around that same time, Elmer was returning home but decided to go to New York instead of San Francisco.  The two were married in July 1919.

The Haders built a home in the small town of Grand View-on-Hudson.  Since they were building by hand with the help of their friends, it took over twenty years to complete the home.  In the early 1920's, they had a son, Hamilton, who died just after his third birthday from meningitis.  The Haders retreated to Maine for a while to grieve, but then returned to New York to continue their work.

Using Berta's connections, the two of them used their talents to prepare cut-out children's sections for Good Housekeeping, McCall's, Pictorial Review, Asia, Century, and The Christian Science Monitor.  When the U.S. Postal Service stopped allowing cut-out sections in magazines, the Haders decided to go a different route.  They signed a contract with MacMillan Publishing for a series of children's books, putting out such books as: Mother Goose Picture Book and The Mighty Hunter.

In total, the Haders illustrated more than 70 books, writing about half of them, before they retired in 1964.  Writer John Steinbeck was so impressed with their 1936 book Billy Butter,, that he asked Elmer to do the cover of his book The Grapes of Wrath.  Elmer would go on to do the covers of Steinbeck's East of Eden (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics)  and The Winter of Our Discontent (Penguin Classics).

Elmer Hader died on his 84th birthday, September 7, 1973.  Berta died just a few years later on February 6, 1976.

The Illustrations

The illustrations in The Big Snow alternate between color and black and white.  The story begins with Mrs. Cottontail seeing the the flock of geese flying south.  She explains to her littlest rabbit that means winter is coming and he needs to eat plenty of cabbage leaves and carrot tops to help grow his thick winter coat.

"He couldn't speak because his mouth was full of carrot tops."

The book follows the geese as they fly over a little groundhog, Mrs. Chipmunk, a blue jay, a couple of cardinals, some song sparrows and robins, a brown wood rat, two ring-necked pheasants, three black crows, squirrels, white-footed wood mice,  and white-tailed deer who all knew the sign of the impending winter.

We then move on to the "hill-dwellers" and see the skunks, raccoons, rabbits, and mice prepare for winter and frolic in the snow.

But it is the night after Christmas when the wise owls saw the "rainbow around the moon".  That could only mean one thing.  A BIG snowstorm is coming.

I love, love, LOVE how the Haders showed the worry in the animals' faces as they realized what was coming.

A big storm comes in over night, weighing down trees and covering houses.

The next morning, the birds, rabbits, and hill-dwellers are hungry.  But when they go searching for food, all they find is snow everywhere!

But then the jay birds caught sight of an old man in a red cap shoveling his walkway.  

Behind the old man, an old woman came out of the house and sprinkled nuts and seeds and breadcrumbs on the snow and walkway.

The jays returned to the hungry animals and told them what they found.  The birds and deer and rabbits all hurried down to the house to get their fill of nuts and seeds and breadcrumbs.

The Big Snow is a wonderful story, particularly for any young animal lovers.  It explains hibernation and which animals hibernate and which do not.  It also gives you the great idea of helping animals who need to hunt and can't because of a large storm.  Showing the woman doing something as simple as scattering seeds, nuts, and breadcrumbs for the animals was a nice touch.

This was a sweet story, a little long for younger kids, but very informative for kids who are a little older, maybe 6 and up.  But this is definitely a book you want in the library of a young animal lover.

1949 Caldecott Honor Books

Blueberries for Sal (Viking Kestrel picture books) by Robert McCloskey
All Around the Town, illustrated by Helen Stone, written by Phyllis McGinley
Juanita, by Leo Politi

Fish in the Air by Kurt Wiese

1948 - White Snow Bright Snow

The eleventh book to be awarded the Caldecott Medal was White Snow, Bright Snow, written by Alvin Tresselt and illustrated by Roger Duviosin, published in 1947 by Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, now a part of HarperCollins.

White Snow, Bright Snow is a poem full of nostalgia.  In the back of the book, Alvin Tresselt is quoted as explaining how this book came to be: "White Snow, Bright Snow had its beginning as I walked down the street in New York City in a snowy winter night.  The poem came first, and the verses all but wrote themselves in my head as I walked along."

I will be honest, the book feels dated, but in a sweet nostalgic way.  The illustrations are not my favorite, I don't particularly care for how people are portrayed, but I do like the brightly colored houses and cars and I think the snowman is the best one I've ever seen.

