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Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery by Sandra Neil Wallace and illustrated by Bryan Collier

Libba: The Magnificent Musical Life of Elizabeth Cotten by Laura Veirs and illustrated by Tatyana Fazlalizadeh

A Lady Has the Floor: Belva Lockwood Speaks Out for Women's Rights by Kate Hannigan and illustrated by Alison Jay

It's been noted that fiction is often an easier sell to audiences, both young and old. However non-fiction books are a vital part of children's literature. What did you think of these Caldecott contenders?

Libba: The Magnificent Musical Life of Elizabeth Cotten is one of my favorite 2018 releases. It is well written and uniquely beautiful. The cover art illustration was chosen by The Society of Illustrators in NYC last fall for their annual artwork exhibit. I love little known subjects for picture book biographies. Libba was a fascinating read. The other two selections are very nice. I don't find the artwork particularly different from other books Bryan Collier or Alison Jay have done.

Thus far I have only been able to review Between the Lines. I like that the struggle to keep art alive in Ernie's life is portrayed but on the whole was not deeply moved by the text or the artwork. We don't own it now and I'm not inclined to purchase it after spending some time with it.

I loved the story of Ernie Barnes; Between the Lines. I love how Sandra Wallace tells this story, but Bryan Collier's water color and collage illustrations really bring the story to life. I read the note from the illustrator, where he states he kept his style of art for the book because Ernie Barnes' art could never be duplicated. I think in that way Collier shows a strong level of respect. I think when Radiant Child won the Caldecott last year there was differences of opinion because at times it was unclear if the art in the book belong to Javaka Steptoe or Jean Basquiat.

A Lady Has the Floor- This is my first time seeing illustration s by Allison Jay. I loved the use of the crackle varnish. For me the puzzle like background signified piecing a person's life together. Belva Lockwood's story is inspiring and the pictures build on that. I also loved how some of her quotes were scripted into the illustrations. The book has the element of being unique, it will be interesting to see how well it will stands against other contenders as the year goes on.

A Lady has the Floor- The artwork is very engaging, I love the crackle, it gives a time-period feel to the book, and for some reason I find the shapes of the animals and people very satisfying. It is a story I haven't heard before, and while her story is very positive and empowering, I couldn't help but feel disgust that 150 years later we are fighting many of the same fights.

Libba- I love the softness of the images in this book, they absolutely invoke the gentleness of Libba Cotten's music, and of folk music in general. I found the story a bit jarring when it jumps from child to grandma in one page, but from reading the back matter it seems like that is how her musical life played out.

Libba

I thought it was an interesting story with very nice illustrations that effectively echoed the action, but I don't think it has what it takes to be a Caldecott medalist.

Between the Lines

This book was longer and wordier than "Libba," so it went into more detail about Ernest Barnes' life. The collage illustrations were impressive. I liked the inclusion of some of Barnes' artwork in the book, just disappointed that the oft-mentioned "Sugar Shack" was not included (except for a tiny glimpse of one corner under a girl's arm.)

Libba- I visually enjoyed Libba, I loved the soft undertone the pictures brought to the text. I think the illustrations told a lot of the story as the text was rather short and vague at times. I learned about Elizabeth Cotten in the author's note mostly. The graphite definitely brought a sense of sadness, the gray high lighted a time of poverty. Again not sure if it's a Caldecott contender, I don't think there was anything unique or different about the illustrations.

A Lady Has the Floor

I enjoyed this biography as well, and I really like Jay's oil paintings with crackle varnish. I also like her artistic style. I liked the quotes that were inserted either around the illustrations, or inside them, and I thought there was a very good "marriage" of text and illustration.