Mock Caldecott 2026 discussion

It's time to make our selections for our Mock Caldecott Poll!

Please post the books that you think are worthy of the 2023 Caldecott award.

The top 20 books that are mentioned the most will be on our voting list.

Thank you


This thread will close on the evening of January 13, 2023

So many extraordinary picture books this year! I have narrowed down my favorites that I believe are Caldecott worthy to 15. It was not an easy task!

Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall. If this title doesn't win, I will make my own award stickers and affix them to every dustjacket of this title I come across for the rest of my life :) We all know it deserves a Caldecott.
Emile and the Field by Kevin Young. A handful of people seem to be aware of this glorious book. It is a shame because Emile and the Field is extraordinary. The publishers, authors, illustrators etc. need to fight harder for their children's book titles to be carried by the major chain stores. I am constantly special ordering titles because the chains in NY have drastically limited their children's dept. book buying. It is crystal clear. If this is happening in NY, I can only imagine what a children's book desert it must be for the rest of the country. This can become a crisis in no time.
The World Belonged to Us by Jacqueline Woodson
Berry Song by Michaela Goade
Everywhere with You by Carlie Sorosiak
Nigel and the Moon by Antwan Eady
To Change a Planet by Christina Soontornvat
The Talk by Alicia D. Williams
Midnight & Moon by Daniel Miyares
If You Find a Leaf by Aimee Sicuro
Listen by Shannon Stocker
Growing an Artist by John Parra
Mardi Gras Almost Didn't Come This Year by Kathy Z. Price
Hope is an Arrow by Cory McCarthy
Blue A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and Wide as the Sky by Nanu Ekua Brew-Hammond

Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall
Nigel and the Moon illustrated by Gracey Zhang and written by Antwan Eady
Knight Owl by Christopher Denise
Hot Dog by Doug Salati
Every Dog in the Neighborhood illustrated by Matthew Cordell and written by Philip C. Stead

Knight Owl by Christopher Denise
Hot Dog by Doug Salati
Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall
Gibberish by Young Vo
Nigel and the Moon by Antwan Eady

Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall
Berry Song by Michaela Goade
Knight Owl by Christopher Denise
Gibberish by Young Vo
Creepy Crayon by Aaron Reynolds

I forgot to include Gibberish by Young Vo. It’s original and just terrific!

Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall
Blue: A History of the Color ... by Nanu Ekua
Nigel and the Moon by Antwan Eady
Berry Song by Michaela Goade
Knight Owl by Christopher Denise
Gibberish by Young Vo
I Am Golden by Eva Chen
The Blur by Minh Le

Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall
Big and Small and In-Between by Carter Higgins
Knight Owl by Christopher Denise

My top Caldecott contenders are
Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall
Blue by Ekua Brew-Hammond
Treasure Box by Dave Keane
Berry Song by Michaela Goade
I Don't Care by Julie Fogliano
Let's do Everything and Nothing by Julia Kuo
My Brother is Away by Sara Greenwood and Luisa Uribe

Berry Song by Michaela Goade
Blue by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond and Daniel Minter
Brown is Beautiful by Supriya Kelkar and Noor Sofi
Endlessly Ever After by Laurel Snyder and Dan Santat
Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall
Finding My Dance by Ria Thundercloud and Kalila Fuller
Gibberish by Young Vo (my personal favourite)
John’s Turn by Mac Barnett and Kate Berube
Knight Owl by Christopher Denise
Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers by Lina Alhathloul, Uma Mishra-Newbery and Rebecca Green
Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda Hall and Yas Imamura
Patchwork by Matt de la Peña and Corinna Luyken
The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
To Change a Planet by Christina Soontornvat and Rahele Jomepour Bell
The World Belonged to Us by Jacqueline Woodson and Leo Espinosa

Aint Burned All the Bright
Hot Dog
Knight Owl
The Great Zamboni
Farmhouse

Niki wrote: "Knight Owl by Christopher Denise
Hot Dog by Doug Salati
Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall
Gibberish by Young Vo
Nigel and the Moon by Antwan Eady"

I am also going to add Berry Song by Michaela Goade.