Who was Roger Duvoisin?

Roger Duvoisin was born on August 28, 1900 in Geneva, Switzerland into a family of art lovers.  At a young age he took an interest in music, but it was his father, an architect, who steered him towards art and design.  He worked on designing and painting murals, posters, and theater scenery.  Duvoisin moved to Paris where he studied art at a public university before finding a job with American silk goods manufacturer, HR Mallinson & Co.  

In 1925, Duvoisin and his wife, Louise Fatio, moved from France to America.  When the Depression hit, HR Mallinson & Co. went bankrupt and Duvoisin turned to children's books and illustrations.

His first book, A Little Boy Drawing, was published in 1932, but failed to catch on.  His second book, Donkey-Donkey, proved to be very popular.

Duvoisin moved his family to Gladstone, New Jersey where he could be close to New York City and still have room to be surrounded by the animals he loved in a more country setting.  He authored and illustrated several books including the very popular Petunia and Veronica series.

In 1947, Duvoisin teamed up with author Alvin Tresselt for the first time to work on White Snow, Bright Snow.  They would go on to collaborate on thirteen other children's books, including: Hide and Seek Fog (Mulberry Books)  (a 1966 Caldecott Honor Book), Autumn Harvest, and The Beaver Pond.

Duvoisin also illustrated the The Happy Lion (Read to a Child!: Level 2) series, written by his wife, Louise Fatio.

Duvoisin passed away in June of 1980.

The Illustrations

This is my favorite illustration in the entire book.

White Snow, Bright Snow follows a postman, a farmer, a policeman, and the policeman's wife as a big snow storm rolls in.

The postman said it looked like snow; the farmer said it smelled like snow; the policeman said it felt like snow; the policeman's wife said her big toe hurt.

According to Tresselt: "I recalled my mother saying that her big toe always hurt whenever it was going to snow.  This brought to mind the ways other people could tell it was going to snow, and I applied these to my cast of characters: the farmer, the postman, the policeman, and of course his practical-minded wife."

I really liked Duvoisin's use of color, but I am not really a fan of how the people looked.  This is personal preferance, but their bright red faces struck me as odd, not rosy-cheeked.

I really like the colors in the quilt.

I love the bright primary colors of the homes against the white of the blanket of snow.

And I felt the line "Automobiles looked like big fat raisins buried in the snowdrifts" painted a perfect picture of a car in the snow.

Of course, there were images of children at play in brightly colored coats.

As Tresselt said: "What would snow be without children to enjoy it!"

White Snow, Bright Snow is a sweet, nostalgic story with colorful illustrations.  Does it stand the test of time? Meh.  I think I'm old enough to find it sweet, but would I go out and buy for a kid today?  Probably not.  

But I would love a poster sized image of the completed snowman.

1948 Caldecott Honor Books

Stone Soup (Aladdin Picture Books) by Marcia Brown  McElligot's Pool (Classic Seuss) by Dr. Seuss
Bambino the Clown by Georges Schreiber
Roger and the Fox illustrated by Hildegard Woodward, written by Lavinia R. Davis
The Song of Robin Hood illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton, written by Anne Malcolmson

1947 - The Little Island

The tenth book to be awarded the Caldecott Medal was The Little Island, written by Golden MacDonald and illustrated by Leonard Weisgard, published in 1946 by Doubleday.

This sweet little book begins by showing the arrival of spring and summer to a tiny island that is happily sitting in the middle of the ocean, enjoying the changing seasons.  One day, a kitten comes to the island on a small sailboat with his people, for a picnic.  The kitten and the island have a conversation, where the kitten learns the meaning of faith.

While researching this title I learned that Golden MacDonald is a pseudonym for Margaret Wise Brown.  Yup, Margaret "Goodnight Moon" Wise Brown.  Besides using her real name, Brown wrote under four pen names: Golden MacDonald, Timothy Hay, Juniper Sage, and Kaintuck Brown.

Besides The Little Island, Brown wrote four other books under the name Golden MacDonald, all five were collaborations with Leonard Weisburg: Red Light, Green Light (1944), Little Lost Lamb (1945) - a 1946 Caldecott Honor book, Little frightened tiger (1953), and Whistle for the train (1956).

