It was so exciting to hear today that our absolute favourite book of 2010 is the recipient of the 2011 Caledecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children! A Sick Day for Amos McGee is a first book by a young husband and wife team, Philip Stead and Erin Stead, and gee we can’t wait to see what else they come up with! Philip’s gentle words are exquisitely paced and partner perfectly with Erin’s stunning pencil and woodcut artwork in sepia tones and splashes of soft colour.

This is a book we have recommended over and over to our friends at our markets, and it’s always an absolute joy when a book like that receives the highest level of recognition.

Here are some more beautiful images from this treasure of a book. There are a few copies currently available in our store.

A complete list of the American Library Association Youth Media awards with some interviews with the authors is available here.

||A Sick Day for Amos McGee is available from the We Heart Books store||

If there is one thing I love in children’s literature it is a good strong female character. I love girls with character and ‘spunk’. Two of my favourite girls are the Ladybug Girl whose name is Lulu and a curious little thing called Molly Lou Melon.

Lulu is definitely a character you fall in love with. She reminds me of all my nieces (I have 6!) rolled into one gorgeous spunky brunette ball of fun. The character of Ladybug Girl, or Lulu, was created by husband and wife team David Soman and Jacky Davis and based on their daughter who always wanted to wear dress ups.

This picture book is a beautiful production. Lulu’s wings glisten on the front cover and the end papers are a catwalk show of illustrations of Lulu wearing various costumes. The story begins on a day when Lulu’s parents have work to do and her elder brother is off playing his own games so Lulu and her faithful basset Bingo must make their own fun.

‘In the living room there’s a wall of books. Lulu can’t read yet, but she knows her letters. She finds a lot of L’s. More than 59, she thinks’.

Everything about this book is just right; the beautifully descriptive text, the illustrations that appear so deep that you could walk into them and the delightful way that Lulu leaps and skips through her day. This is a book about her day, a normal 4- or 5-year-old day, using her imagination and enjoying life and nature.

In each illustration Bingo is by her side and mirrors Lulu’s expressions. When she is cross he’s cross and when she leaps into the wind – so does Bingo.

‘From out of nowhere a gust of wind swirls the air with leaves. She jumps up to chase them. Ladybug Girl can catch leaves in mid air! “Ladybug Girl is definitely not little!” she yells into the wind.

This is the type of picture book that makes me want to cry with happiness. It is just perfect to read aloud, with just the right balance of description and dialogue. Lulu is a lovable character who is strong and self-assured – just like we want our young girls and boys to be! And believe me boys will love this book as much as girls.

In contrast to Lulu, Molly Lou Melon is a funny looking little girl. She is short, has buck teeth and a voice that sounds like a bull frog being squeezed by a boa constrictor. Despite all this she follows the advice she is given by her grandmother…

“Believe in yourself and the world will believe in you too.”

When Molly Lou moves to a new town and new school she encounters a horrible bully called Ronald Durkin. He tries with all his might to intimidate and put down Molly Lou in front of her classmates. However, following her granny’s advice Molly Lou remains true to herself and shows the other children the amazing talents she has, leaving the bully to look very silly.

On the fifth day of school he decides that he’d really like to be her friend.

With bullying such an issue in schools I love the premise of this book. I love that although Ronald tries to make her look foolish, little Molly Lou Melon believes in herself enough to keep showing the world who she really is. David Catrow’s illustrations of Molly Lou reflect perfectly her ’littleness’ compared to the world around her. Her big blue eyes are piercing and you fall into them the minute you lay eyes on the cover illustration.

The title of this book, Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon really says it all. Molly Lou is truly inspiring and should be compulsory reading for all children in Kindergarten and Prep.

Reading these two lovely girls will leave both children and adults brimming with confidence and with assurance about their place in the world.

||Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon available from We Heart Books||

||Ladybug Girl available from We Heart Books||

I laughed when I first realised the meaning of the title of this book. ‘Good for you, good for me’ is what Dormouse says to his friend Bear when he’s making him a deal. It’s funny because in our household I’m known as the I-don’t-do-deals-Mama. From early in our relationship I established with my husband that I don’t do deals. I’m not sure why but it immediately raises my hackles as soon as someone utters “I’ll do you a deal…” Now Rowan too knows and has been known to say to someone “Mama doesn’t do deals”.

Dormouse is the ultimate deal-maker in Good for You, Good for Me:

‘You give me your flute and I’ll give you music. Good for you, good for me.’
‘If you carry me, I’ll show you the way. Good for you, good for me.’

Increasingly, the deals offered by Dormouse are perplexing for Bear – and scratching behind his ear he wonders if Dormouse is being fair… But all the deal-broking leads Bear to some significant and philosophical realisations – that possessions aren’t the most important things and that giving and sharing can be the things that make you happiest of all.

Sounds pretty heavy, but these huge messages are conveyed in a beautifully meandering style with a non-formulaic narrative. In a few words and together with beautiful soft illustrations, the distinctive characters of Bear and Dormouse are perfectly drawn. This is a treasure of a book that should prompt much reflection from a thinking preschooler and would be great for discussion with readers of any age. I’m sure a few adults could learn a thing or two from Bear…

||Good for You, Good for Me is available from the We Heart Books store||