Author & Illustrator: Peter McCarty
Category: Caldecott Medal Honor Book
Hondo & Fabian is a sweet story about a dog named Hondo and a cat named Fabian. The story begins with each of them asleep in their respective places – the cat in the windowsill and the dog on the floor. Each one spends the day in a different way. Hondo goes to the beach to play with his friend Fred, while Fabian stays at home to play with the baby. The illustrations are smoky, almost like everything is illustrated under candlelight. The pictures are also very simple – not too much to distract from the focal point of the page. In one illustration, the baby holds Fabian in her arms. The windowsill is visible, but nothing on the wall or floor takes away from the baby and Fabian. Hondo and Fred play in the waves at the beach. Fabian unrolls a roll of toilet paper in the bathroom. At the end of the story, and the end of the day, both animals resume their original positions and rest after a playful day. I like this book because the illustrations are easy to look at – if that makes any sense. They are easy on the eyes. The little pictures are soft and gentle. Peter McCarty has also written and illustrated other children’s books, including Little Bunny on the Move and Baby Steps. He has also illustrated Night Driving and Frozen Man. This book is similar to his other books in that all of the pictures have very soft, earthy tones. This method of using warm, washed-out colors seems to carry through to his other books. The illustrations are a little cartoonish; however, something about them is also very lifelike. The faces of Hondo and Fabian seem very real. Reading this book has reinforced to me that illustrations in children’s books vary so much. And….illustrations that are deemed excellent and award-winning also vary widely. The Caldecott Award recognizes many different styles of artwork in children’s literature. I think I got to see a good sampling of that with my Caldecott choices for this blog.
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