The difference between Caldecott and Newbery awards

     According to the ALA website, Caldecott awards are given "to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children."  This award which honors outstanding illustrations is named for the 19th century illustrator Randolph Caldecott.  The 2011 winner of the Caldecott award is A Sick Day for Amos McGee written by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin E. Stead. 
     The ALA website says that the Newbery award is "for the most distinguised American children's book published the previous year."  This award which honors outstanding works in children's literature is named for an 18th century bookseller named John Newbery.  The Newbery award is the first children's book award in the world.  The 2011 winner is Moon Over Manifest written by Clare Vanderpool. 
     Both awards honor the best of children's books.  The Caldecott is more centered toward illustrated children's picture books, while the Newbery is centered toward children's chapter books, or novels. 

"Tangled" based on "Rapunzel" by the Brothers Grimm--book vs movie

     While I had heard of the story of Rapunzel and knew that it was about a girl with extremely long hair who was locked in a tower, I had never sat down and read the fairy tale written so long ago by the Brothers Grimm.  I had always thought Rapunzel was a princess that was locked away in a tower.  However, according to the original fairy tale, she is the daughter of a couple whose backyard neighbored the Enchantress Dame Gothel's garden.  Rapunzel's mother craved a certain flower from the garden and her father would sneak in and steal it for her.  When he was stopped by the Enchantress one night, he was told he could have all of the flower he wanted in exchange for their firstborn child.  The Enchantress took the child at birth, locked her in a tower and named her Rapunzel.  A prince happened by one day and heard Rapunzel singing and fell in love with her voice.  He soon learned to call to Rapunzel to let down her hair and this was how to get into the tower to her.  Dame Gothel discovered his presence, cut Rapunzel's hair off and sent her to live in the desert. Dame Gothel tricked the prince, pushed him out of the tower where thorns blinded his eyes.  He wondered around the forest for years until he finally stumbled into the desert where Rapunzel and her twin children found the prince.  Her tears healed his eyes and they made their way back to his kingdom where they lived "happy and contented."
     Disney's movie Tangled, which is based on the story of Rapunzel has quite a different version of Rapunzel.  In the movie, Rapunzel's hair has a healing quality that the enchantress uses to keep herself young and beautiful.  She kidnaps the child, who is actually the princess and locks her in the tower and treats her as her daughter.  She tricks Rapunzel into thinking she is her mother and tells her how much she loves her.  However, her actions are purely selfish.  She brushes the hair while Rapunzel sings and it rejuvenates the queen's body.  Rapunzel longs to get out of the tower to see the lighted lanterns that are in the sky every year on her birthday.  She doesn't know it but the lanterns are a part of a commemoration ceremony put on by the Queen and King in honor of their lost child (which is Rapunzel).  The queen adamently refuses to let her out proclaiming that the world is too dangerous.  One day a theif stumbles across Rapunzel and her tower.  She bonks him over the head, ties him up, steals his treasure, and tells him he can have it back after he takes her to see the lanterns.  She and the theif go on this big adventure, all the while being chased by the royal guards, other theives, and the enchantress.  They end up falling in love and longing to be together.  Rapunzel discovers that she is indeed, the lost princess, conquers the enchantress, makes her way back to her family and lives happily ever after with her new prince.
     Disney changed so many elements of the story, that it hardly resembles the one the Grimm brothers originally told.  In Tangled, Rapunzel is the princess while her true love is a theif.  I suppose Disney wanted to maintain it's Disney Princess theme that is present in so many of their other movies.  As with other Disney princesses, Rapunzel goes from being weak to being strong and self-reliant.  There is also humor thrown in throughout the movie that is not present in the fairy tale.  She has a funny sidekick who is a chameleon.  He helps guard over Rapunzel and advises her with simple gestures on what she should do.  Disney seems to have tried to make Rapunzel relatable to her audience.  Little girls would love to be Rapunzel with her long flowing hair and her handsome prince.  I'm not sure many modern girls would admire the Rapunzel that was created in the fairy tale.  She was locked away and banished to the desert to raise her twins on her own.  She found her prince in the end, but only after enduring a hard life. 
     I enjoyed reading the fairy tale because it is so different from what I imagined it to be.  I also enjoyed the movie with it's beautiful songs and breathtaking scenes.  Both are entertaining stories told for two different eras in time.

