Caldecott Monday: May I Bring a Friend?

[osprey_archer]

This week's Caldecott winner is May I Bring a Friend?, but before we discuss it, a pause for Caldecott related business. The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is having an exhibit called Make Way for Ducklings: The Art of Robert McCloskey, an artist who won the Caldecott twice (most notably for, well, Make Way for Ducklings.

If only I had a teleportation device! I'd love to see the exhibition. There's a slideshow of some of the highlights on the website, but it only whetted my appetite.

***

In any case! This week's book is Beatrice Schenk de Regniers' May I Bring a Friend? (illustrated by Beni Montresor), which I felt a bit dubious about - it's one of those books with black line drawings filled in with colors like a coloring book, and I wasn't feeling the color palette chosen. (Pink, orange, yellow, and red, with splashes of olive green.)

However, the story is totally charming. The king and queen invite a young boy to tea, and in response he asks, "May I bring a friend?" Well, the king and queen have excellent manners, so of course they say yes, and the little fellow brings... a giraffe.

One might expect this to put them off further invitations, but in fact they keep inviting him, and he brings a a hippo, an elephant, a troop of monkeys, and a pride of lions in quick succession. Cute and funny.

But I think my very favorite thing are the little vignette illustrations of the king and queen when they're alone together: picking flowers, dancing, fishing, catching butterflies, rolling a ball of yarn together. (The king holds a great bundle of yarn on his outstretched arms as the queen rolls it up.) Now there's a happy couple.

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

This was a book from my childhood (though I was not yet toddling when it was published), and I have fond memories of having it read to me. I need to go back and look at the happy king and queen together!

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

They're just so happy! They enjoy each other's company so much! They're so happy that they want to share their happiness with this small child and his odd assortment of animal friends.

[evelyn-b.livejournal.com]

OH DAMN. I need to tell my sister about this Make Way for Ducklings exhibit! Her one-year-old loves ducks with a great love and they are not far from Boston! DO THEY OWN THE BOOK MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS?? I have to find this out.

Also, May I Bring A Friend sounds adorable.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

If they don't yet have it, then clearly it would make the perfect Christmas present! Every one-year-old needs Make Way for Ducklings in their life.