Reading Commentary One

I am currently enrolled in a children's literature class, and I think it is my favorite so far - if only because I now have a valid excuse reason to buy my favorite children's books. My most recent task was to write reviews on two Caldecott award winners of my choosing based on the "Guidelines for Critiquing Children's Picture Books". Picking two criteria for each book from the list, here is what I came up with...

The Little House, written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton

- Narrative Elements:

The appearance of the text works in tangent with the illustrations, mirroring what is happening on each page. It is chronologically written going from the time the house is built, until she is moved and restored. It begins “Once upon a time…”, and ends where it begins: in spring, on a hill in the country surrounded by daisies, and two apple trees. There are no gaps, but we never learn much about the people in the story as the focus is on the Little House. There are no obvious borders separating things, and the artwork and text tend to share space.

- Peritextual Elements:

Upon looking at the cover of the book, there is an illustration of a happy, anthropomorphic, pink house. It is reasonable to presume that the story about her (we know it is a “female” house because written on the cover on the houses’ walkway is Her Story). On the back cover is a giant white daisy with a smiling sun in the middle. This mirrors the smiling sun above the house on the front cover and the daisies present on the titles’ decoration. This suggests that they play a part in the story as well (upon reading they help set various moods in the illustrations).The front and back end pages are the same, but show the Little House at different stages of her existence throughout the books; this is blatant, yet visually adorable, foreshadowing. There are no emblems, illustrator/author notes, or book jacket. There is however, an “About the Author” portion at the end of the story, informing us that the events are based upon the authors’ house. The copy is an original from the first hardcover printing run, so the Caldecott award is absent as well. The title page informs that the book is a part of the Weekly Children’s Book Club, and that Virginia Lee Burton both wrote and illustrated the book; additionally, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston published the book. The Library of Congress summary tells us that it is copyright 1942, from the Weekly Reader Book Club, Primary Edition. The dedication page is to “Georgie”, with a large letter “D” scrawled over the “G” and “E”; this is obviously intentional and is possibly an inside joke.

This is not my Hat, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen

- Elements of Design

The art looks like watercolor and collage of some sort, but the Library of Congress message states that it is done “digitally and with Chinese ink”. The style reminds me of another story I read as a child that also received the Caldecott award (Alexander and the Wind-up Mouse, by Leo Lionni), which prompts me to wonder if Jon Klassen was influenced by his work at all. The black background throughout the book gives a feeling that it is deep in the ocean or night time (perhaps both). It could also be viewed as a little foreboding, considering the fate of the poor little fish in the end. The font appears to be rather standard, in bold print and larger than normal size. It is located either at the top of each page, or on its’ own white page next to the black background illustrations. There are no borders placed, but there are strips of white at the top of each page where text appears. The white next to the black creates an implied border, giving the story a timeline sort of feel. As the little fish is talking (the white) other things are happening around him (black). The illustrations are double page spreads throughout the book, except for the 3 pages that focus solely on the narrator (little fish). In this instance it is one illustration page next to a white background text page in lieu of the double page spread. The images throughout the book show us what is happening after the little fish has stolen the hat from the big fish, and the eventual (implied) demise of the little fish. I felt that the “disconnect” from text and images actually made the story more enjoyable as two different stories about the same scenario were being told with the text and the art.

- Overall Picturebook Design:

The format is horizontal, hardcover, and printed on high quality paper. The graphics are created using digital art and Chinese ink. I originally felt that the artwork was dark because of the black backgrounds, but as I continued I felt it made the art work stand out more. The entire book cover is black, and on the front is a fish wearing a hat with a trail of bubbles behind him. This gives the feeling that the story begins before the book is even opened.