Mock Caldecott 2026 discussion

Quest by Aaron Becker

Draw! by Raúl Colón

Buddy and the Bunnies: In Don't Play with Your Food by Bob Shea

My Teacher Is a Monster! by Peter Brown

These are some fabulous books to mark our last month of reading in 2014. Do you think any here are Caldecott worthy?


I would also like to encourage anyone to discuss any of the books mentioned on our "Last Month" thread-

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

-and to add to the growing list there for any 2015 Caldecott worthy books that we have missed.

Though Quest is visually stunning, I think I really preferred the story arc of Journey. I almost feel like having all the different colors of chalk somehow makes it less special.

Still waiting for the rest of my holds to come in. :)

Kelly wrote: "Though Quest is visually stunning, I think I really preferred the story arc of Journey. I almost feel like having all the different colors of chalk somehow makes it less special.

Still waiting ..."

I agree that is wasn't as wonderful as Journey. Not certain if it was the colors or just that I expected so much after Journey, which I had picked for winner last year. No idea how Quest will hold up this year but am now really hoping for something amazing for the last book in this series because I do find the art, story and entire concept to be award worthy.

Patty wrote: "Kelly wrote: "Though Quest is visually stunning, I think I really preferred the story arc of Journey. I almost feel like having all the different colors of chalk somehow makes it less special.

..."

I try not to praise books for their "uniqueness," but I think Journey was just so novel and refreshing and full of new life. Though Quest does a beautiful job of moving the story forward, revealing new parts of the world with fantastic illustrations and rich landscapes, it's hard to keep that level of excitement going. Does that make sense?

I think sequels have a harder time winning awards. Not so sure about the Caldecott (how many picture books actually have sequels?) But for the Newbery I think it's only The High King...It'll be interesting to see where we're headed.

Hmmm, it seems that I'm joining the masses with Quest. I still really enjoyed it & absolutely intend on adding it to our collection. But it was a teeny-tiny bit less on the wow-factor compared to its predecessor. I can't wait to see the final book in the trilogy.

Buddy & The Bunnies was cute. While my kidlet was too young to get the joke, his older cousin found the play on words pretty funny. A good book, but with so many other amazing contenders this year, I'll be quite surprised if this title gets a nod.

Kelly wrote: "Patty wrote: "Kelly wrote: "Though Quest is visually stunning, I think I really preferred the story arc of Journey. I almost feel like having all the different colors of chalk somehow makes it les..."

The first two Knuffle Bunny books got Honors. I don't know how or whether Quest will be viewed alongside Journey. I know that excitement and innovation are not criteria, but Quest's notability (notableness?) compared to this year's line-up might diminish since we saw something like it last year.

I think it's as good or better than Journey, but I've titles that are more notable (Jeffers' Alphabet, Frazee's Farmer and The Clown, Karas' Oak Tree Book, which in its turn might be compared to last year's Locomotive)

Just received My Teacher is a Monster in delivery at the lib. It is a very fun story, but doesn't "roar" awards to me. I bet it would be a lot of fun to share with kids, but I'm not sure I have the skills to 'act out' the speech bubbles for a larger story-time crowd.

This has been one of my most successful read alouds! It's a great example of point of view as the changing look of Ms. Kirby changes with Bobby's feelings about her. I don't know about Caldecott, but Peter Brown totally GETS a kid's sense of humor!

Buddy and the Bunnies in Don't Play With Your Food
This was a funny and energetic story with stylized monster and bunny rabbits (the numbers of which kept increasing). The monster keeps threatening to eat the bunnies, but they keep distracting him so much that he puts it off one more day. He finally realizes that the bunnies are his friends and should not be eaten. I used this book in a story time and the children thought the story was hilarious.
The illustrations are busy and lively and energetic, and lots of wild color combinations are used.

Quest
I guess I have to go against the flow on this one. I loved it every bit as much as Journey. The king wants the two children to bring color back into the world, and they accomplish this by following the map he gives them and collecting the crayons? chalks? from the various places. Then their companion bird is able to draw a rainbow and saturate the once dull kingdom in color. And when the children return to their own city, that cityscape has changed from dull to colorful. So I found the story and illustrations quite enchanting.

Draw!
A boy lies on his bed, drawing animals of the African savannah, and daydreaming about them coming to life. He rides an elephant and survives a charging rhino. The illustrations, rendered in ink, watercolors, Prismacolor pencils and lithograph pencils are bold and energetic, and have a textured look. The animals look realistic. The illustrations are large enough for group sharing, although this is a wordless picture book. On the last page, the reader sees the young artist showing off his paintings to his classmates.

My Teacher is a Monster
I agree with Kelly. I, too enjoyed the book immensely, but don't think it will garner an award. I loved the way Bobby's perception of his teacher gradually changed over the course of their interactions in the park. The quirky illustrations, in India ink, watercolor, gouache and pencil were very effective in moving the story forward.

Helen wrote: "Hmmm, it seems that I'm joining the masses with Quest. I still really enjoyed it & absolutely intend on adding it to our collection. But it was a teeny-tiny bit less on the wow-factor compared to i..."

I guess I am the odd girl out. Quest is one of the most magnificent picturebooks I have ever seen. Trust me-I have seen a lot. I love it even more than Journey.

Laura wrote: "Helen wrote: "Hmmm, it seems that I'm joining the masses with Quest. I still really enjoyed it & absolutely intend on adding it to our collection. But it was a teeny-tiny bit less on the wow-factor..."

No, I am with you. See my comment on the book above.

The Right Word-#1, Mark Pett's book too.
I just read 3 of the books on our mock list: The Magnificent Thing, The Tooth Fairy Wars and The Girl and the Bicycle. Loved all 3, but in looking at the art factor, Tooth Fairy is too typical. Great story line but art is not as unique as the other 2. "The Magnificent Thing" has a great emotional feature, with the use of color to help tell the story. The illustrations are unusual yet aesthetically pleasing. I also love Mark Pett's work. His wordless book "The Girl and the Bicycle" pulls you in with his illustrations sparking deep feeling and tells the story in an amazing format. I love his subtle connection to his former book "The Boy and the Airplane".
My top 3 books for the 2015 Caldecott are "The Right Word" (#1!!),"Quest"(I wrote about both of these in an earlier post)and "The Girl and the Bicycle". Honors, "The Magnificent Thing", "Draw".

if it's judged just for the art, I would choose:
Animals Aplenty by Katie Viggers1 to 20, Animals Aplenty
Aviary Wonders Inc. by Kate Samworth
Aviary Wonders Inc. Spring Catalog and Instruction Manual
or
The Witch's Boy

Beverly wrote: "Laura wrote: "Helen wrote: "Hmmm, it seems that I'm joining the masses with Quest. I still really enjoyed it & absolutely intend on adding it to our collection. But it was a teeny-tiny bit less on ..."

Sorry I missed your message. Quest is indeed enchanting and glorious.