Caldecott Medal Books 2011

The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

2011 Medal Winner

The 2011 Caldecott Medal winner is  A Sick Day for Amos McGee , illustrated by Erin E. Stead, written by Philip C. Stead. A Neal Porter Book, published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing. 

In this tender tale of reciprocity and friendship, zookeeper Amos McGee gets the sniffles and receives a surprise visit from his caring animal friends. Erin Stead’s delicate woodblock prints and fine pencil work complement Philip Stead’s understated, spare and humorous text to create a well-paced, gentle and satisfying book, perfect for sharing with friends.

“Endearing, expressive characterization in spare illustrations rendered in muted tones distinguish this timeless picture book.  It’s a great day for Amos McGee!” said Caldecott Medal Committee Chair Judy Zuckerman. 

2011 Honor Books

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave , illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill, published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.  

Collier’s arrestingly beautiful artistic interpretation of Hill’s poetic text reveals Dave the potter’s artistic process while also conveying the dignified triumph of his humanity in the face of oppression. Lush, earth-toned, multimedia collages are illuminated in soft, ethereal light that focuses the eye on the subject of each spread.

Interrupting Chicken, written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein, published by Candlewick Press.

Stein’s hilarious story presents Little Chicken and her long-suffering Papa, who just wants to get through a bedtime story without his daughter’s metafictive disruptions. Exuberant artwork shifts media and style, taking readers into three fairy tales, culminating in Little Chicken’s “Bedtime for Papa,” but truly delivering a story for all. 

For more information, please visit: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal