The Little Island
Written by Margaret Wise Brown
Illustrated by Leonard Weisgard
Published by Dragonfly Books
ISBN: 9780440408307
When presented with the task of selecting a Caldecott-winning book to read and share I experienced a sudden overwhelming feeling. I thought selecting one Caldecott winner would be tedious. I thought many of the books that had previously won the prestigious honor would be unfamiliar to me. I thought that finding copies the older titles would present a challenge… I thought wrong on all accounts.
Now do not get me wrong, clearly the choices were all extraordinary, or they would never have won or been honored by the ALA. I was just surprised by how many winners I was already familiar with. My first thought was to select the one book I was certain was a Caldecott winner, Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are (1964); a favorite amongst many avid readers as well those who have not read a picture book since they were children themselves. I decided to dig a little deeper and explore less common titles, ones that aren’t as frequently mentioned in individual’s social network profiles “favorite books” category, as I have found Where The Wild Things Are numerous times.
Caldecott Honor Book No David by David Shannon was the next book to catch my eye and was most certainly a departure from Sendak’s infamous adventure. No David is much simpler; there are no dreamt up forest and monsters, only a mischievous little boy, David, and the adverse responses he receives while attempting to test his boundaries. I enjoyed this story and the illustrations that went along with it and appreciated the ending a great deal. At the end of the book, the parent who all along as been responding negatively toward things David does, says to their son, “Yes David, I love you!” It is a simple phrase that reminds all of us, young and old, sons and daughters as well as mother and fathers, that despite our shortcomings and missteps, that we are still loved. Sometimes we need simple reminders of that fact, and No David is a shining example.
My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann is another Caldecott winner (2003) with a similar message. As we grow, both during childhood as well as when we are adults, at one point or another "trouble will follow" us, as it does Rabbit. It is during those times we are reminded how fortunate to have people who care about us the way Mouse cares for his friend Rabbit. This message is why I considered My Friend Rabbit as a contender to be my selection.
While all of the picture books I looked through were unique and varied, I still didn’t feel like I had found “the one”, the one that truly spoke to me in a way in which I was so excited I just had to bring it in for show and tell. So I kept flipping through and perusing various books looking for the perfect selection. Then, I saw it. A book that I hadn’t read or thought about in years. A book that I had in my own collection as a child, but did not remember as a Caldecott winner, 1947’s winner in fact. Yes, The Little Island written, by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Leonard Weisgard, was my selection, and it surprised even myself. The moment I picked up the book and flipped through the pages, it was as though 10 days had gone by since I read it last, certainly not 10 plus years. Every image and every line was familiar and had me transfixed, as if by magic. I suppose that is how some feel when they read Where The Wild Things Are, or The Polar Express or Jumanji; I suppose that is how any Caldecott winner should move a reader.
The Little Island is a story about, you guessed it, a tiny island out in the great blue sea. The book describes numerous components and inhabitants of the island including various trees, flowers and vegetation, as well as creatures such as lobsters, seagulls, seals and fireflies. You experience the transitions of seasons on the island and the occurrences that take place on the island, weathering the storms along with the island both literally and figuratively. While the description of each item and condition on The Little Island is not written with great dpeth of detail, the shear abundance of objects, plants and atmospheres described paint such a realistic and vivid picture of the story that actual illustrations are almost not necessary. The story reads like a beautiful poem that can stand on its own.
But of course the book is illustrated, and what illustrations they are; beautiful, dream-like illustrations that accompany the words of the story and bring the images from the dark depths of the readers mind into the light of day. The crisp blues and whites used to create the ocean, waves and sky paired with the bold greens, reds, yellows and even black that create the island and all the interesting and unique inhabitants that have made a home on the land create images that transfix me. Infact on a few occasion I momentarily forget to turn the page as I get lost in the pictures. There is a tranquility about many of the images that I find comforting.
The images in The Little Island are so lovely that I almost want to frame them and hang each one. Considering I live in a small apartment with limited wall space, I may have to choose just one image. Perhaps I’ll pick the image of the kingfishers that came from the south to build their nests on The Little Island, as I have always loved the illustration of those two beautiful teal birds. Or perhaps I should select an image of the small kitten that visit’s the island, or the owl in the night image of the island, or the one of the butterflies in the wild strawberry fields, or the one… you see my dilemma in trying to choose just one favorite image? I truly love every illustration in the book!
The Little Island may not be as popular as other Caldecott winners such as Rapunzel or Little Red Riding Hood, but it is surely just as deserving of the title of “classic”. I felt extremely lucky to have been reintroduced to this story and to glad to once again have the book in my library. I highly recommend taking the time to pick up this book and escape to The Little Island yourself.
I too was surprised by just how many award winning books were available to be checked out at the NYPL, as I mentioned in one of my blog entries. I was also pleasantly surprised by how incredibly helpful the librarian was, despite having to juggle several tasks at once. A few times, I offered to continue searching for books on my own, so as not to take up too much of her time, but she was quite happy to help me in my search for medal winners. She even said that the Port Richmond branch might think about setting up a few shelves dedicated to holding copies of winners of various medals in order to increase the exposure of the books as well as make them easier to find. That would certainly make our lives really easy in EDE 652.
ReplyDeleteSomething that I wanted to mention earlier, but that slipped my mind during the creation of my own posts, was just how many of these Caldecott award winning books are stories that everyone grew up with and already know and love. I was surprised to see The Three Little Pigs, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, and the like within the list on the ALA website, while at the same time I was also excited to try to find them and check them out to see what those particular authors had to contribute to the imagery already in my head. This has certainly been an eye opening experience for me with regard to the relevance and importance of an award like the Caldecott medal and the Caldecott honor. There is a whole wonderful world of artistry out there in our bookstores and libraries that we wouldn't even know about without the exposure that these awards provide, and I am grateful to have had them brought to my attention.
The relation of your experience with The Little Island has also more than captured my attention. Sadly, I've already checked with my local NYPL branch and they don't have a copy on the premises, but I've added it to my list of books on reserve, so hopefully it won't take too long to arrive.
I was especially enthused to hear your comparison of the storyline to that of a "beautiful poem". I feel that stories that have this quality actually help nudge children toward the exploration of other forms of writing such as poetry, and that can't ever be a bad thing. They can come to understand things like rhyme scheme from books such as those written by Doctor Seuss, and from books such as The Little Island, they can learn how to skillfully craft simple words into something more beautiful than just mere verbiage.
Your specific choice of words later in your post with regard to Leonard Weisgard's "dream-like illustration" also struck a chord with me. To me, what separates picture books that win awards from others that might not receive such accolades, is the innate sense of the illustrator to speak to the readers own sense of understanding. All children know and understand the concept dreams. For many, dreams are their very first and most basic understanding of imagery. The ability of Weisgard, of which you speak in your post, to tap into and fuel a child's imagination with his "dream-like" images is a wonderful, development simulating tool, and in my opinion, more than worthy of an award such as the Caldecott. Thank you for sharing your experience. I eagerly await the arrival of the copy I requested at my local NYPL branch.