Hi All! It’s Becky. I’m back for another Mock Mondays! This week I will be sharing with you a picture book that I think should be considered for the Caldecott Award. If you are unfamiliar with the award it is given by the American Library Association to the illustrator that gave the most distinguished contribution to children’s literature.
Title: The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read
Author: Rita Lorraine Hubbard
Illustrator: Oge Mora
Summary: Mary Walker was born a slave and lived for more than 12 decades as the world changed and she experienced new things. Mary lived through the death of two husbands, three children, war, and social change. Yet, she never gave up and took on the challenge to learn to read later in life.
Caldecott Considerations: Mora created a book filled with colorful and vibrant collage illustrations that mirror Mary Walker’s story. The painted backgrounds change tone based on what Mary was experiencing with the sadder moments being done in a darker palate and the happy moments being shown with brighter hues. However, the most interesting part of the book is the way the illustrator integrated book pages throughout the story as a reminder of all the words Mary could not experience and illustrate how the world of books open up to her after she learned to read. Mora received Caldecott Honors for Thank You, Omu! and she may win the medal this year for this beautiful book.
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