Mock Caldecott 2026 discussion

Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? by Rita Gray

Have You Seen My Dragon? by Steve Light

Some Bugs by Angela Diterlizzi

Abuelo by Arthur Dorros

Which one of these do you think could be a future medal winner?

I love Have You Seen My Dragon. I definitely can see it winning an award. I am also a huge fan of Sparky! by Offill.

Out of these four books, I liked Have You Seen My Dragon? the best. The artwork was wonderful. It incorporated counting and colors, as well as a map of NYC.

I enjoyed "Have You Seen My Dragon," the pops of color were eye-catching and there was a lot of minute detail in the illustrations, it was one of those books I felt like I had to read two or three times before I could understand everything going on.

Admittedly, "Have You Heard the Nesting Bird?" did not leave much of an impression on me. Though, if I recall the illustrations were very life-like and detailed.

My personal favorite of this bunch was Nesting Bird. I really like that style of illustration and I thought the rhyming text was sweet and fun to read aloud. The only criticism I have is that the ending is too abrupt. It does not fit with the flow of the rest of the story and didn't leave me with the warm glow I associate with Caldecott contenders.

I do not feel that any of these books will be in the running for a Caldecott award. Each book had something going for it: illustrations, creative text or a nice storyline. The one I liked the best was Have You Seen My Dragon? The artwork was a perfect match for the text and the text laid the groundwork for discussion and observations.

Even though it was not my favorite, I actually think Have You Seen My Dragon is the strongest contender for an award from this batch. A young reader could spend a lot of time poring over the detailed illustrations. I could see this as a Geisel, too, with the counting. Also, it feels very East Coast to me, and it seems books with East Coast references do well with ALA committees.

Have You Seen My Dragon?--This was the most read book on our vacation by the 4 year old with us! I loved the high level of detail in each spread, with the chance to find the dragon, count the number of items on each spread, and be able to read the number and word(s) represented on each page. The pops of color on each of the black and white drawings allow the spreads to not be overwhelming. Great endpapers as well! One of my top picks so far this year.

I agree that "Have You Seen My Dragon?" should be a contender. refreshingly unique and intriguing. And a visual feast.

I'm going to have to agree with others. The Nesting Bird had almost a Jon Klassen feel to the illustrations; and Some Bugs was definitely cute. However, neither necessarily stood out by having both appeal to children and excellence in the illustrations.
Have You Seen My Dragon would probably be my pick of the bunch. There is so much to discover, and even though the illustrations are detailed, they never end up feeling cluttered. Some of the colors could have been a little brighter for extra contrast(the manhole covers for example); but really, kids won't care about that and it's more just a personal preference thing with me.

Brandi Rae wrote: "I'm going to have to agree with others. The Nesting Bird had almost a Jon Klassen feel to the illustrations; and Some Bugs was definitely cute. However, neither necessarily stood out by having both..."

I liked that the colors were subtle sometimes. This way kiddos have to examine the illustration closely.

Librarygarden wrote: "I liked that the colors were subtle sometimes. This way kiddos have to examine the illustration closely."

That's a really good point; I hadn't thought about it in those terms.

I haven't read 'Have You Heard the Nesting Bird?' yet, but 'Have You Seen My Dragon?' is terrific. I spent a lot of time gazing into the details of each page, and my daughter definitely did too.

Have You Heard the Nesting Bird?--After reading this the first time I immediately started looking for an app that has the different bird calls. My thought would be to read the book to the kids and then post the bird names and sound breakdown on the doc cam and then have them listen to the different calls and see if they can figure them out. The Nationl Geographic app is good, but the free one only has only a limited amount birds represented. Full app is $10. If you know of a good bird app or website, please let me know. Back to the book...I really like the illustrations and how they create a feeling of nature. The night spread is my favorite, but I feel there should be more to the story to make it Caldecott worthy. Then again, by having limited text the author lets us hear what the children are hearing (the birds). The Q & A at the end definitely gives the book more credence as a NF title.

Re: Have You Heard the Nesting Bird?
Lovely watercolor and digital media in muted colors. Contrasts the songs and calls of various birds with the silent robin on the nest; quiet because she does not want to attract predators. The pages of the book get progressively darker as the story moves from day to night. The last couple of pages contain a Q & A between the reader and the robin, asking why the robin is quiet and several other questions. The author includes a website where readers can listen to the songs and calls of robins. For other bird songs and calls, readers can go to www.allaboutbirds.org.

Re: Some Bugs
This busy book has lots of insects and arachnids and other crawly creatures for children to look for. The text is very simple and the double page spreads are filled with a variety of creepy crawlies and plants. The illustrations are cute and cartooney, and filled with detail. According to the artist, "the illustrations for this book are rendered in almost everything imaginable." A final double page spread identifies many of the creatures from the previous pages. Quite a fun book for kids who love insects.

Some Bugs--The simple patterned text and the colorful, snappy art in this book will make it a sure hit with kids. The illustrations definitely make each verb come alive. This book could be a quick read for those who are not looking into the art or many minutes can be spent looking at each spread to take in all the details. I could see this as a Geisel winner.

Abuelo--A gentle family story that shows an important relationship with grandson and grandfather. The illustrations in watercolor and Prismacolor pencils definitely creates a mood of the 50s or 60s with clothing, the bus, the city, and the bicycle, but the page where the boy talks with his abuelo has him on a cellphone which doesn't match the time period of the other pages.

Re: Have You Seen My Dragon?
Several people mentioned this as their favorite of these four books. I don't know if it's my favorite; I prefer more realistic looking dragons; but this is a very cute counting book and very cleverly executed. I agree that there is a lot of detail in the illustrations; a reader could pore over each page for hours. And there is so much for the reader to do: look for the dragon, look for the little boy looking for the dragon; and count the colored items on each page. The end paper map of the dragon's meanderings is an added plus.

Abuelo
I thought the illustrations were quite lovely, with a kind of textured, hazy look. The sweet, simple bond between grandfather and grandson was heartwarming. Spanish phrases and words were sprinkled throughout. And I liked how the grandfather's teachings helped the young boy stand up to bullies at his new school. The contrast between the simple rural, rustic setting and the big city was well depicted.

I REALLY enjoyed Have You Seen My Dragon! The bold black lines with the sporadic bright color make it so visually appealing. The stark contrast of colors make the one color on the page pop. There is so much to look at on each page. In this group of books to me, this is the winner!!
Some Bugs also is wonderful. Lots of color and many different bugs to explore. The picture of ALL of the bugs with their name is conducive to further reading about a child's favorite bug.