Saturday, December 15, 2007

What's the most popular Caldecott Medal book?

Based on my informal poll, the answer is definitely Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. It swept the field with The Snowy Day by Era Jack Keats in a slightly distant second place and The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg and Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey tied for third.

And that doesn't surprise me at all. I've aways considered Where the Wild Things Are to be one of the most famous and popular Caldecott medal books. It is interesting, though, that in the top three, the most recent book is from 1986. I was also surprised that Black and White, the multi-layered groundbreaking book by David Macaulay only got one vote.


Question: What are your favorite Caldecott Medal books?

1st place: 19 votes
1964: Where the Wild Things Are

2nd place: 15 votes
1963: The Snowy Day

3rd place: 12 votes each
1986: The Polar Express
1942: Make Way for Ducklings

4th place: 11 votes each
1996: Officer Buckle and Gloria
1943: The Little House

5th place: 10 votes
1970: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

6th place: 9 votes
2007: Flotsam

7th place: 7 votes each
2000: Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
1985: Saint George and the Dragon
1982: Jumanji
1976: Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears

8th place: 6 votes each
2005: Kitten's First Full Moon
2004: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

9th place: 5 votes each
2006: The Hello, Goodbye Window
1998: Rapunzel
1988: Owl Moon

10th place: 4 votes each
2002: The Three Pigs
2001: So You Want to Be President?
1999: Snowflake Bentley
1954: Madeline's Rescue

11th place: 3 votes each
2003: My Friend Rabbit
1994: Grandfather's Journey
1993: Mirette on the High Wire
1992: Tuesday
1990: Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China
1989: Song and Dance Man
1971: A Story A Story
1968: Drummer Hoff
1944: Many Moons

12th place: 2 votes each
1995: Smoky Night
1987: Hey, Al
1981: Fables
1980: Ox-Cart Man
1958: Time of Wonder
1957: A Tree Is Nice
1956: Frog Went A-Courtin'

13th place: 1 vote each
1991: Black and White
1984: The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot
1974: Duffy and the Devil
1973: The Funny Little Woman
1972: One Fine Day
1962: Once a Mouse
1961: Baboushka and the Three Kings
1955: Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper
1950: Song of the Swallows
1949: The Big Snow
1948: White Snow, Bright Snow

Last place: 0 votes each
1997: Golem
1983: Shadow
1979: The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
1978: Noah's Ark
1977: Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
1975: Arrow to the Sun
1969: The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
1967: Sam, Bangs & Moonshine
1966: Always Room for One More
1965: May I Bring a Friend?
1960: Nine Days to Christmas
1959: Chanticleer and the Fox
1953: The Biggest Bear
1952: Finders Keepers
1951: The Egg Tree
1947: The Little Island
1946: The Rooster Crows
1945: Prayer for a Child
1941: They Were Strong and Good
1940: Abraham Lincoln
1939: Mei Li
1938: Animals of the Bible, A Picture Book

4 comments:

  1. I voted in your poll but can't remember which I voted for. I like so many of those books. But I haven't even heard of the David Macaulay book you mentioned. I will have to find it at the library and give it a try.

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  2. Sea Star- I like so many of the books too... they're wonderful, aren't they?

    I highly recommend David Macaulay's Black and White. It's four separate stories that gradually come together. It's a book you have to read several times. In my humble opinion, I think it's groundbreaking because it showed that a picture book didn't have to be a straight story. I think it paved the way for books such as David Wiesner's The Three Pigs.

    If you so check it out at your library, I'd love to hear what you think!

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  3. I was never a fan of Black and White. I give it credit for breaking the mold of straight story, but I just didn't like it. My all time favorite is Tuesday by David Wiesner, which I believe is completely superior to Flotsam - which I hated! But that's just me :)

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  4. Cary's girl- Makes sense to me. I think Black and White is a rather...ummm... black and white book. Either you love it, or it just doesn't do it for you.
    I have to say that Flotsam has really grown on me.... I get a little more out of it every time I read it, but I certainly know lots of people who didn't like it very much.

    Tuesday also took a little while to grow on me, but now I love it.

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