Mock Caldecott 2026 discussion

How to Eat a Book by Mrs. and Mr. MacLeod




Berry Song by Michaela Goade




Gibberish by Young Vo




The Blur by Minh Lê


I am so excited for some of these, we have some strong reading this month.

What did you think of them?

Gibberish is amazing - so perfect for ELL students and the students who learn along side them! The Blur will become the next Love You Forever - such a beautiful story, but I don't think kids will appreciate it as much as adults.

Berry Song is a stand out in a year of amazing picture books. I think Michaela Goade (Caldecott Gold winner of 2021's We Are Water Protectors and member of the Tlingit Nation), is worthy of a 2023 Caldecott. Berry Song continues the current trend of grandparent/grandchild companionship books. I absolutely adore that. A grandmother and her granddaughter gather gifts from nature like salmon, herring eggs and a huge variety of berries through the year. They are grateful and sing to the land, ocean and the generations that came before them. Michaela Goade illustrates many berries and includes actual pictures of the berries in her author note. The illustrations were done in watercolor and mixed media. Art from Berry Song was selected to be included in the Society of Illustrators Museum/Gallery in NYC for their current Original Art exhibit. I saw the piece and it is gorgeous.

Gibberish has a chance at winning an award, too. It is an atypical picture book. Pretty outstanding.

I agree with Laura! Wow! Berry Song is amazing! Michaela Goade has authored and illustrated another incredible picture book for all ages! The artwork in this book is stunning! The tones set the stage for a comfortable, peaceful read. The watercolor images support the text so well. This is a real dedication to the wonders of our world. The author writes this story as a dedication to her heritage and an appeal for us to protect and cherish our Earth! She tells a story that has been carried down from ages to ages and to future ages. Her message is to care for the earth, give thanks to the earth, and understand how we are a part of the earth. Caldecott medalist? For sure!

The Blur - another great story combination by Minh Le and Dan Santat. It is a wonderful book to use for guests to sign at a son or daughter's high school graduation! or other similar party. Bigger than life illustrations! The Blur is all about parenthood, showing how quickly it takes to raise a child. Adults of grown children should sense where this story is going...yes, looking back, it is all a blur. Really, when raising a child or family, times seems to fly. Yet as young parents are working hard and living the dream of parenthood, sometimes the days seem to go by ever so slowly!

The title is perfect...Gibberish. Readers will quickly figure out what that means. Young Vo has written and illustrated a book that is perfect for all ages. A little boy is new to America Anywhere, and he is off to his new school. He does not understand any English and no one understands him. They all speak Gibberish! Until all of a sudden, Julie jumps out of a tree. She becomes a good friend to the him. She turns his world around from one of loneliness and sadness to great joy and happiness. They reciprocate teaching each other their own language. Priceless story! The pictures are essential to the telling of this story. Oh for the value of friendship!

Berry Song
I also really loved this book. I had no idea there were so many different varieties of berries! I only ever see strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries in the grocery store. I am also familiar with blackberries, huckleberries and boysenberries. But beyond that, I need to do more research. This is a lovely story with dreamy, misty illustrations.

Gibberish
Another winning picture book! I loved the cleverly executed illustrations: young Dat looks somewhat realistic and in color, while all the other people around him are black and white Disney-esque cartoons (think noodle legs and noodle arms with white gloves on the hands). Dat, whose family has immigrated from an unnamed Asian country, cannot understand the gibberish English that everyone else is speaking. The English gibberish is depicted as characters such as wheels, stars, pizza slices, locks, etc. A clever and humorous story.

The Blur
I agree with Mimi. I would think this book would be of more interest to parents than to children. The illustrations by Dan Santat are great, and really capture the feelings expressed in the text.

I liked all of these books, but Berry Song is the only one that stands out for me. The illustrations are lovely and lush and celebrate the beauty of the earth and how important it is to cherish it and care for it.

Now that my children have all graduated from high school, The Blur had personal value for me as it showcases a young child growing up way too fast. Gibberish carries an essential message of how language can act as a barrier and as a connection between people. Finally, How to Eat a Book is humorous and just plain weird; I couldn't really connect with it, but I'm sure others "ate" it up!