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