"The Cat in the Hat" the book vs. the movie

     The book The Cat in the Hat features a brother and sister stuck inside with nothing to do on a rainy day.  Their mother has left the house for the day.  Soon the Cat in the Hat barges through the door and creates havoc by doing all kinds of silly things that should not be done in the house.  The children seem to be overwhelmed by the fact that a giant cat wearing a hat has intruded their home and is making a mess of their house.  The constant nagging of the goldfish acts as a reminder that the can should not be there and must leave.  All ends well,everything (even Thing 1 and Thing 2) is completely gone and back to normal before their mother comes home.  This is a simple, funny children's book that engages children in rhyme and make believe.
     The movie The Cat in the Hat starring Mike Myers and Dakota Fanning is quite different from the original Dr. Seuss book.  The movie keeps the same premise of the two children being left home with nothing much to do, but it takes the liberty of changing and adding details to lenghten and modernize the story.  Sally, the young girl, is a total control freak in the movie.  she seems to have the soul of a thirty-year-old.  She has no friends because she is so bossy and her day is planned to the last minute on her digital journal.  Her brother however, is the complete opposite.  He is very untidy and seems to be quite the troublemaker.  In the very first of the movie he sleds down the steps on a contraption he created.  Instead of being "out for the day" as in the book, the movie modernizes their mother by making her an aspiring realtor with a very needy boss.  Her boss and colleagues will be coming to her house this evening and she instructs the children to keep the house tidy.  Of course this will never happen once the Cat in the Hat enters.  Also, another new twist to the story is that the mother has a boyfriend who secretly does not like children.  The kids see him for what he really is and they do everything the can to get rid of him.  Mike Myers is the actor who plays the Cat.  His antics seem to put poor Sally on the verge of a nervous breakdown.  The goldfish is present too and argues incessantly with the Cat.  Thing 1 and Thing 2 are present in the movie and teach Sally's brother how annoying it is to do the opposite of what someone tells you to do.  The house is progressively destroyed and revived at the end before the mother sees any of the mess.
     I did not enjoy the movie very much at all.  They took a classic children's book and modernized the storyline until the movie hardly resembled the book at all.  Also, as is the case with a lot of children's movies these days, there is a lot of adult humor used. I believe this is inappropriate for children's movies.  One such instance is when the Cat is talking to a gardening hoe and says "Dirty hoe! Oh, I'm sorry baby, you know I love you." Kids laugh, but I don't think they really know the double meaning.  Using such antics is just a way of drawing in an older audience or perhaps a way of engaging the parents' attention into the movie. 
     The writers apparently tried to modernize this 1957 story, but in doing so they created a movie that hardly represented the original book.  The Cat did a lot of funny, silly stuff in the book, but in the movie there were things like the cat being hit in the crotch, his tail being cut off, and rude comments made by the cat.  I believe the movie is not for small children as the book is, but is focused more on attracting an older audience. 
   

