Sharing the 2014 Caldecott Winner

When I returned from ALA MidWinter and the Youth Media Awards, I was eager to read through the the 2014 Caldecott Medal Winner with my learners. (Note: This book was also a 2014 Sibert Honor Book.)

LOCOMOTIVE by Brian Floca
Published: Sept. 3, 2013
Published by: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Pages: 64

This is how I shared the book. I wrote instructions for myself. So in the following sentences, I'm really giving myself reminders:

First, discuss the size and overall look of the book. Our readers loved the colors and square shape. It is not a small book at all, and this gives it an added unique quality.

Second, remove the dust jacket.

(The buffalo illustrations on the front and back cover will draw gasps from readers. Trust me.)

Third, open the cover to reveal the front endpapers. Note the content, illustrations, and arrangement of elements on the page. This alone is a rich source. (You will spend a lot of time on this part of the book.)

Next, open the book to showcase the pages. Any page will do, but especially the page with the engineer looking out the window, or the narrow bridge, or the two -page spread of the train wheels bright red and vivid, and -- well---stunning.

You will probably linger over the pages for a long period of time and not even realize it because the illustrations and text will draw you in indefinitely.

But when you are done looking through the pages, make sure you read (and view) the back matter. The locomotive and its labeled parts are yet another reason why this book deserves many, many rereads.

Of course, I haven't even mentioned the text or or narrative in this book. That's for another blog post.

Have you read Locomotive yet? Which elements stand out to you?