Caldecott Club 2019: Session 3

First posted on November 12th, 2019

We had our third session on Thursday, November 7th and selected more books to send to our Voting Party. To refresh your memory, the Caldecott Award is the award for the most distinguished American picture book for children, given out each year by the Association for Library Service to Children. We talked about the Caldecott Award and considered what makes a good picture book. This week is Children’s Book Week, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary, so I received a couple posters created by award-winning author/illustrator Yuyi Morales to raffle off at the end of our program.

I shared how grown-up committee members have boxes of books delivered at their doorsteps when they receive submissions for the award. So I taped up a box of our books & had F., one of our Caldecott Club members, help me open it up and then we distributed the books.

The books we discussed in session 3 were:

When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukof, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

¡Vamos! Let’s Go to the Market by Raúl the Third, colors by Elaine Bay

At the Mountain’s Base by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre

My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero, illustrated by Zeke Peña

Here’s the necessary spoiler alert for all of these picture books.

Picture Walk

Rather than doing a formal read aloud of each book, we did picture walks. For the picture walk, we discussed each book’s visual features to examine the techniques the artists used and how they worked. Often I would prompt the group by asking them: How well does this book do what it’s trying to do? What did you notice? How does this page make you feel? What makes this art distinguished? I also found it very helpful to remind our group not to skip ahead in their copies of the book because we want to experience the often dramatic page turns in the picture walk together.

This session I tried to use our timer, but it’s SO hard to stop talking about books when I can only give us 10 minutes per book. I realized I selected longer, more visually and thematically complex books this session, which are all perfect for amazing conversations, but I needed like 3 more hours for this program to dive in to each of them… In the end, I am learning to accept that I may not discuss every spread of each book in detail but hopefully can help kids experience these books in new ways. It felt like a success when K. asked if the books were able to be checked out after the program; it’s clear he still had lots more he wanted to explore. One of the best parts of doing a program series is that I get to make changes to improve the program each time. I revised our note-taking handout to include more space for kids to write down ideas and notes that we might not get to share during the discussion, which was very successful. It was also fascinating to see the doodles that the kids created during by this program. I also reorganized the room so that everyone was sitting in a row of tables facing me. Simply changing the design of the space can transform the program itself!

I have to give a huge shout-out and thank you to Ms. Gaby, who joined this session, sharing her expertise and assistance, especially when dealing with tech issues, and generally being an awesome calming presence within the chaos I create. Thank you, Gaby!

When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukof, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

For this picture walk, I’m going to do something a little different since we discussed it during our Junior Justice League session in October, too, so I’m going to synthesize the discussion from these two programs.

I began our discussion with a pre-reading question about what should we do if we have a new family member or a new friend in our class or neighborhood? K. suggested that “if you have a new family member, you should be nice to them.” S. shared that you should make sure it’s safe and they’re happy. M. added that you should be quiet. A. asserted that “I would ask them what they need so they feel more at home.” M. shared “if they’re a baby, you can treat them the way you would like.” C. shared how he smiled and said hi to welcome what became his oldest friend. E. shared how her siblings helped prepare for her before she was born, including building the crib. I then prompted the group to think about how do we show love to our family/friends no matter what before doing our picture walk.

I began our discussion by asking how Aidan is feeling in the first spread, to which A. responded, “the parents don’t think the same way.” I then read the text of the page and we discussed how we know Aidan is not happy with the room. As we discussed the element of the room that didn’t work for Aidan, M. suggested that maybe Aidan feels “bored sad.” D. shared “he doesn’t like how he’s dressed.”

