Mock Caldecott 2026 discussion

Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall

This Is the Nest That Robin Built by Denise Fleming

A House That Once Was by Julie Fogliano and illustrated by Lane Smith

Drawn Together by Minh Le

Fantastic publications just keep coming. Did you think any of these are worthy of a Caldecott award?

A House that Once Was and Drawn Together are two of my favorite picture books of the year. They are polar opposites of each other but equally amazing. A House that Once Was is a lovely poetry book. Poignant, quiet, atmospheric. Many discussions can arise as to why the house is abandoned. Lavish, scrumptious illustrations by the magnificent Lane Smith. The committee owe an award to Smith. His last few books have been incredibly deserving yet incredibly overlooked. Drawn Together is bold and joyful. Both books are picture book perfection.

Definitely Drawn Together!

I admired all of these, but found Hello Lighthouse and Drawn Together to be particularly distinguished, especially in terms of combining art and story.

A House That Once Was
I loved this book and gave it 5 stars. I loved the way that Smith used different art styles to distinguish between the two explorers and their imaginings of who may have lived in the house. I liked how the colors worked so well together. I also like how Smith expanded on the words of the poem in his illustrations; for example, the reader is not told who the "we" is, but Lane shows us a pair of siblings exploring the house. There are no birds mentioned in the text, but the reader can see blue birds on several of the pages. I hope the Committee takes a very close look at this book!

I love picture books about birds. This is the Nest that Robin Built is a very nice one. Nothing very new here but I always love Denise Fleming's style.

Hello Lighthouse is a book I was sure I was going to love. Sophie Blackall is one of my very favorite illustrators. The problem with HL is the formatting. I don't know if it is the art or the size of the page. There is an inconsistency. Some of the intricate details are way too small. I don't know if it will make a difference to the committee, but I feel children will have a hard time with this title.

So far I have only read Hello Lighthouse. I found the story simply beautiful. I am a huge fan of Sophie Blackall and found her win for Finding Winnie well deserved. I loved the illustrations of the lighthouse and the artwork of the ocean. This will definitely be one I'll be rooting for.

Drawn Together
This was a wonderful story showing how a grandson and grandfather, who could not communicate through words, were able to communicate through art. The boy's artwork and the grandfather's artwork are done in different styles and media, but together they create a great story and learn to love each other. Great book!

Hello Lighthouse
I really liked this book, especially the cutaway of the lighthouse, showing the rooms the keeper lives in and the work and store rooms. I thought Blackall did a great job depicting the different weather conditions; especially how everything is dim in the fog. And I really liked the sweet final illustration of the family gazing out their window fondly at the lighthouse. I thought that the text and illustrations worked wonderfully together.

This is the Nest that Robin Built
This is another beautiful book by Denise Fleming, with her signature and famous collage artwork. This book shows the building of the nest, piece by piece, the eggs, the nestlings, and the flight from the nest. It is an excellent science book for very young ones.

I loved all four books that we are reading this month, and I think that they are all excellent contenders for Caldecott mentions.

I love Denise Fleming's work but I found nothing exemplary in This is the Nest... Living in a place called Fairport Harbor with its very own lighthouse, I have read more lighthouse books than I can count. I gave Hello Lighthouse 4 stars but unfortunately I don't remember it well enough to tell you why. I LOVE the illustrations in A House that Once Was. I love the mystery of it, the not quite spooky quality, the wonder of discovery. Unfortunately, I think the text is a little thin, a shaky marriage with the illustrations. I haven't see Drawn Together yet.

I enjoyed all four books, but my pick is Drawn Together! I love the mixed media used to show the different generations in contrast but also the subtle similarities. The story complements the artwork and vice versa. You could look at each page many times and not see every detail.

My second pick would be Hello Lighthouse. The artwork is done beautifully. I especially enjoyed the intricate details for the cutout of the lighthouse and the differences in the sea with different weather and seasons. Beautiful story as well that highlights a unique job once held.

All these books are wonderful. But, Drawn Together, literally, pulled at my heartstrings! Lovely story; phenomenal illustrations! Great work by Minh Le and Dan Santat! One day the grandson visits his grandfather and becomes very bored, as they struggle with language differences. Until, through the power of art, the day becomes an incredible experience for both grandparent and child. Both share, play, and build on each other's imaginations! Tell me this is a true story! Great suggestive powers to spend more time with grandparents and grandchildren.

Our of this selection of books, I think Drawn Together is the most Caldecott worthy, and that Hello Lighthouse is a strong contender for an Honor Book.

This Is the NEST That ROBIN Built is an excellent science book for early learners. It has its place in the springtime curriculum and will appeal to all nature enthusiasts. It has a similarity to Simms Taback's This is the House that Jack Built. Thus, I doubt Fleming's book will be what the Caldecott committee picks - looking at patterns or hot concepts. But, I would love to read it to a young group of children!

I just read Drawn Together today and think it is a beautiful intergenerational story. Not my favorite but in the top ten to be sure. Yes, this one is Caldecott worthy in my opinion.

I definitely think the melding of styles in Drawn Together makes it a strong contender for the Caldecott.