Laura wrote: "So many extraordinary picture books this year! I have narrowed down my favorites that I believe are Caldecott worthy to 15. It was not an easy task!

Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall. If this title doe..." Amen! Laura! Yes to Farmhouse. Loved it so much; I bought a copy!

Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall
Nigel and the Moon by Antwan Eady
Berry Song by Michaela Goade
Where Butterflies Fill the Sky by Zahra Marwan
Big and Small and In-Between by Carter Higgins
Out of a Jar by Deborah Marcero
I Love You Because I Love You by Mượn Thị Văn
Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as
the Sky by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond
Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson
Knight Owl by Christopher Denise
Gibberish by Young Vo
To the Front!: Clara Barton Braves the Battle of Antietam by
Claudia Friddell
The World Belonged to Us by Jacqueline Woodson
Endlessly Ever After: Pick Your Path to Countless Fairy Tale
Endings! by Laurel Snyder

Knight Owl-Denise
Farmhouse-Blackall
Berry Song-Goade
Gibberish-Vo
(In this order for me)

Gibberish - Young Vo
Farmhouse - Blackall
Witch Hazel - Molly Idle
Blue - D. Minter
Nigel and the Moon - Eady
Knight Owl - Denise
How to Eat a Book - MacLead
Berry Song - Goade
Midnight and Moon - Miyares
Finding my Dance - Fuller
My Hand tells a story - Engel
Emile and the Field - Young
World Belonged to Us - Espinosa

1. Farmhouse- Blackall
2. Knight Owl- Denise
3. Listen- Stocker
4. Berry Song- Goade

Ellen Peterson wrote: "My top Caldecott contenders are
Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall
Blue by Ekua Brew-Hammond
Treasure Box by Dave Keane
Berry Song by Michaela Goade
I Don't Care by Julie Fogliano
Let's do Everything and..."

Oh yes, to Treasure Box, beautiful story

Carol wrote: "Laura wrote: "So many extraordinary picture books this year! I have narrowed down my favorites that I believe are Caldecott worthy to 15. It was not an easy task!

Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall. If ..."

It is a phenomenal book!

Cheryl wrote: "Ellen Peterson wrote: "My top Caldecott contenders are
Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall
Blue by Ekua Brew-Hammond
Treasure Box by Dave Keane
Berry Song by Michaela Goade
I Don't Care by Julie Fogliano

Rahele Jomepour Bell is amazing. She illustrated another remarkable book this year called To Change a Planet. So good!

I enjoyed many picture books this year, so I'm going to nominate some titles that didn't receive much (or any) recognition so far:

*Maya's Song / Watson & Collier
*Forever Home: A Dog and Boy Love Story / Cole
*Out of a Jar / Marcero
*Standing in the Need of Prayer / Weatherford & Morrison
*The World Belonged to Us / Woodson & Espinosa
*The Three Billy Goats Gruff / Barnett & Klassen
*Because Claudette / Baptiste & Engel
*Mister Rogers' Gift of Music / Cangelosi & Calatzis
*Hope Is an Arrow: The Story of Lebanese-American Poet Khalil Gibran / McCarthy & Holmes
*Cornbread & Poppy / Cordell
* I Don't Care / Fogliano, Idle & Martinez-Wise (two illustrators!)
*Celia Planted a Garden: The Story of Celia Thaxter and Her Island Garden / Root, Schmidt, and Sweet
*Love in the Library / Tokuda-Hall & Imamura
*To Change a Planet / Soontornvat & Bell
*Emile and the Field / Young & Ebinama

The World Belonged to Us
Farmhouse
Blue
Knight Owl
Hope Is an Arrow
Gibberish

Farmhouse
Gibberish
Berry Song
Knight Owl
Three Billy Goats Gruff