Who was Leonard Weisgard?

Leonard Weisgard was the only child of Samuel and Fanny Weisgard, born on December 13, 1916 in New Haven, Connecticut.  He spent much of his young life in England, where his father was from, before the family moved back to the U.S. when he was 8 years old. 

After returning to America, Weisgard was disappointed with the books given to him at school.  He didn't like the illustrations and found them dull.  That was when his interest in illustrations began.

He studied art at the Pratt Institute and the New School For Social Research, both in New York City.  Weisgard then went on to study dance with Martha Graham before finding work as a window dresser at Macy's.  

His first illustrations appeared in such magazines as Good Housekeeping,  The New Yorker, and Harper's Bazaar.  

Weisgard  used many different techniques and colors in his illustrations, including poster paint, crayon, chalk, pen and ink, and stenciling.  Among his influences were primitive cave paintings, Gothic and Renaissance art, and avant-garde French illustrators of children's books of the 1920s.

His first book, Suki, the Siamese Pussy, was published in 1937, followed by an adaptation of Cinderella.

Weisgard went on to illustrate over 200 hundred books, including 23 titles he wrote himself and several collaborations with Margaret Wise Brown.  Besides the books I listed early, they also worked together on the popular The Noisy Book series: The Noisy Book Treasury (Dover Children's Classics).  For his complete bibliography, please check out Leonard Weisgard's website.

In 1951, Weisgard married Phyllis Mennot.  The Weisgards worked together often, creating set and costume designs, Leonard drew sketches while Phyllis made patterns.  They did several for the San Francisco Ballet, including The Nutcracker.

In 1969, the Weisgards and their three children moved to Denmark.  This was where he lived until his death on January 14, 2000.

The Illustrations

The Little Island is the story of, well, a little island.  This island sits in the ocean, seemingly all by itself.  Wind blows around it, birds fly over, fish swim past as tides rise and fall, and fog rolls in.  Spring arrives with spiders building webs and small flowers of white and blue and violet blooming.  Lobsters crawl in from the sea and seals lie on the sunny rocks with their babies.

This is my favorite illustration, I love the *pop* of white with the young seal pup in the middle of all the browns and greens.

 Kingfishers building their nests, gulls laying their eggs, and wild strawberries popping up mark the beginning of summer.

The illustration of the kingfishers is the brightest illustration in the book.

Then one sunny day, a little black cat comes to the island with his people for a picnic and the kitten is surprised by how small the island is.

The island, in return, points out how tiny the kitten is.  The kitten responds that he is part of the big world, but when the island tries to say he is too, the kitten disagrees, pointing out that the island is cut off from the land.  The island tells the kitten to ask any fish, which the kitten does.

"Answer me this or I'll eat you up," said the kitten.

The fish explains that "all land is one land under the sea" and that if the kitten would go into the water with him, he would show him.  The kitten explains he can't swim, so the fish says he must take it on faith that he is right.  When the kitten asked what faith was, the fish defined it as "To believe what I tell you about what you don't know."

The cat believed the fish and let him go before returning to his boat and sailing away.

Once again, the little island was alone with his seven big trees, seventeen small bushes, and one big rock.  And night came, bringing seven fireflies and a bat, waking the owl.

A storm blew in as days turned from summer to autumn to winter.  And the little island sat alone in the ocean.

The Little Island was laid out with color illustrations on the right hand page and the text on the left.  Several pages had black and white illustrations surrounding the text.

The Little Island is a sweet, though not necessarily memorable, book. I love how the fish explains faith to the kitten and I really enjoy how Weisgard uses pops of color to show a baby seal among adult seals or a wild strawberry, bright red in a field of green.

One final note: Leonard Weisgard won the 1947 Caldecott Medal and one of his other books was a 1947 Honor book as well.

1947 Caldcott Honor Books
Rain Drop Splash illustrated by Leonard Weisgard, written by Alvin Tresselt The Boats on the River illustrated by Jay Hyde Barnum, written by Marjorie Flack Timothy Turtle. illustrated by Tony Palazzo, written by Al Graham Pedro: The Angel of Olvera Street by Leo Politi Sing in Praise: A Collection of the Best Loved Hymns illustrated by Marjorie Torrey, text selected by Opal Wheeler