Mock Caldecott Contenders - Batch 3

Each January, the American Library Association awards the Caldecott Medal to the artist of "the most distinguished American picture book for children." First and second graders will be voting on OUR Caldecott this week. Here are the final three books we read:

Horrible Bear!

Written Amy Dyckman;
illustrated by Zachariah O'Hora 

The girl with "80s hair" (TM Ms. Pera's class) is so mad ... she thinks a horrible bear broke her kite on purpose. Meanwhile, he becomes indignant at the ruckus she caused, and hatches a horrible plan to get her back. Lots of stomping and yelling make for a super fun readaloud.

They All Saw a Cat

Written and illustrated by Brendan Wenzel  

This book wouldn't make any sense without the pictures, which portray the different ways animals see a cat, depending on their attitude and perspective. Spoiler alert: It won a genuine Caldecott Honor last month.

The publisher has an activity kit posted online; the cat masks were a hit.

When Spring Comes

Written by Kevin Henkes;
illustrated by Laura Droznek 

The timing worked out well, with me reading this the day before Groundhog Day. More of a poem than a true story, it made us look forward to spring ... and summer after that!