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" The book vs. the movie

     The Diary of a Wimpy Kid:  Rodrick Rules is the continuation of the first book in Jeff Kinney's series of books that tell the story of middle schooler Greg Heffley and his struggles at school and at home.  It picks up where the preceding book left off, telling how Gregory spent his summer after  surviving his first year of middle school.  Being an unsuccessful part of a swim team, Greg spent most of his summer hiding in the bathroom during swim meets.  The rest of his summer consisted of trying to endure being picked on by his older brother Rodrick.  The rest of the book tells all the quirky things that happens Greg's second year in middle school.  There are funny occurences that show how awkward middle school is for most kids.  Rowley, his best friend, does all kinds of not-so-cool things such trying out for the school talent show as a magician.  No matter what Rowley does, it seems to be dorky in Greg's eyes and he's always ashamed of how Rowley behaves.  The biggest theme throughout this book, however, is Greg's struggle with his brothers Rodrick and Manny.  Rodrick gains great pleasure from torturing Greg anyway that he can.  Manny is only three, but constantly tattle tales on everything that he sees Greg do.  Rodrick's only ambition in life is for his rock band to be successful.  He manipulates his dad into writing all his school reports for him, and is constantly conning his mother.  He makes Greg's life miserable by always getting him into trouble and treating him like dirt.
     While the movie includes hilarious incidents from the book, it is also includes quite different scenes than the book portrays.  In the movie, Greg falls for a beautiful, blonde girl named Holly Hills and most of the movie focuses on his big crush he has on her.  In the book, Holly Hills is mentioned briefly about three quarters of the way through the book as a girl that Greg likes.  Greg thinks she's pretty, but in the movie he obsesses about how he can get her attention.  The biggest theme of the book is the rocky relationship between Rodrick and Greg.  In the movie, their mother creates "Mom Bucks" to encourage the boys to spend more time together, whereas in the book, "Mom Bucks" are more of a reward for chores.  Rodrick learns to manipulate the system and Greg seems to get the shaft.  When their parents go away for one weekend, Rodrick decides to call all his friends over and have a party.  Greg knows they shouldn't have anyone over, but is excited about seeing a high school party.  Rodrick tells Greg to go get something in the basement and then he locks the door as soon as Greg descends the steps.  In the book, Greg spends the night on the steps.  In the movie, Greg makes his way back up and he and Rowley are the life of the party.  This secret party creates a bond between Rodrick and Greg.  They stop arguing and start hanging out together until Greg finally breaks and tells his mom what happens.  This whole bonding scenario makes for a good movie, but it never exists in the book.
     Both the movie and the book are very funny and entertaining.  While the book is geared for an eight to ten-year-old audience, the movie takes certain liberties in order to attract a broader range of ages. Throwing in a pretty girlfriend for Greg, making Greg and Rowley a part of the school talent show, and Greg running down the halls of his grandfather's retirement village in his underwear are all unforgettable parts of the movie.  However, in the book these events did not take place.  In my opinion, most books have a better storyline than the movie made from them.  While this movie is certainly different from the book, it is still very funny and I like how Rodrick and Greg bonded in the movie.  To be honest, I do think I liked the movie better, perhaps for the reason listed above--it is geared for an older range of ages than the book is.  I took my seven-year-old son to see this movie and he was bored out of his mind.  When I read the book to him, he couldn't stop laughing.
     The movie and the book are both wonderful examples of the struggles that middle school age kids endure and how they come out okay after all.  Jeff Kinney has definately created unforgettable characters that help us laugh through those awkward moments in life. 

"The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss

     The Lorax is a didactic story because it teaches a lesson--industrialization can have bad effects on the environment and on wildlife.  The Once-ler found a beautiful place where Tuffala trees grew in abundance.  Wildlife played in the shade and fish frolicked in the water.  One day the Once-ler chopped down a Truffala tree and made a Thneed.  The Lorax, the voice for the trees and animals, urges the Once-ler to please stop chopping down the trees.  Soon a factory is built and all the trees cut.  The wildlife has moved on and the land is barren.  Without the trees the factory is shut down and the Once-ler is left all alone. 
     There are not so many didactic children's books today as there were years ago.  While there are several children's books that teach a lesson, they don't seem as preachy as The Lorax.  For instance, I recently read Patricia Polacco's book Babushka Baba Yaga.  This story teaches acceptance of a person based on what's in their heart despite what they may look like on the outside.  The story is a sweet adaptation of a Russian fairy tale.  The story is shows the love felt between the young boy in the story and his Babushka Baba Yaga despite the fact that the Baba Yaga is rumored to be a witch who eats small children.  She loves this boy and would never hurt him and he knows this.  The moral of acceptance is taught in a loving way without being the lesson being told in a preachy sort of way.
     The Lorax certainly makes it's point in it's stand against industrialization.  It's didactic content clearly shows how the environment can be affected by man's greed.  It provides a good lesson for future generations, but is the message for the children or is it more of a protest against "the man"?
Perhaps children's books are written more for entertainment today than for teaching a lesson.

