The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat won the Caldecott this year.
Beekle is a fun book with stunning pictures that keep the older kids entertained throughout while they look for other "imaginary friends." They can even look for the author's imaginary friend that is shown int he back flap.
I give Beekle 4.5 out of 5 Stars in my book review. It's a great book with stunning pictures (and totally deserves the Caldecott Award that it won) which Preschoolers through 3rd grade will be highly entertained with the words and the pictures.
The only reason i took half a star away is b/c the storyline and concept is slightly confusing even for the older students. A teacher or parent will need to clarify concepts a couple of times.
Teachers will enjoy using this book as a read aloud. They could easily have a short lesson on using context clues, predicting, or using previous knowledge to try and determine and/or define what "unimaginary" means.
I really do love the pictures in this book, and I think the story is cute. It is a fabulous book and worth a purchase for any library (classroom or home).
Amazon had the following book review just to give you a better idea of what the story is about.
"How long would you wait and how far a journey would you make to find your truest friend? Born on an island for imaginary friends, Beekle waits to be "imagined by a real child." He waits and he waits, but his turn never comes. Filled with impetuous courage, Beekle does the unimaginable and heads out across deep waters until he reaches the real world. He finds that life there is so harried that no one notices him. Eventually, as he waits at the top of a star-leafed tree, a small girl with a friendly face calls out to him with a picture in her hand. They learn to be friends, share adventures and snacks, joke, "and together they did the unimaginable." Santat's attention to detail in the mixed-media illustrations shares a child's eye for laughter and movement on full-bleed spreads with strategically placed text. Gazes of wonderment, broad smiles, and changes in perspective ensure an easy transition from page to page. Beekle's round white visage and taped orange paper crown are immediately identifiable in each scene, a sharp contrast to his surroundings against variations of dark neutrals on a city street or the brightly colored dragons of a child's imagination. Like Beekle's new friend, there's something here that feels just right as an "unimaginary" friendship creates a joyous, recognizable bond. A terrific addition to any library."
Happy Caldecott Award Winning, Beekle, The Unimaginary Friend picture book reading.
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