I pointed out that we were going to seek out the rule of threes throughout the book as a narrative structure, looking at Aidan’s name, room, and clothing. This understanding of the story was informed by an interview with Kyle Lukoff who said, “So when I wrote that first page of AIDAN, I hit on three points: his name, his room, and his clothes. And those three points, in that order–name, room, clothes–show up consistently as Aidan is transitioning. Then when the baby enters the picture, the three points invert, and we learn about the baby’s clothes, room, and name, and then Aidan’s anxieties revolve around the clothes, room, and name, keeping that order intact. It’s something that readers might not notice consciously unless they’re looking for it, but is crucial for making the story feel like a picture book instead of a truncated short story.” When we moved onto the accidentally-on-purpose spread, K. pointed out that on the previous page, he thought Aidan felt lonely, “and in this page, he’s disappointed that he feels like he’s not himself.” And then on the next page, when Aidan cuts his hair, K. declared, “it looks like him.” We talked about how Aidan is feeling after his haircut. An. suggested that “he’s eager to see his parents’ faces, so they can realize something.” P. suggested that “he’s happy because he can be himself.” A. shared that “I think that Aidan felt trapped on the inside before and when he cut his hair, he feels like he’s free, flying like a bird.” This beautiful comment predicted the future painting spread perfectly. We talked about how his parents react to him telling them that he is a boy. Ya. suggested that “they feel proud and relieved – because he’s got bravery.” We talked about the importance of finding community.

The kids then noticed the rule of threes in the newly decorated room, his name and his clothing. The kids pointed out his fantastic pink shoes!

They then applied this same rule of three to his concerns about the new baby. We talked about Aidan’s concerns about being a big brother, knowing “a big brother was an important job for a boy like him. He wanted to make sure this boy would feel understood right away.” We noticed Aidan’s body language when people ask him and his parents about the baby’s gender and the way that makes him feel. Our group gasped with wonder when they saw Aidan and his dad painting the room for the new baby, and I made sure to refer back to A.’s comment about Aidan feeling like he’s flying. M. noticed the different shapes of the clouds, which provoked our entire group to shout out the things that they could see.

When Aidan is under his covers and tells his mom his worries, “I don’t want them to feel like I did when I was little, but what if I get everything wrong? What if I don’t know how to be a good big brother?” I stopped to ask the group what they would say to Aidan. Immediately, B. said, “Don’t worry, buddy,” trying to comfort Aidan. I wish I could have had time to hear everyone’s responses, but I know these kids were thinking deeply about ways to support Aidan. I shared Aidan’s mom’s beautiful response: “When you were born, we didn’t know you were going to be our son. We made some mistakes, but you helped us fix them…. And you taught us how important it is to love someone for exactly who they are. This baby is so lucky to have you and so are we.” I shared Kyle’s message from his interview on The Children’s Book Podcast with Matthew Winner for young people: “I want to tell them that they teach your parents and those around them to love them for who they are – and that we are so lucky to have them here.” I then shared the dramatic page turn when the baby is born and Aidan officially becomes a big brother. A. pointed out that the balloons say, “it’s a baby,” showing how the parents understand more. In their notes, Ya. wrote: “I like how he was proud and didn’t want the baby to go through what he was going through.” D. wrote: “I like the part when he cuts his hair. I like the art.”

¡Vamos! Let’s Go to the Market by Raúl the Third, Colored by Elaine Bay

I began our picture walk by sharing some background information about the author/illustrator, Raúl the Third. He said in a Let’s Talk Picture Books interview, “The idea was simply to introduce readers to the amazing part of the world that I grew up in. I was born and raised in the bordertowns of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Each book will celebrate a different part of the culture and location. The first book is about the Mercado because hands down the Mercado Cuauhtemoc in Juarez has been so influential in my life as an artist.” Later in the program, I was able to share pictures of the Mercado and discuss how this real place is depicted in this fictionalize world. I told the kids briefly about the collaborative process between Raúl and Elaine, which truly are a superteam. The colors and textures make this book come to life. I wish I could have spent more time discussing how Elaine Bay uses color.

