Caldecott Board Books

Ladybug loves turning pages in the books we read, and non-board books drive me a little crazy these days. It takes time to peel normal pages apart, and she is always grabbing the entire book and turning to the end if the book is printed on regular paper. I enjoy letting her look through the books without worrying about torn and bent pages. There's a reason board books were invented, and toddlers are that reason.

I also really enjoy the art in Caldecott award winners and am always looking for quality board books to add to our collection. With that in mind, I have created a list of the Caldecott medal or honor books available in board book format:

2009 Medal Winner - The House in the Night
2004 Honor Book - Ella Sarah Gets Dressed
2003 Medal Winner - My Friend Rabbit
2001 Honor Book - Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
2001 Honor Book - Olivia
1999 Honor Book - Snow (Available as a board book October 2012)
1993 Honor Book - Seven Blind Mice
1990 Honor Book - Color Zoo
1985 Honor Book - Have You Seen My Duckling?
1984 Honor Book - Ten, Nine, Eight
1981 Honor Book - Truck
1979 Honor Book - Freight Train
1976 Honor Book - Strega Nona
1963 Medal Winner - The Snowy Day
1961 Honor Book - Inch by Inch (Available as a board book June 2012)
1957 Honor Book - 1 is One
1945 Medal Winner - Prayer for a Child
1944 Honor Book - A Child's Goodnight Book
1943 Medal Winner - The Little House
1940 Honor Book - Madeline

I am excited about several of the books on this list. Some of them I was unaware of, like My Friend Rabbit or A Child's Goodnight Book. Ladybug has started recognizing shapes, and Color Zoo looks like a brilliant way to continue talking about them. 1 is One is a counting book written in rhyme, complete with pretty pastoral illustrations. Not every board book is an appropriate read-aloud for a young toddler. I know that The Little House has a lot of text that Ladybug probably wouldn't sit through. But she has surprised me in the past with how quickly she accepts longer stories. I'm sure we'll be reading them soon.

On Ladybug's Bookshelf:

Gorgeous woodcut illustrations with pleasant, simple text. This makes a great bedtime story. At first I was underwhelmed by the prose, but it has grown on me. My favorite page reads, "On the moon's face shines the sun," and is illustrated with radiant beams streaming from the sun. Ladybug always strokes the sunbeams. I imagine that eventually I will teach her that line is not only poetic, but scientifically accurate. The illustrations are full of familiar, everyday objects to point out. Bonus: Van Gogh's Starry Night hangs on the wall in child's bedroom.