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SHOW NOTES:

This January 2008 episode offers themes of empowerment with these interviews:

> Raz Godelnik, founder of Eco-Libris, planting a tree for each book you read

> Chana Rothman, whose debut album We Can Rise shows off her "female-fronted earthy groove"

> Linda Silver, creator of The Jewish Values Finder, a database and book identifying values in Jewish children's books

> Rachel Kamin, chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, describing the 2008 winners of this award for Jewish lit for kids and teens

NEWS:

February 7, 2008, 3-4pm EST The Book of Life will host a live call-in show on the theme "Funny, That Book Doesn't Look Jewish!" Pam Ehrenberg, author of the middle-grade novel Ethan, Suspended, will be our guest, and we'll take calls for YOU, the audience! Please join us by calling in - instructions for particpating will appear on our web site: www.bookoflifepodcast.com

Background music is provided by The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band.

Books and CD's mentioned on the show may be borrowed from the Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel. Browse our online catalog to reserve books, post a review, or just to look around!

Based on my informal poll, the answer is definitely Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. It swept the field with The Snowy Day by Era Jack Keats in a slightly distant second place and The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg and Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey tied for third.

And that doesn't surprise me at all. I've aways considered Where the Wild Things Are to be one of the most famous and popular Caldecott medal books. It is interesting, though, that in the top three, the most recent book is from 1986. I was also surprised that Black and White, the multi-layered groundbreaking book by David Macaulay only got one vote.

Question: What are your favorite Caldecott Medal books?

1^st place: 19 votes
1964: Where the Wild Things Are

2^nd place: 15 votes
1963: The Snowy Day

3^rd place: 12 votes each
1986: The Polar Express
1942: Make Way for Ducklings

4^th place: 11 votes each
1996: Officer Buckle and Gloria
1943: The Little House

5^th place: 10 votes
1970: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

6^th place: 9 votes
2007: Flotsam

7^th place: 7 votes each
2000: Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
1985: Saint George and the Dragon
1982: Jumanji
1976: Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears

8^th place: 6 votes each
2005: Kitten's First Full Moon
2004: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

9^th place: 5 votes each
2006: The Hello, Goodbye Window
1998: Rapunzel
1988: Owl Moon

10^th place: 4 votes each
2002: The Three Pigs
2001: So You Want to Be President?
1999: Snowflake Bentley
1954: Madeline's Rescue

11^th place: 3 votes each
2003: My Friend Rabbit
1994: Grandfather's Journey
1993: Mirette on the High Wire
1992: Tuesday
1990: Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China
1989: Song and Dance Man
1971: A Story A Story
1968: Drummer Hoff
1944: Many Moons

12^th place: 2 votes each
1995: Smoky Night
1987: Hey, Al
1981: Fables
1980: Ox-Cart Man
1958: Time of Wonder
1957: A Tree Is Nice
1956: Frog Went A-Courtin'

13^th place: 1 vote each
1991: Black and White
1984: The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot
1974: Duffy and the Devil
1973: The Funny Little Woman
1972: One Fine Day
1962: Once a Mouse
1961: Baboushka and the Three Kings
1955: Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper
1950: Song of the Swallows
1949: The Big Snow
1948: White Snow, Bright Snow

Last place: 0 votes each
1997: Golem
1983: Shadow
1979: The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
1978: Noah's Ark
1977: Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
1975: Arrow to the Sun
1969: The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
1967: Sam, Bangs & Moonshine
1966: Always Room for One More
1965: May I Bring a Friend?
1960: Nine Days to Christmas
1959: Chanticleer and the Fox
1953: The Biggest Bear
1952: Finders Keepers
1951: The Egg Tree
1947: The Little Island
1946: The Rooster Crows
1945: Prayer for a Child
1941: They Were Strong and Good
1940: Abraham Lincoln
1939: Mei Li
1938: Animals of the Bible, A Picture Book

The post below is by Theo Calderara, editor at OUP.

Evangelicals in politics get a lot of attention these days, much of it focusing on issues like abortion. But while everyone’s watching what James Dobson is doing in America, they’re missing what Rick Warren is doing in Africa.

Last night, Michael Lindsay spoke about his new book, Faith in the Halls of Power, at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. One of the many fascinating things the crowd heard is that while everyone thinks evangelicals have a lot of influence on domestic issues, they’re really making an impact abroad. (more…)

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Warning: This Caldecott Honor book may cause obsession among small children. Be prepared to read it aloud many many many times.

Ah... Knuffle Bunny. What a wonderful book. It has a pretty simple premise... a little girl (Trixie) loses her stuffed bunny at the laundromat. Doesn't sound like amazing drama, does it?


That's because you haven't read the book. (Or maybe you have.) Willems manages to turn this basic story into a riveting page turner that children can't wait to read again and again and again. (and again).

What makes this book so good? So many reasons. First, it's realistic and easy to relate to (ask any parent who has lost their child's favorite stuffed animal.) The pacing is excellent and moments of drama are inserted at just the right times. The writing and illustrations are funny... and both adults and children get the jokes. I also love how Willems using every available space to tell his story... the endpapers, the copyright page, the back cover... they all advance the plot.

I think the real genius is in the illustrations. Vibrant colorful characters are layered over black and white photographs of Brooklyn, New York. My favorite picture (although it's hard to chose just one) would have to be the one accompanying the words "So Trixie's daddy decided to look harder." I love the look on Trixie's daddy's face as he rolls up his sleeves.

This book was recently turned into a short film by Weston Woods Studios. And the movie is as wonderful as the book... and definitely worth checking out at your local library. The real Trixie (Mo Willems' daughter) narrates it along with her parents. It's a perfect combination of still photography and animation... and stays reverently close to the book. The video won the 2007
Andrew Carnegie Medal. Read the bottom of this post for my son's reaction to the movie (and how I felt about watching it again at the Caldecott/Newbery banquet.)

I attended this year's ALSC awards ceremony (where the Carnegie medal was presented). Mo brought his daughter Trixie up to accept it (to huge applause and lots of exclamations of "she's so cute!") He said in his acceptance speech that the book and video are completely true... except for the parts he made up. He did mention that he doctored the background photos (to remove things like overflowing dumpsters.)

Want more knuffle bunny? (Who doesn't?) Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity is coming out in September 2007. Need your own personal knuffle bunny? Check out Yottoy- where you can also get an irascible plush pigeon. Want more Mo Willems? Check out his website and his funny and creative blog, Mo Willems Doodles.

Note for fans of other Mo Willems books: when Trixie, her mommy and her daddy run through the park... they pass a man wearing a white t-shirt. The pigeon from Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus is on the shirt. Note for pronunciation percussionists: the title character is pronounced (Ka-nuffel Bunny)... the K is not silent because it's a German word.

Read it again?