This month’s Children’s Classics carnival theme is Caldecott Medal Winners, which are awarded primarily based on the art within the book. I actually never knew that and I think it’s a really cool distinction, as opposed to most literary awards.

Are there any children’s books you favor for their pictures especially?

I took a glance through the list of past Caldecott winners and recognized a small handful of classics, but my favorite on this list would have to be the 1964 winner, Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.

I looked up this book on Wikipedia and learned even more about this cute story than I bargained for. I can remember reading this book as a child, but my memory of it is a bit foggy, because I’d forgotten how terrific the book was. Here is Wikipedia’s description of this classic children’s book:

The book tells the story of Max, who one evening plays around his home, “making mischief” in a wolf costume (chasing the dog with a fork, etc.). As punishment, his mother sends him to bed without supper. In his room, a mysterious, wild forest grows out of his imagination, and Max journeys to the land of the Wild Things. They are fearsome-looking monsters, but Max conquers them with a scary look and he is made the King of all Wild Things. However, he soon finds himself lonely and homesick, and he returns home to his bedroom. He finds his supper waiting for him … “And it was still hot.”

Did you know that this book was originally going to feature horses instead of monsters? “Sendak said he switched when he discovered that he could not draw horses.” I loved this book as a child and I look forward to reading it to my son soon – it is actually very high on my list of preferred Christmas presents for him. Toys, he has a plenty, but classic children’s literature is one area I think he could benefit from having more of. But them, maybe that’s just the book addict in me speaking.

Do you have a favorite book from the list of Caldecott winners? For more Caldecott winner reviews, head over to 5 Minutes For Books.