Marvelous Cornelius:  Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans is a semi-biographical picture book written by Phil Bildner, illustrated by John Parra, and published August 4, 2015 by Chronicle Books. The book, which is based on a true story, follows Cornelius after he cleans up New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Reception edit

Marvelous Cornelius was met with praise, applauding the message of the impact of individuals' efforts. While some reviews discussed how the book served as a "stirring story of resilience in the face of adversity"[1] or a "fine tribute to an unsung African-American hero,"[2] others noted that the book "[e]mphasize[d] the vibrant life before Hurricane Katrina and makes the impact of the terrible flood."[3]

Marvelous Cornelius received a starred review from Shelf Awareness,[4] as well as positive reviews from Kirkus,[2] School Library Journal,[1] Booklist,[3] USA Today.[5]

Beyond popular media, Marvelous Cornelius has also been discussed in academic circles to review the stories told to children about working-class Americans and tragedy.[6][7]

Accolades for Marvelous Cornelius
Year Accolade Result Ref.
N/A Junior Library Guild Selection [8]
2015 Cybils Award for Fiction Picture Books Nominee [8]
Parents’ Choice Book Awards for Picture Books Gold [9]
2016 Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration Winner [10]
Bank Street College of Education Best Books of 2016 Selection [11]
Children's Book Council's Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, K–2 Selection [12]
Margaret Wise Brown Prize in Children's Literature Winner [13]
International Literacy Association, Teacher's Choices Reading List Selection [14]
2017-2018 Georgia Picture Book Award (K-4) Nominee [9]
2018 Association of Indiana School Library Educators' Read Alouds Too-Good-To-Miss Selection [15]
Louisiana Young Readers Choice Award, Grades 3-5 Nominee [9]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  2. ^ a b "Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans". Kirkus Reviews. 2015-06-16. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  3. ^ a b McDermott, Jeanne (2016-01-21). "Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans". Booklist. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  4. ^ Brown, Jennifer M. (2015-08-07). "Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans". Shelf Awareness. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  5. ^ Schrefer, Eliot (2016-02-14). "Kids' picture books celebrate black history". USA Today. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  6. ^ Burrow and Chrissy Cross, Lauren; Cross, Chrissy (October 2019). "STREAMing Engineering: An elementary schoolwide endeavor to build young engineers prioritizes training teachers first". Science and Children. 57 (3). National Science Teaching Association: 78–84. JSTOR 26901548 – via JSTOR.
  7. ^ Klęczaj-Siara, Ewa (2019). "Protecting the Spirit of the American South: Representations of New Orleans Culture in Contemporary Children's Picture Books" (PDF). Polish Journal for American Studies. 13: 281–292.
  8. ^ a b "Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans by Phil Bildner". Junior Library Guild. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  9. ^ a b c "Marvelous Cornelius". Phil Bildner. 2015-04-22. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
  10. ^ "2016 Golden Kite Winners". Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  11. ^ Bank Street College of Education. Children's Book Committee (2015-03-10). "The Best Children's Books of the Year [2016 edition]". The Center for Children's Literature. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  12. ^ Notable Social Studies Trade books for Young People 2016. Children's Book Council. 2016. p. 4.
  13. ^ "Hollins Announces Winners of the Inaugural Margaret Wise Brown Prize in Children's Literature". Children's Book Council. 2016-04-21. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
  14. ^ Teachers' Choice 2016 Reading List (PDF). International Literacy Association. 2016. p. 3.
  15. ^ "Read Aloud Indiana Past Book List" (PDF). Indiana Library Federation. Retrieved 2021-12-31.