Interestingly, while the premise of this book is informed by Richard Scarry’s Busytown series, the kids were not familiar with his books. The kids were super excited to learn and speak the Spanish words, finding them throughout the book and figuring them out from the context clues. I told them about the glossary at the end, which is an excellent resource to share. “Another thing that makes a really good book is Easter eggs,” C. shared, expressing his understanding of the essence of this book with its dozens of simultaneous plots and characters. I told them that we couldn’t possibly notice everything in the 10-minutes or so we had to do our picture walk, so we were going to focus specifically on finding our favorite luchador, El Toro, to which C. declared, “that means bull.” The kids were happy when they found the El Toro balloon, which is just a fantastic Easter egg. This really is the perfect book to share using a document camera where you can help point out all of the details. We could have literally spent the entire session just on this book!

The kids loved the twist at the end (spoiler alert again) when Little Lobo brings the golden laces for El Toro’s mask and ends up meeting his hero, having his comic signed, and giving him a ride home. E. had a question about the difference between vamos and vámonos. Ms. Gaby shared her expertise and provided a lesson about the difference between vamos and vámonos. She shared that vamos means go! and vámonos means let’s go. This was a great opportunity for all of us to learn more Spanish! C. declared that this book was all caps awesome. S. shared that “I like when he lost his mask.” D. shared that, “I like it a lot. I like when he finds his mask.” I was so happy to share that there’s going to be a franchise of Vamos books, which include: Vamos! Let’s Go Eat! (spring 2020), El Toro and Friends: Training Day, Tag Team (both spring 2021), and Team Up (spring 2022), board books featuring Coco Rocho, who the kids loved, and ¡Vamos! Let’s Cross the Bridge (scheduled for fall 2021).

At the Mountain’s Base by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre

I will never forget the incredible discussions we had during last year’s Caldecott Club when we discussed We are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Frané Lessac. I knew that her latest book would spark powerful discussions – and I was right! I began our discussion by sharing background information about the creators of At the Mountain’s Base, telling the kids that Traci Sorell is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and Weshoyot Alvitre is Tongva (Los Angeles Basin) – so they are both Native women creating books today. When asked about the origins of this book, Traci shared in a Cynsations interview that “At the Mountain’s Base centers on a family waiting for their relative, a female pilot, to come home from war. I wanted to highlight the service of Native American women, which is all too often forgotten or left out of history books altogether.” We began our analysis with the endpapers, discussing the kids’ impressions of the art. I shared what I learned from the fantastic Meet Penguin’s Premier Picture Book Creators webinar where Weshoyot Alvitre shared her process of researching and creating At the Mountain’s Base. (I highly recommend watching this webinar to hear directly from Weshoyot about her creative process and inspiration.) I shared how she did research about the Cherokee practice of finger weaving and paid tribute to it in the art. I shared the dedications from the book: Traci Sorell wrote, “For Native veterans, those in active duty, their loved ones and the Native Nations they all come from – ᏩᏙ (wado) thank you.” Weshoyot Alvitre wrote, “To my grandmother Vera and my mom, who wove a deep love for creating with my hands when I was very young.” These dedications helped center the real life people who inspired this beautiful picture book. The group really noticed how this picture book is a poem, paying attention to the beautiful, minimalist language. I pointed out how Weshoyot’s craft as a comic book artist is reflected in the art, using sequential panels that zoom into scenes like a film.

The group noticed how the panels are made from woven yarn that flow past the end of the pages. I made sure to point out the dramatic page turn when the perspective shifts and we’re looking down at the grandmother weaving with the text beside her “and worrying.” Some of the kids suggested that the child with the grandmother was the author, Traci Sorell, gaining knowledge from her Elder. I shared how Weshoyot wanted to “honor her grandmother [Vera].. who always had her hands busy doing something,” who taught her knitting and help develop Weshoyot’s love of fiber craft, along with her mother.

When the narrative shows how the Cherokee family is waiting for their loved one to return, I shared that this book is inspired by the real story of Ola Mildred “Millie” Rexcoat, an Oglala Lakota pilot, which I made sure to read to the kids.

I showed how photographs of Millie informed the art. I even shared pictures from the dedication of friends and family honoring Millie, along with photographs of Millie.

