Mock Caldecott 2026 discussion

Once Upon a Book by Grace Lin and Kate Messner




Nell Plants a Tree by Anne Wynter




Beneath by Cori Doerrfeld




In Every Life by Marla Frazee


...but are they distinguished?

What an amazing collection of picture books! I love all of them! For Every Life is gorgeous. I mean gorgeous. To me, it looks and feels more like a generic gift book for all ages. Which is lovely, but not what I look for in a Caldecott winner. How I love Cori Doerrfeld. She should have won the Caldecott years ago for The Rabbit Listened. Nell Plants a Tree is another beauty illustrated by the astonishingly talented Daniel Miyares. Once Upon a Book is probably the most original and Caldecott award worthy book on the list. Caldecott (and Newbery), award winner Grace Lin really puts her whole heart and soul in Once Upon a Book. The only possible hindrance to Lin winning is that it seems the Caldecott committee prefers to give the award to new and debut illustrators these days. As sadly shown by shutting out 2022's Farmhouse by prolific and Caldecott (among so many other prestigious awards), award winner, Sophie Blackall. Farmhouse screamed Caldecott award. It is great that new illustrators are acknowledged. The award should go to the worthiest book regardless of how established the illustrator. I hope we see that happening in 2024.

Once Upon a Book
I loved this book and gave it 5 stars. Colorful, appealing gouache illustrations depict the girl's adventures in the pages of a book. Readers can look for the white rabbit on almost every spread. I would vote for it as a Caldecott Award.

Nell Plants a Tree
I also loved this one enough to give it 5 stars. A lovely book showing how the grandchildren of today benefit from the hard work of the grandmother planting a pecan tree seed decades ago. Lovely pen, ink, gouache and collage artwork by award-winning artist Daniel Miyares.

I read Once Upon a Book in February. I am glad that it made the list! Can you possibly go wrong with Kate Messner and Grace Lin? NO! Impossible! Fabulous read aloud! Enchanting illustrations, you might even describe it as "distinctive." The book presents a wonderful opportunity for predicting. Satisfying lesson on "there's no place like home" or maybe "be careful what you ask for."

Beneath
I loved this book. The story of Finn and Grandpa's walk and exploration of nature is perfectly accompanied by the lush, adorable, child-friendly illustrations. Although the author never specifically tells the reader why Finn is in such a bad mood, there are a couple of clues. On one spread, both Finn and Grandpa have broken hearts. On the final end papers, is the backside of Finn's quilt with a note: "To Finn ♥ Grandma." So I am guessing that Grandma recently passed away. I think this book is Caldecott-worthy.

In Every Life
I have always loved Frazee's realistic illustrations, and her ability to paint so many different kinds of people. In this book, she illustrates a Jewish baby-naming blessing with sensitivity and skill. I really liked the alternating pages of a line of the blessing with several people underneath and a wordless double-page spread of some vista. A beautiful book, and as Laura mentioned, it would make a great gift book for any age.

My review:
I love Marla Frazee's work, and this is no exception. The cover is joyous. The art is magnificent and beautifully translucent. Frazee depicts family subtly and inclusively. the marriage between text and illustration is impeccable. "In every love, blessed are the tears," carries a new poignancy for me. I hug my children and granchildren so tightly these days, Frazee give me that permission to fill them with love as much love as I can pour into them through my arms. This book is beautiful. Definitely Caldecott worthy.

Cathy wrote: "My review:
I love Marla Frazee's work, and this is no exception. The cover is joyous. The art is magnificent and beautifully translucent. Frazee depicts family subtly and inclusively. the marriage..."

Absolutely GORGEOUS!

It's June! Do we have room on our list for another Kwame Alexander book? Check out How to Write a Poem illustrated by Melissa Sweet.

Can I suggest Maribel's Year written by Michelle Sterling and illustrated by Sarah Gonzales? It was just released on May 9th.

Shari (Shira) wrote: "It's June! Do we have room on our list for another Kwame Alexander book? Check out How to Write a Poem illustrated by Melissa Sweet."

Absolutely!

Stephanie wrote: "Can I suggest Maribel's Year written by Michelle Sterling and illustrated by Sarah Gonzales? It was just released on May 9th."

Love the suggestion!

Grace Lin and Kate Messner have created a masterful story that will leave readers happy and content. Perhaps, readers will be hungry to take their own imaginative journeys! Once Upon a Book truly promotes reading. It is the beginning of a non-ending story, because reading is a safe way to take you here, there, and everywhere. This book brings to mind the classic children's book, Goodnight Moon.

This is a wonderful cultural book and a chance to discuss family meals across the world. It is also a nice geographical book to look at life in the jungle, dessert, ocean, and outerspace. It is creative writing and illustrating for children's literature at its best! The pictures are so colorful and alive. They invite readers to Come IN. This picture book can be used as a stand-alone wordless story for rereading, again and again, or for early readers to retell the story.
Agreeing with others, this is Caldecott worthy!

Beneath
Very positive but sad, too. The endpages let readers ponder a deep meaning of 'beneath'. This story show connectivity between loved ones and nature. The pictures are essential for telling the story. A great book to get readers thinking about the concept beneath, not only physically but also emotionally. Readers can ponder how physical well-being and emotional feelings are strongly interconnected. Great concept book about what's beneath. Caldecott worthy!

Nell Plants a Tree A great story showing family togetherness and traditions through the years. The tree is a happy, vital part of the family joy. The colors are vivid and cheerful in this story. Readers may think about the trees around them and how special they are. Very tender, special book, yet other titles lean more to Caldecott.

In Every Life An incredible picture book about the wonders of life and its many possibilities. The text is powerful and the illustrations compliment with love, emotions, happiness and sadness. Sketches of wind, sun, rain, and Earth all play a major role in making this a fantastic read, one that will tug at your heartstrings, and perhaps a teardrop will fall. Caldecott worthy!

Frazee really shines in her use of color, especially in how the pictures with words accompany the larger wordless spreads. Truly beautiful and I'm sure families will have fun trying to see if any characters recur in later pages.

I second someone's recommendation of Big by Vashti Harrison. Beautiful and important Please may we add it? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...