Free Fall was the first example of the predominant style of his solo books, which tell a fantastical, often dream-like story without words, only illustrations. Subsequently he won three Caldecott Medals for solo picture books—Tuesday (1991), The Three Pigs (2001), and Flotsam (2006)—and he was one of the runners-up for Sector 7 (1999) and Mr. Wuffles!
Free Fall marked the beginning of a style used in his solo picture books, which are fantastical and dream-like stories without words, only illustrations. He went on to win three Caldecott Medals for these books—Tuesday (1991), The Three Pigs (2001), and Flotsam (2006)—and was a finalist for Sector 7 (1999) and Mr. Wuffles!