Our group was super engaged by the full page spread of the pilot in her plane, provoked to make the sounds of planes as we discussed it. I love how visual art can provoke an auditory experience! But then their planes had to come in for a landing so we could continue our discussion.

We discussed the emotions that we thought the family was feeling as they held each other. We then did a dramatic page turn for the final page when the pilot is heading toward the cabin and all comes full circle. The kids oohed and ahhed over the case cover secret in a gorgeous finger weaving pattern. One kid asked if it felt like weaving so we had to try it to find out. One of our new Caldecott Club friends, D., identified the spine and the jacket in this moment, showing her incredible knowledge of the parts of books.

I shared how one of our Caldecott Club friends, Yu., couldn’t come to the program because she was doing a Veteran’s Day activity, but once I told her about this book, she asked for a copy to share with her teacher. And as an amazing surprise, she dropped by during Caldecott Club to tell us that she had shared the book with her social studies teacher, who read it to the class. Caldecott Club connections for the win!

My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero, illustrated by Zeke Peña

As soon as I said the title of this book, one of our friends, S. said that her own dad has a motorcycle, making a wonderful text-to-self connection. Others shared their own motorcycle connections. Ms. Gaby shared that Corona means crown, which really enhanced our understanding of this book. I began our discussion by sharing some background information about Corona’s 1913 Road Race and agricultural workers fighting for their rights, pointing out the murals when Daisy Ramona passed them.

I told the kids we were going to go like a motorcycle through this book since we were running out of time, a perennial issue for me, which of course, provoked the kids to make motorcycle vroom noises. (I had no idea that these books would inspire such visceral, multi-sensory responses. Audiobook producers, take note when you adapt all of these books and make sure to include these sounds. I think all of these books would make exceptional readalong audiobooks!) We began our journey with a spot of intertextuality, noting the delightful cameo of Lowriders in Space by Cathy Camper and Raúl the Third. C.’s immediately wanted to know if there was Spanish in Lowriders, to which I gave an emphatic yes.

We zoomed ahead in our picture walk, pointing out how Daisy feels like she’s a comet, surrounded by sunset colors. My Papi Has a Motorcycle is another book that calls readers to pay attention to all the details, discovering something new each time you read it. Our group noticed the unicorn on her helmet and the one that rides a motorcycle too. When Daisy and her dad encounter the shuttered Don Rudy’s raspado shop, we discussed how they thought Daisy and her dad must be feeling – and how the city has changed, which then provoked them to think about the ways their own community has changed.

I concluded our discussion by sharing Isabel Quintero’s author note: “Who are the people who build our cities and form our communities? Who are the people who get streets named after them, and who are the people who lay the asphalt? …. This book is a love letter to both my father, who showed me different ways of experiencing home, and to Corona, California, a city that will always be a part of me.”

Voting

After we had walked through each book in a whirlwind of color and conversation, we were ready to ballot. Each child received a paper ballot to select their top 2 choices. The top books then are the winners of our session and go on the Voting Party on January 9. We also had a raffle to give away two Children’s Book Week posters designed by Yuyi Morales. Everyone got a pin to add to their lanyard and a Caldecott poster.

Since we had a tie between some of our books, we now have 3 books from this session going to the party… And the Session 3 Winners Are…

When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukof, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

At the Mountain’s Base by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre

My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero, illustrated by Zeke Peña

Join Us Next Time!

Please join us for our next Caldecott Club session on Thursday, November 21 from 3:30-5:00pm! And don’t forget to bring your fancy lanyards! (And if you didn’t get one, make sure to join us so you can rock our Caldecott Club merch!) While our registration list is full online, PLEASE contact me to get put on the list. I’d love to have you join us.

Since you’ve spent all this time reading this post, I’ll even let you know which books we’ll be discussing:

A Big Bed for Little Snow by Grace Lin

Saturday by Oge Mora

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

Going Down Home with Daddy by Kelly Starling Lyons, illustrated by Daniel Minter

Thanks for sticking all the way through this post… Hope to see you next time!