Mock Caldecott 2026 discussion

The Antlered Ship written by Dashka Slater and illustrated by Eric Fan

Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos written by Monica Brown and illustrated by John Parra

Dazzle Ships: World War I and the Art of Confusion written by Chris Barton and illustrated by Victo Ngai

All the Way to Havana written by Margarita Engle and illustrated by Mike Curato

It's our last month before the awards roll around. Are any of these titles medal worthy?

The Antlered Ship

I loved the Antlered Ship! I can see children enjoying this book as well.

Stacy wrote: "The Antlered Ship

I loved the Antlered Ship! I can see children enjoying this book as well."

It is classically stunning.

Frida Kahlo and her Animalitos is my third favorite picture book of the year. Fun, interesting and beautiful.

The Antlered Ship is creative and gorgeous.

I saw the original cover art for Dazzle Ships at The Society of Illustrators current exhibit in NYC. It is just breathtaking. A bit sophisticated but I don't have a problem with that.

Love All the Way to Havana, too. All of these titles are true Caldecott contenders. The best of the best.

Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos
While I liked this picture book biography and the folksy paintings, there were other books I liked much better, such as The Antlered Ship and A Perfect Day.

All the Way to Havana
Car-loving kids will really like this family's journey to Havana in their classic Chevy. They will also like the drawings of 24 classic cars and trucks on the end papers. The illustrator's mixed media illustrations, which include pencil acrylic and photo overlay and other mixed media, capture the excitement in the faces of the traveling family, and the beauty and bright colors of all the classic cars.

The Antlered Ship
I love this book. It has absolutely gorgeous illustrations rendered in graphite and ballpoint pen, then colored digitally. I loved the quest story, the adventures, and the maps and routes on the endpapers. I loved the cross-hatched whale tale at the end, seemingly waving goodbye to the ship and its crew. Children who love animal fantasy tales will also love this book. I think that it deserves a Caldecott award.

Agreed! BOTH All the Way to Havana and The Antlered Ship are absolute picture book masterpieces and are for sure major contenders this year for Caldecott recognition. :)

I believe the Antlered Ship illustrators live in Canada.

I actually think the Fan Brothers are from Canada, but have a residence in New York. I may be wrong, but others on this thread have done the research.

Marcie wrote: "I actually think the Fan Brothers are from Canada, but have a residence in New York. I may be wrong, but others on this thread have done the research."

They have dual citizenship. The Fan brothers are definitely in the running.

Kristen wrote: " The Antlered Ship written by Dashka Slater and illustrated by Eric Fan

[bookcover:Frida Kahlo and Her Animal..."

How about another round of selections for January? The ALA Youth Media Awards Announcements aren't until February this year. We could do another bunch of 2017 titles.

Both Fan Brothers were born in the USA. Though they later moved to Canada to persue professional offers, their US citizenship was permanent when they were born here.

sorry all. I was just going off the book jacket. Is there a database or something of author/illustrator citizenship information? How does any committee find out where nominees have citizenship?

Jen wrote: "sorry all. I was just going off the book jacket. Is there a database or something of author/illustrator citizenship information? How does any committee find out where nominees have citizenship?"

You are not the only one; I was also confused about the Fan brothers eligibility, but am very glad they are eligible.

Jen wrote: "sorry all. I was just going off the book jacket. Is there a database or something of author/illustrator citizenship information? How does any committee find out where nominees have citizenship?"

No need to be sorry. Most of us asked if they were eligible for their 2016 release, The Night Gardener.

The most surefire proof that the Fans ARE eleigible is that THE ANCHORED SHIP is part of the Horn Book qualification essay lineup in their annual Calling Caldecott. Most of the people who run that great project hasve served on committees, and several times the Fans were mentioned on various threads as totally legitimate, having been born in the US.

At last, I read all 4 books for this month with barely any time to spare! The Antlered Ship was by far my most favorite. The illustrations were dream-like. I'm not sure the fox's character and search were brought to satisfying completion but perhaps that is just one more conversation starter this offers to the young ones you might enjoy this book with. The books on Frida and Havana had very accessible text and it would be lovely to have accompanying books on both to share after reading those aloud. I was amazed by Dazzle Ships too. Never heard of this practice before. As a read aloud I would include the author's note which could spark a great conversation on research. He writes, "Research done right does not merely confirm what you expect to see--it will show things you had not anticipate." Happy New Year to all!!!