"The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Seuss

     The Cat in the Hat is a book that has been read by children for generations.  It is the story of two children who are stuck inside on a rainy day with nothing to do while their mother is out.  The Cat in the Hat enters and proceeds to do entertaining, but naughty things.  The goldfish adamently tells him to stop and leave.  The children seem to not know what to do about this Cat who should not be there.  Things get worse when the Cat brings in Thing One and Thing Two.  The house is nothing but a mess by the time their mother returns.  Just as she is about to arrive, the Cat saves the day by doing a miraculous clean up. 
     Although I have read this book several times before, I had never noticed the condonement of anarchy present in this story.  The Cat takes over the household despite the warnings from the fish that everything he is doing defies the mother's rules.  The constant ordering of the Cat to leave does no good.  I have always thought of the goldfish as the children's conscience.  He voices what they know to be right from wrong and encourages them to make this Cat leave because he is not following their mother's rules.
     I'm not aware of any contemporary children's books that compare with this same tension felt in The Cat in the Hat.  However, I do feel that this book still appeals to children because of the nonsensical actions of the Cat.  Children realize he shouldn't be there and the things he's doing are silly.  They may be able to relate to not knowing what to do when a voice (this fish in this case) points out that what is going on is bad.  I think that Dr. Seuss books are classics and will continue to appeal to children because of the fantasy and rhyming that each book contains.

"A Jar of Dreams"--a book by Yoshiko Uchida

     This story takes place in California during the time of the Great Depression.  Eleven-year-old Rinko and her Japenese family struggle with extreme prejudice from people in their surrounding community.  Rinko feels shame from the all the teasing that kids at school put upon her.  Even Mr. Starr who runs the local laundry center yells things at her and her brother such as, "Get out of here you Jap kids."  Things start to change when Rinko's Aunt Waka from Japan comes to visit for the first time ever.  When Rinko's mother decides to try to earn money by doing other people's laundry from her basement, Mr. Starr harrasses the family, trying to make them go out of business.  He even kills the family's beloved dog.  Aunt Waka convinces Rinko's father to go to the laundry and tell Mr. Starr how he feels and that he has no intention of stopping the small laundry business that Rinko's mother has worked so hard for.  Mr. Starr did not like the confrontation, but the family was not harrassed again.  Thanks to Aunt Waka, the whole family, including Rinko, learned to keep their heads up high and not be afraid to pursue their dreams.
     As I read this story, I felt bad for the discrimination pressed upon different minorites such as these Japanese Americans.  Besides the struggle for survival in such a bad economic time, this whole family also had to struggle with the prejudice actions and comments from people in their own neighborhood.  Rinko and her brother Cal had dreams of going to college.  Rinko wanted to be a teacher and Cal wanted to be an engineer.  When it looked like Mr. Starr and his discriminatory antics had cost their mother her laundry business, Cal and Rinko decided it would be futile to go to college because no one would hire them even if they did have a degree.  After Aunt Waka convinced everyone to never give up and stand up for the things you want in life, Cal and Rinko gained the confidence they needed to pursue their own goals.  Aunt Waka gave them self-respect and motivation during her short visit to America. 
     What I liked best about this story is that it teaches the reader that nothing can stand between you and your dreams.  At the end of the story, Rinko talks about walking tall and without shame now that she knows what it is to be proud of herself.  Aside from her jar of money for college, she also has a jar for her dreams, like for her dream going to Japan and visiting her Aunt Waka one day. 
     Yoshiko Uchida has also written other works depicting the struggles of Japanese American families.  They include:  Journey Home, The Bracelet, The Best Bad Thing, Journey to Topaz, and Desert Exile:  The Uprooting of a Japanese-American Family.
     I look forward to reading more of Uchida's works.  I was not fully aware of the extreme discrimination that Japanese Americans endured before reading some of her novels.  Her books teach self-respect, different aspects of Japanese culture, and the effects of perserverance.