Elmer Hader (1889–1973)

Published in 1943 and chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book in 1944 - Berta and Elmer Hader's Cock-A-Doodle-Doo was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1940, and their The Big Snow was awarded the Caldecott Medal itself in 1949 - this picture-book follows the adventures of Little Brave Heart, a young Indian boy (tribe unnamed) who longs to be a great hunter. Slipping out of his family's teepee one day, he runs off with his bow and arrow, encountering a series of animals who all offer to help him find show more bigger, more worthy prey. Finally, encountering a mother bear and her cubs, Little Brave Heart is questioned as to his motives - is he so cold that he needs her fur? is he so hungry that he needs her flesh? - and then sent running on his way, when his answers are unacceptable. In the end, he concludes that school is the place for him...

Hopelessly outdated in its presentation of Native American life, and rife with stereotypes and inaccuracies - to give but one example: most young children from Indian reservations in the 1940s would have been brutally separated from their families, and forced to attend abusive boarding schools far from their homes, not allowed to remain at home and attend local schools (they also would most likely not have lived in teepees) - The Mighty Hunter is not a book I would recommend to contemporary children. It wasn't accurate or appropriate when first created, and it certainly isn't now. That said, I did find the artwork, stereotypes or no, quite beautiful, and can understand, from an aesthetic perspective, why it was honored. I also appreciated the message offered, about hunting only when one is in need, rather than for fun, as I think sport hunting is unethical. I understand that the Haders were activists, in their way, incorporating messages about conservation and animal protection into their books, and I imagine that this is an early example of that. In any case, despite the good message here, the delivery is so flawed that I would recommend the book only to Caldecott completists like myself, or to readers researching the depiction of Native Americans in older children's books. show less

Geese flying south overhead prompt the forest animals to run through their winter plans: migrating, hibernating, foraging, etc.

Nice pictures and informative, but too dull and flat for me.

The southward flight of a flock of geese heralds the coming of winter in this Caldecott Medal-winning picture book from Berta and Elmer Hader, and all of the various animals on the hillside overlooking a great river stop and watch their journey. Each thinks of their own food store, of the fact that they themselves have no trouble foraging in winter, or of their coming hibernation, and settle in for the coming season. But when a big snow comes and buried the world, they find they might have show more trouble after all, until the little old couple in the stone house nearby appear, and provide food for them...

Published in 1948, The Big Snow netted author/illustrator team (and husband and wife) Berta and Elmer Hader the 1949 Caldecott Medal, an honor which followed the Caldecott Honors they won in 1940 for their Cock-a-Doodle Doo and 1944 for The Mighty Hunter. Notably, they also illustrated Cornelia Meigs' 1921 children's novel, The Windy Hill, which was chosen as a Newbery Honor Book in 1922, the year the award was first established. In any case, I have read both of the earlier Hader picture books, and enjoyed the artwork in them, so I went in expecting to be pleased on that score. I was not disappointed, appreciating the lovely, naturalistic depiction of various animal species, whether in black and white or in color. My favorite scene, visually, was the two-page spread, in color, depicting the hillside covered in snow, the Hudson a pale blue below. I am fond of wintry scenes, and this one was particularly lovely. The setting is taken from the Haders' own home, on the New Jersey Palisades above the Hudson River, and they themselves are the older couple depicted feeding the animals. No doubt that familiarity gave the visuals here more authenticity, and immediacy. The text is engaging, although quite long for a picture book, and is one I would really only recommend to older picture book audiences, or those with a good attention span. For such listeners, especially one on one, this might make a very nice, quiet winter-time read. show less

When a little red chick hatches from an egg in a duck's nest, his mother and siblings don't know just what to make of him. Soon aware of how different he is - he peeps when the duckling quack; he must stay on land, when the ducklings take off swimming - Little Red eventually hears a strange call in the distance, a "cock-a-doodle-doo" that speaks to him. Setting out to find the source of this call, he experiences many dangers in the meadow and forest, eventually finding his way to a farm, and show more a community of his fellows.

Chosen as a Newbery Honor Book in 1940 - the medal winner that year was Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire's Abraham Lincoln - this story of a chick out of his element has definite shades of The Ugly Duckling to it. It's nowhere near as engaging as Andersen's classic tale, but it has modest charm as an animal story I think, and will appeal to younger children who appreciate such fare. The artwork, which alternates between black and white and full color, has a sweet vintage charm. I'm not sure, all told, that I can see Cock-A-Doodle-Doo being chosen as an award winner today - there's nothing that really stands out to me, in either text or image - but it does have a quiet appeal, especially for fans of vintage picture-book art. show less