Caldecott

According to Wikipedia the Caldecott medal is "awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. It was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. Together with the Newbery Medal, it is the most prestigious American children's book award."

The 2007 winner of the Caldecott Medal was "Flotsam" by David Wiesner.

A quick synopsis: "On a seemingly ordinary day at the beach, a budding young scientist makes a fabulous discovery. A barnacle-encrusted underwater camera has washed up on the shore, holding a reel of film of fantastical images that no human eye has seen. Moving cities, an octopus in a lounge chair, a clockwork fish. And yet, there is one more secret, even more astonishing than these surreal scenes: the camera has journeyed not only through the depths of the ocean but through the past, hiding in its last photo a visual timeline of children from around the world."

I began looking up pictures from this book and they are BEAUTIFUL! I have attached a few. the look simply brilliant.

Another cool thing I found was this video. Houghton Mifflin put on a contest that was sort of a "trailer" to advertise the book. The one that won the contest is so well done, I couldn't pass up sharing it!

"In late 2006, Houghton Mifflin/Clarion Books participated in the first-ever Picture Book Video Awards, a program created and organized by The Book Standard/VNU Business Media. Students and graduates from top film and animation schools around the country competed to create a 60-second "trailer" for Flotsam, David Wiesner's newest picture book.

The winning entry was created by John Haller, a third-year student in the graduate film program at Columbia University. Produced by Bobby Miller, with animation by Willy Hartland and a voice-over by Sasha Friedenberg, the video gives life and movement to the detailed, gorgeous illustrations that won Wiesner his third Caldecott Medal." (Houghton Mifflin)

To view this video go to
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/authors/wiesner/books/books_flotsam.shtml

Scroll to the bottom of the page and there will be a few links to view it!