2016 Mock Caldecott

On Tuesday of this week thirty children's librarians from Suffolk County gathered at SCLS to discuss the best picture books of 2015! After a review of the criteria, some fantastic champion presentations, one cut throat round of voting, and an hour of discussions they named their 2016 Mock Caldecott winner!

THE ORIGINAL 15 TITLES

FROM 15 DOWN TO 8!

Congratulations to The Night World by Mordicai Gerstein!

Imaginary Trend

An imaginary friend and his very real golden sticker!

Friends come in all shapes and sizes especially the imaginary kind. Now I never had an imaginary friend as a child, but I so desperately wanted one! The girl who lived down the block from me had a friend who I couldn't see and they were BFF's 4 EVA. They would talk, play, and go on adventures together. I, unfortunately, did not have this mystical friend that could step in whenever I was feeling lonely, but now I do not have to worry. This trend in children's books is not imaginary at all. Following the success of recent Caldecott winner Beekle by Dan Santat (and the not-so-imaginary tattoos the committee got to commemorate this) more and more imaginary friends will be appearing on our shelves this summer/fall.

We Forgot Brock! by Carter Goodrich has young Philip and his best bud Brock going to a big fair. At the end of the day when Philip gets home Brock is missing! What happens when a boy is separated from his imaginary friend? 

Pub date: August 25th

Confessions of an Imaginary Friend: A Memoir by Jacques Papier as told to Michelle Cuevas is a middle grade novel from the imaginary friend's point of view. Being the imaginary one of the pair isn't as easy as it looks. Sometimes even someone who is invisible has to go on a journey to find who they truly are.

Pub date: September 8th

When times get tough old friends come back into our lives. Newbery award winning author Katherine Applegate dreams up a larger-than-life feline friend in Crenshaw.

Pub date: September 22nd

Irish wonder duo Eoin Colfer and Oliver Jeffers come together for Imaginary Fred. Even though Fred is imaginary his bond with Sam isn't! Folks can form firm friendships with those of a fictional feature.

Pub date: September 29th

2015 Spring Picture Book Round-Up: Part Two

What better way to end 2014 than by looking ahead to some new picture books due to be published in 2015? See a title that you like? Comment below to borrow our copy and take a look!

What This Story Needs is a Pig in a Wig by Emma J. Virjan

Simple text perfect for beginning readers creates a hybrid picture book/easy reader in this title. Rhyming text follows Pig as she embarks on a silly adventure - and finds that sometimes life is better with a friend or two along the way.

My Bike by Byron Barton

In typical, colorful fashion - Byron Barton follows a little boy on a bike ride... with a surprise twist!

First Snow by Peter McCarty

Ink and watercolor illustrations awash in pastels, taupes and pale grays carry this charming story of Pedro's first snowfall and all the magic that goes into a first day in the snow.

Finding Spring by Carin Berger

Precisely placed, gorgeously detailed collaged illustrations help tell the story of a bear named Maurice who is searching for Spring. But before he can find Spring - he stumbles upon something just as glorious - Winter!

Should You Be a River: A Poem About Love by Ed Young

An eloquent poem that reflects upon unconditional love, inspired by Ed Young's two young daughters and his late wife. Photographs, calligraphy, and cut and torn paper shapes create the striking visuals of the powerful text.

Grasshopper and the Ants by Jerry Pinkney

The artwork, done in the same style as Pinkney's Caldecott winning illustrations of The Lion and The Mouse - truly speaks for itself in this timeless fable that cautions against idleness.

Mocking the Caldecott

No, not really! We did, however, hold our annual MOCK Caldecott today at SCLS-YS. A group of over 30 enthusiastic librarians convened to discuss and critique some of the best picture books published this past year. Our first task was to narrow the list of 16 titles down to a more manageable 8. Thanks to our volunteers who served as "picture book champions" and talked up their titles, in a mere one minute and 52 seconds per title, to be precise! Tiffany Russo-Malone, Kristen Stroh, Kelly Sheridan, Emily Lazio, and Kim Androlowicz joined me in championing the following titles:

Then the voting began, and the top eight titles remained, and were discussed for the next hour: 

After an intense hour of discussion, our two groups reconvened and everyone voted individually for their first, second, and third place titles. As in ALSC voting - our votes were weighted. First place votes carry 4 points, second place 3 points, and third place 2 points each. The winning title needed at least 8 first place votes, and needed to beat the next highest point bearing title by at least eight points. With votes coming in scattered across the field, I began to get a little nervous as I tabulated, but a clear and decisive winner emerged for the Mock Caldecott Gold Medal!

The group then took additional votes to determine the mock honor books:

Tune in - or better yet, come join us in person on January 14th as we tackle the MOCK NEWBERY!

But first tell us - did we get the Mock Caldecott right? What was YOUR choice for the SCLS Mock Caldecott winner?

A Book is a Present That Keeps on Giving!



It's the most wonderful time of the year.... when the New York Times, School Library Journal, Kirkus, and other journals start posting their "best of" booklists! Here are some links to the lists that have been announced so far. Do you see your favorite read from 2014 on there? Does your library create a "best of" booklist each year? How about a Caldecott, Newbery, Printz, Coretta Scott King, Geisel, or Siebert worthy title? Comment below with YOUR favorite 2014 read for a holiday treat from SCLS Youth Services!


Notable Children's Books of 2014 NYT


Best Books of 2014: School Library Journal


Best Children's Books of 2014: Kirkus Reviews


Best Teen Books of 2014: Kirkus Reviews


2014 Guide to Gift Books: Bulletin Center for Children's Books


Best of 2014 Children's and Teen: Publishers Weekly

Meet the Authors! Holly Black and Lois Ehlert

The Suffolk Literature Conference will be here tomorrow, with our guest authors Holly Black and Lois Ehlert. We are so excited to have worked with the CLASC executive board on this endeavor, and can't wait to hear what Holly and Lois have to share with us tomorrow. In order to hold you over until tomorrow, here are two videos featuring them!

2015 May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) announced that the 2015 May Hill Arbuthnot Committee has chosen DC Public Library, Washington, D.C., as the site of the 2015 May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture featuring author/illustrator Brian Selznick. The honor lectureship will be held in spring 2015 in The Great Hall of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, following several months of innovative programs sponsored by the library and numerous partners, including the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University.

 

“The library plans to have art, manipulatives, archival material, media stations and graphics displayed in exhibits related to the author’s works, and will seek the advice of the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History,” said Arbuthnot Chair Sue McCleaf Nespeca. “Some exhibits will be interactive and will be layered for children and adults, with the purpose of creating a wonder-filled space of literature-based materials.” 

Can you say road trip? Once the official date is announced, I will look into seeing if a group of librarians would be interested in traveling to DC next Spring to hear Mr. Selznick's speech. Who do you think would make a great speaker in the field of youth services? Tell us in the comments below!