The Cat Man of Aleppo

March 4, 2021 In Caldecott

It’s time to kick off our favorite series of the year: It’s our Caldecott breakdowns! Each year, our founders give an in-depth analysis of the winning books. We analyze the text, the illustrations, and how they combine to create an award-winning picture book. Over the next five weeks, we’ll breakdown each of this year’s amazing books and share insights into the illustrators and their processes. Most importantly, we hope our talks will inspire you to elevate your own picture book manuscripts in a new way.

First off, our hearty congratulations to the 2021 Caldecott Medal Winner: WE ARE WATER PROTECTORS written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade! This book is stunning and we can’t wait to share it with you in the coming weeks.

This year the Caldecott Committee recognized four books as 2021 Caldecott Honor Books:

THE CAT MAN OF ALEPPO illustrated by Yuko Shimizu, written by Irene Latham & Karim Shamsi-Basha
OUTSIDE IN illustrated by Cindy Derby, written by Deborah Underwood
A PLACE INSIDE OF ME: A POEM TO HEAL THE HEART illustrated by Noa Denmon, written by Zetta Elliott
ME & MAMA illustrated and written by Cozbi A. Cabrera

The American Library Association awards the Caldecott Medal each year at its winter conference. But how are these winners chosen? Emma Walton Hamilton sums up the criteria the Caldecott committee uses to choose the winning picture books:

Caldecott Criteria

Now, let’s dig in with our analysis of 2021 Caldecott Honor Book THE CAT MAN OF ALEPPO illustrated by Yuko Shimizu, written by Irene Latham & Karim Shamsi-Basha.

Here’s a brief description of this touching book:

Alaa loves Aleppo, but when war comes his neighbors flee to safety, leaving their many pets behind. Alaa decides to stay–he can make a difference by driving an ambulance, carrying the sick and wounded to safety. One day he hears hungry cats calling out to him on his way home. They are lonely and scared, just like him. He feeds and pets them to let them know they are loved. The next day more cats come, and then even more! There are too many for Alaa to take care of on his own. Alaa has a big heart, but he will need help from others if he wants to keep all of his new friends safe.

To clarify, the Caldecott is primarily an illustration award. However, four of the five honorees this year feature separate author and illustrators. (Yes! There is hope if you’re a picture book writer and not an illustrator.) THE CAT MAN OF ALEPPO demonstrates how a book can deal with a subject as tough as war and its aftermath and still reach kids with a message of hope. Emma Walton Hamilton leads our discussion into this award-winning book.