It's that time of year again! Get ready to start talking Caldecott Awards and remember to cast your vote for your favorite from this list between Saturday, December 1st and Monday, January 21st. ICPL's Mock Award winners will be announced on Friday, January 25th. I will review one book each week on Friday until we announce a Mock winner. The real winners will be announced at the ALA Midwinter Conference on Monday, January 28th. Vote Here!
The prince and the dressmaker
Jen Wang
GRAPHIC NOVEL Wang
Graphic Novels, LGBTQ+
Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride--or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia--the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion!
Hello Lighthouse
Sophie Blackall
jE Blackall
Picture Books, Historical Fiction, Nature, Kids
"Explores the life of one lighthouse as it beams its message out to sea through shifting seasons, changeable weather, and the tenure of its final keeper."--
All in all,"Hello Lighthouse" radiates as much warmth as light and will surely be pored over for its lustrous details and touching story.
- Casey
Julián is a mermaid
Jessica Love
jE Love
Picture Books, LGBTQ+
While riding the subway home from the pool with his abuela one day, Julián notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train car. When Julián gets home, daydreaming of the magic he's seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies in his own fabulous mermaid costume: a butter-yellow curtain for his tail, the fronds of a potted fern for his headdress. But what will Abuela think about the mess he makes -- and even more importantly, what will she think about how Julián sees himself?
Utilizing sparse text and vibrant illustrations, Jessica Love's debut picture book shows how fantastic unconditional love can be. Love, in using so little text and heavily relying on her visual storytelling has left space for readers to play, imagine and feel along with Julián.
- Casey
Ocean meets sky
Terry Fan
jE Fan
Picture Books
"A little boy builds a ship to honor his late grandfather and sets sail for the magical place where ocean meets sky from his grandfather's stories"--
Now that I’ve taken this journey a few times, what really speaks to me is Finn’s growing understanding of what it means to remember those that we have loved. How we can bring those things they have taught us to the present while also saying goodbye. This is a visually and emotionally stunning piece from the Fan Brothers.
- Casey
Heartbeat
Evan Turk
jE Turk
Picture Books
Separated from her mother, a young whale swims the oceans for decades until she finds a young girl who shares her vision of one planet for which all are responsible.
Heartbeat follows a whale calf, orphaned by the early commercial whaling industry, through two hundred years of human development. Evan Turk highlights the ways in which we have used these creatures to advance ourselves, and the shifting attitudes toward whales of more recent history with thoughtfulness. A unique and timely look at human history through the lens of the animals we impact, make sure to read Turk's author's note at the end for more information.
- Casey
A big mooncake for little star
Grace Lin
jE Lin
Picture Books, Fantasy, Nature
Reimagines the cycles of the moon as a mother bakes a Big Moon Cookie and, despite Mama's request to wait, Little Star begins nibbling at it every night.
A beautiful original folk tale--be sure to look out for nods to real constellations!
- Casey
The stuff of stars
Marion Dane Bauer
jE Bauer
Picture Books, Science, Nature
Explores the formation of the universe.
An intersection of art and science, breathtaking, highly abstract, and yet tangible--don't miss this one!
- Casey
Dreamers
Yuyi Morales
jE Morales
Picture Books
"An illustrated picture book autobiography in which award-winning author Yuyi Morales tells her own immigration story"--
In telling us her own immigration story, Morales reveals the power that stories, libraries as institutions, and librarians as people have to impact our communities and the world in meaningful ways. And she does so resplendently.
- Casey
Imagine!
Raúl Colón
jE/Colon
"When a boy visits an art museum and one of the paintings comes to life, he has an afternoon of adventure and discovery [that] changes how he sees the world ever after"--
Stop that yawn!
Caron Levis
jE Levis
Picture Books, Fantasy, Adventure
Gabby convinces Granny to leave Sleepytown and stay up all night in a new place, but before long, a contagious yawn takes control.
Everything about the way Wang has weaved all of the aspects of this story together makes her characters tangible and invites readers to not only empathize but to truly care for these two young people.
- Casey