I am the volunteer librarian at my daughters’ K-5 school. The library does NOT get a lot of love and support from the administration, and even the teachers who love it are pressed for time. However, I’m making our first attempt at a mock Caldecott this year. I picked our 10 nominees based mostly on online "buzz," . I also wanted some diversity of subjects, genre, illustrators, artistic styles and media, and wordless books as well as those with text. In a school that is nearly half Latino and a quarter black, I wanted the students to see themselves reflected either in the subject matter and/or the authors and illustrators themselves in at least some of the books. Of course, those are all factors that the committee is not supposed to consider. But my goals are a bit different. Here is my list, in no particular order:
The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Draw! by Raul Colon
The Iridescence of Birds: A Book About Henri Matisse by Patricia Maclachlan, illustrated by Hadley Hooper
Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker by Patricia Hruby Powell, illustrated by Christian Robinson
The Scraps Book: Notes from a Colorful Life by Lois Ehlert
Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales and Tim O'Meara (photographer)
A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream by Kristy Dempsey, illustrated by Floyd Cooper
I'm asking the students - and teachers - to rank their top three. I'll rank mine in an upcoming post. What are yours? Or do you have other favorites this year?
Do you do a mock Caldecott at your school? Are your criteria for choosing nominees different from those considered by the real Caldecott committee?
Do you do a mock Caldecott at your school? Are your criteria for choosing nominees different from those considered by the real Caldecott committee?
