Mock Caldecott Award 2016

This year we are trying something new at ICPL, a Mock Caldecott award.  Every year, the American Library Association awards the Randolph Caldecott Medal to a distinguished American picture book. For full eligibility requirements and criteria please visit the AlA's Caldecott website. Also, stop by the Children's Room to see a wonderful and informative display regarding the history of the award that Mari Redington has put together in the small display case.

Keeping eligibility requirements in mind we have put together a list of 15 possible contenders for the 2017 award. We ask that you read all of these titles before voting, or as many as you can get your hands on. When voting please pick and rank your top five titles: one winner (1) and four honor books (2-5). Paper ballots are available and are being collected at the Children's Room Desk.  If you are unable to cast a paper ballot and are familiar with the titles, then please feel free to comment with your top five on or before December 31st.

We will be announcing the winning ICPL Caldecott titles at the beginning of 2017, shortly before the ALA midwinter meeting where they will be announcing the Medal and Honor winners.  How fun would it be if we have picked a winner or an honor book?! 

ICPL's Caldecott Contenders (in no particular order):

• The Night Gardener--by Terry and Eric Fan
• Snow White--by Matt Phelan
• Poor Little Guy--by Elanna Allen
• Henry & Leo--by Pamela Zagarenski
• When Spring Comes--by Kevin Henkes, Illus. by Laura Dronzek
• A Hungry Lion: or A Dwindling Assortment of Animals--by Lucy Ruth Cummins
• Hand in Hand--by Rosemary Wells
• Spot, the Cat--by Henry Cole
• Are We There Yet?--by Dan Santat
• Home at Last--by Vera B. Williams, Illus. by Chris Raschka
• Have you Seen Elephant?--by David Barrow
• Thunder Boy Jr.--by Sherman Alexie, Illus. by Yuyi Morales
• Frank and Lucky Get Schooled--by Lynne Rae Perkins
• A Hat for Mrs. Goldman: A Story About Knitting and Love--by Michelle Edwards, Illus. by Brian Karas
• Ghosts--by Raina Telgemeier

A note about the selection of these titles: making a list of 15 books from all of the eligible works published so far this year was extraordinarily difficult.  Some of my favorite titles from 2016 are not on this list simply because we did not want to have a list of 50+ books for you to choose from.  We tried to choose a number of books of varying styles from well known and newer picture book creators as well as a few that have local significance.