Wednesday, April 3, 2013

#AtoZChallenge 1959 & 1980 Caledcott Winner Barbara Cooney

Illustrator Barbara Cooney won the Caldecott Medal in 1959 for her book 'Chanticleer and the Fox,' an adaptation of Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Nun Priest's Tale.' 

It is the story of a fox who dupes the king of the barnyard, and threatens the barnyard kingdom. The book also won the Kerlan award in 1992, and is included in the ALA's list of Notable Books of its time. The illustrations are quite reminiscent of their time. Hand drawn pictures such as these always leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling.


In 1980, Barbara Cooney again won the Caldecott Medal. This time it was for 'Ox-Cart Man' by Donald Hall. This book was based on a poem he had written about a farming family who use an ox-cart to travel to market to sell their goods. He specifically chose her to illustrate his book.


10 comments:

  1. I'm a new follower thanks to A-Z Challenge. I like the theme you've picked

    Looking forward to more

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  2. Both great books! Thanks for the post. Have fun with A to Z.

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  3. I did Chaucer in school, so the Nun Priest's tale sounds interesting. It's been a looong while since I read Chaucer.

    J.L. Campbell writes Jamaican Kid Lit

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  4. A story about a sly old fox. They never learn, do they? :) Her artwork is great, and congrats on winning the awards.

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  5. I remember reading Ox Cart Man to my kindergartners ( I used to teach public school) Those older books do indeed have a charm. :)
    Christine London
    christinelondon.com

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  6. Ox Cart Man is my all time favorite children's book. And a lot of it has to do with the pictures. They capture the story perfectly.
    http://www.melanieschulz.blogspot.com

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  7. I love Barbara Cooney books - especially Miss Rumphius. Being from our area, I went to a small group presentation where she explained the writing of Island Boy.

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  8. I remember Ox Cart Man! Your challenge idea is bringing back some memories for me!

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  9. It's always nice finding good books for kids, been years for me, so don't remember these too; but nothing better then reading to your little ones and encouraging them to read.

    A-Z

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