Caldecott Award Versus Newbery Award

The Caldecott Award and the Newbery Award are both given in January by the Association of Library Service to Children. The Caldecott Medal is given in honor of Ralph Caldecott who was in English illustrator during the 19th century. According to the ALA website, the Caldecott award is given to the "artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children." The first Cladecott was given in 1938. Each year one book can receive the Caldecott Award, and others will receive Caldecott Honors. The Caldecott Award is given to only picture books.
According the ALA, the Newbery Award is given each year in January to the "author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." The Newbery is honor of John Newbery, a British book seller from the 18th century. The first Newbery Medal was awarded in 1922. Each year one book will receive the Newbery Medal, others are given the Newbery Honor. The Newbery Award is given to short stories and novels.
While both Caldecott and Newbery Awards are very prestigious to the world of literature, neither is more prestigious than the other.
Reference:
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/literaryrelated.cfm

Charlotte's Web- Book and Feature Film

White, E.B. (1952). Charlotte's web. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Let me begin by saying, I love this book. This is a true classic for children's literature throughout the world. I first read this book when I was in 5th grade. I related to Fern because I grew up on a farm and have always loved animals. My grandparents raised animals for their meat, and it was always heart breaking when that horrible time of the year came to say good-bye to those dear animals. Have you ever taken the time to play with an animal? They are much like the animals (characters) from the book. I have always wondered what they were thinking and how they felt!
Charlotte's Web is another book that is a treasure to share in the classroom. So many wonderful activities can be integrated using this book. This book is a great way to incorporate poetry and creative writing into the classroom. I think E.B. White did a tremendous job writing this book. He gave the animals such amazing personalities. The book just seems so real.
Charlotte's Web has been recreated many times as a cartoon or movie. The latest release was in 2006. The movie has a tremendous cast which included: Dakota Fanning as Fern and Julia Roberts did the voice of Charlotte. This was one movie originating from a book that I was not disappointed in. I felt that the movie had the same charm as the original book. This book is a great way to incorporate death into a difficult situation in life.

So You Want to be President?-Caldecott Medal Winner

St. George, J. (2000). So you want to be president? New York: Philomel Books.

This is a book I read to my students each year during our unit on the Three Branches of Government. I think this book brings the role of President to life for my students. The way this book was written allows students to see that Presidents live life just like they do. However, this book is becoming outdated, it does not include President Obama, which I have pointed out to my students at the present time. I really enjoy the humorous illustrations, and my students do as well. This book brings in many qualifications of becoming President and the history of our Presidents using kid-friendly language. By reading this book I lightened the mood of the classroom with fun facts presented in a way that kids can easily understand and learn from. Books like this one make presenting Social Studies content much more enjoyable for the students and the teacher!!