SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Pearl's & Ruby's
  • Politics in Practice
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • *Best New Books*
    • Annual Best Lists
  • Reviews
    • One Star Review
    • Nonfiction
    • Toon Reviews
  • Articles
    • Authors
    • Link Du Jour
  • Covers
    • Covering the Newbery
    • Cover Curiosity
    • Unfortunate Covers
  • News
    • Books on Film
    • Morning Notes
  • Newsletter

December 7, 2011 by Travis Jonker

The Caldecott Challenge (Part III)

December 7, 2011 by Travis Jonker   6 comments

Part I | Part II | Part IV | Part V

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Well, if you looked closely at the video above, you already know what I’m about to say (unless you assume my hair got shorter because they are now providing haircuts in the library) – I was not successful in my quest to read every Caldecott-winning book in one day. Or, to put it another, more harsh way…

Yep, right after Sam, Bangs & Moonshine I was forced to call it a day.

But that doesn’t mean I called it quits! I just needed to modify the wording of my challenge. Here goes:

Read Every Caldecott-winning book in one day

So read them all I did (it just took an extra trip (actually, two)).

1967: Sam, Bangs & Moonshine by Evaline Ness (Holt)

1968: Drummer Hoff , illustrated by Ed Emberley; text: adapted by Barbara Emberley (Prentice-Hall)

1969: The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship , illustrated by Uri Shulevitz; text: retold by Arthur Ransome (Farrar)

1970: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (Windmill Books)

1971: A Story A Story , retold and illustrated by Gail E. Haley (Atheneum)

1972: One Fine Day , retold and illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian (Macmillan)

1973: The Funny Little Woman , illustrated by Blair Lent; text: retold by Arlene Mosel (Dutton)

1974: Duffy and the Devil , illustrated by Margot Zemach; retold by Harve Zemach (Farrar)

1975: Arrow to the Sun by Gerald McDermott (Viking)

1976: Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears , illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon; text: retold by Verna Aardema (Dial)

1977: Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions , illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon; text: Margaret Musgrove (Dial)

1978: Noah’s Ark by Peter Spier (Doubleday)

1979: The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble (Bradbury)

1980: Ox-Cart Man , illustrated by Barbara Cooney; text: Donald Hall (Viking)

1981: Fables by Arnold Lobel (Harper)

Reflections: The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship! Noah’s Arc! In this crop, those two were two standouts for me. Things are definitely becoming more modern. It’s cool to see how the picture book form slowly becomes less traditional over the years.

Progress: Seeing as the whole “in one day” thing is out the window, I’m feeling free to take my time a bit more, which is probably how one should do this in the first place.

Learn from my mistakes! Here are my tips for doing what I could not:

  1. You need to get into the library as soon as that sucker opens, to get the maximum amount of time. If you go on a day when the library stays open late, even better.
  2. Leave as many of your electronic devices at home as possible. While the camera wasn’t my downfall, it definitely held things up a bit.

Tune in tomorrow for Part VI.

Filed under: Articles

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

A Fuse #8 Production

Review of the Day: Freya and the Snake by Fredrik Sonck, ill. Jenny Lucander

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Love in the Palm of His Hand, vol. 1 | Review

by Renee Scott

Heavy Medal

July Suggestions: Looking for Mock Newbery Contenders

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Politics in Practice

When Book Bans are a Form of Discrimination, What is the Path to Justice?

by John Chrastka

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Book Review: The Dead of Summer by Ryan La Sala

by Riley Jensen

The Yarn

How Colby Sharp Celebrates Reading with Students

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

SLJ’s 2024 Best Books Cover Unveiled. Download a PDF of the Full List.

Best Young Adult Books 2024 | SLJ Best Books

Best Picture Books 2024 | SLJ Best Books

Best Nonfiction Middle to High School 2024 | SLJ Best Books

Best Nonfiction Elementary 2024 | SLJ Best Books

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brenda Kahn says

    December 7, 2011 at 6:23 am

    It was an ambitious undertaking, especially if you wanted to be at all evaluative of the changing styles of “distinctive.”

    bk

    • Travis says

      December 7, 2011 at 7:03 am

      I think my biggest mistake was not using every minute that the library was open. I definitely think this can be done.

  2. Ed Spicer says

    December 7, 2011 at 7:30 am

    When I was on Caldecott, I read MANY MANY winners (and honor books). I own quite a few, some at my house and many more in my classroom. I did not know, however, that Herrick has this collection. Nice to know! I am assuming that they have a complete Newbery collection too? However, with the exception of one honor book from the 20s and three or four honor books from the 30s, I have in my home a complete collection of Newbery books, both winners and honors. Nice job, Travis. I guess you are trying to make sure that I vote for you!

    • Travis says

      December 7, 2011 at 10:31 am

      So do I have your vote?

      • Ed says

        December 7, 2011 at 9:04 pm

        Even before you asked.

  3. Elizabeth says

    December 7, 2011 at 7:33 am

    What’s impressive is the lasting power of books that win this award (or is it that the winners stay in print longer, or both?) I remembered almost every single one of even the earliest winners from my childhood (and I’m not that old).

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Author/Illustrator Blogs

    • Erin Stead Illustration
    • Hey, Rabbit!
    • James Preller's Blog
    • MATTHEWCORDELLBLOGS
    • Mo Willems Doodles
    • The Scop
  • Book Blogs I Like

    • A Book and a Hug
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • A Kids Book a Day
    • A Year of Reading
    • Abby (the) Librarian
    • Awful Library Books
    • Becky’s Book Reviews
    • Better Book Titles
    • Book-A-Day Almanac
    • Bookends
    • books4yourkids.com
    • bookshelves of doom
    • Bottom Shelf Books
    • Calling Caldecott
    • Caustic Cover Critic
    • Chad C. Beckerman
    • Charlotte’s Library
    • Cheryl Rainfield
    • Chicken Spaghetti
    • CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION
    • Collecting Children’s Books
    • Cybils
    • EarlyWord
    • educating alice
    • Finding Wonderland
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Good Show Sir
    • GottaBook
    • Great Kid Books
    • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
    • Hi Miss Julie!
    • Jen Robinson’s Book Page
    • Kidsmomo
    • Maria T. Middleton Design
    • Nerdy Book Club
    • Neverending Search
    • Nine Kinds of Pie
    • One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books
    • Out of the Box
    • Oz and Ends
    • PlanetEsme
    • Read Roger
    • Reading Rants!
    • Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
    • sharpread
    • ShelfTalker
    • so tomorrow
    • The Children's Book Review
    • The Miss Rumphius Effect
    • Uncovered Cover Art
    • Waking Brain Cells
    • Watch. Connect. Read.
  • Library Blogs

    • ALSC Blog
    • Blue Skunk Blog
    • librarian.net
    • LISNews
    • Stephen's Lighthouse
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Unshelved
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books 2024
    • 2024 Stars So Far
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Pearls & Rubys
    • Politics in Practice
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • Reasons to Love Libraries
    • 2025 Youth Media Awards
    • Defending the Canon:SLJ & NCTE Review 15 Banned Classics
    • Refreshing the Canon Booklist
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Read Free Poster
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2025


    COPYRIGHT © 2025