Mock Caldecott Finalists - Batch 1

Each January, the American Library Association awards the Caldecott Medal to the artist of "the most distinguished American picture book for children." Who will win in 2014? Well, first- and second-graders are going to make their pick in library, and we'll see how our choice lines up with the national award. After round one, the following were cleared to move on with near unanimity:

Don't Play With Your Food!
Bob Shea

Bob Shea wrote and illustrated last year's winner, Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great. I let him know via Twitter, and he appreciated it ... here we are meeting in person at the Lincoln school author event back in October:

source: bobshea.com

His latest starts Buddy the Monster, who is determined to eat the cute little bunnies he comes across ... but they seem to be able to outwit him. The book started out slightly differently. Here is his original storyboard (with narration):

My Teacher is a Monster! (No, I am Not.)
Peter Brown

peterbrownstudio.com

I LOVED that in every second-grade class, at least one person recognized Brown's style from last year's finalist Mr. Tiger Goes Wild. It's very different from the one he used in Creepy Carrots, which I ready to the first-graders last year in kindergarten.

One thing I like about this book is that the pictures help to tell the story. The moment when the kids realize that the teacher is changing color and shape is awesome!

You can download a parent/teacher kit that goes with the book.