The 2009 Caldecott Medal winning book is The House in the Night, illustrated by Beth Krommes, written by Susan Marie Swanson. New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008. The Caldecott Medal Award is given annually to the illustrator of the most distinguished American Picture Book for Children published in the United States.



Below is a review from one of our favorite reviewing sources for juvenile titles.
School Library Journal
( April 01, 2008 ; 0-618-86244-7 )

(Pre-School – Grade 1) – Inspired by traditional cumulative poetry, Swanson weaves a soothing song that is as luminescent and soulful as the gorgeous illustrations that accompany her words. A journey both humble and epic begins with a key to a house. “Here is the key to the house./In the house burns a light./In that light rests a bed-.” In the bedroom of the house, a girl reads a book in which a bird “breathes a song-all about the starry dark.” Swanson’s poem then takes readers on a flight across the night sky to the realm of the moon and sun, then back along the path to the key that marked the beginning of the journey. Krommes’ folk-style black-and-white etchings with touches of yellow-orange make the world of the poem an enchanted place. Patches of light and shadow give shape to the darkness, while smiling celestial bodies populate the potentially lonely night with their friendly warmth. This picture book will make a strong impression on listeners making their first acquaintance with literature. It is a masterpiece that has all the hallmarks of a classic that will be loved for generations to come.-Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MI Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

The review above mentions etchings, however, the illustrations are not etchings but as the illustrators says on the copyright page they are “scratchboard and watercolor.” For a brief biography and additional examples of illustrator, Beth Krommes’ work, visit her Web site.

The American Library Association maintains a list of former Caldecott Medal and Honor books from 1938 to the present.

The award winning book is in the category “predictable pattern book.” The Ohio Literacy Resource Center has an extensive list of predictable pattern books and a modest bibliography that provides resources for how to use pattern/predictable books in reading instruction.

Copies of the book can be checked out from the Main or Curriculum Materials Libraries:

  • Main Library’s call number is PZ7.S97255 Hou 2008.
  • Curriculum Materials Library’s call number is Lli.S HM Gr.P-1 2008 C09.

Please submit a comment below and tell us how you would rank the quality of the newest award winner’s illustrations? Do you regularly read the Caldecott Award Books? For more information, contact Jeannie Kamerman or Donna Fluharty at 850 474-2438 or email us at jkamerma@uwf.edu or dfluharty@uwf.edu.