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Float by Daniel Miyares

The Grasshopper & the Ants by Jerry Pinkney

Bird & Diz by Gary Golio

Boats for Papa by Jessixa Bagley

Do you think any of these titles could be a future Caldecott?

Float would be the closest contender of the four books. Jerry Pinkney's latest offering is ofcourse gorgeous but not particularly unique, Bird & Diz is a bit too odd- I really didn't like it, Boats for Papa is cute but the illustrations are relatively primative. It is possible that can work in her favor. I think A Fine Dessert, Counting Crows, Water is Water, The Blue Whale, A Whale in My Swimming Pool and the not yet released books Finding Winnie, Waiting and The Whisper are the strongest contenders for the 2016 Caldecott. It would be interesting to see if Sophie Blackall will win two Caldecotts in the same year. She illustrates A Fine Dessert and Finding Winnie. If anyone could do it it would be Ms. Blackall. Her artwork is masterful.

Bird & Diz--What a unique book to illustrate bebop. If you just flip through the pages you are not able to see Young's 9' drawings which illustrate the improvisation of Bird and Dizzy (so lay it out and give it a good look and read). The text flows well with Young's work, or should I say that Young's work flows with Golio's text? Either way Bird & Diz is a visual improvisation for the eyes, while we learn about bebop. The backmater in the book provides more information about bebop and its players. A very unique book.

Float--This is the decade of wordless books! Float is another beautiful example. The story starts out with a parent folding the morning paper into a boat for a young boy. The detail in this spread with having an photo of a boat in the newspaper is brilliant. We then follow the boy through his emotional journey with his boat through downpours, puddles, the gutter stream, and ultimately as it floats out of reach. The author then wonderfully portrays the boys disappointment and loss of the boat. The comfort of dad when he arrives home, shows how everything will be alright and ultimately another adventure. The use of gray in the illustrations with pops of color allows the reader to focus on the story. A worthy 2016 Caldecott contender!

Boats for Papa--Bagley's debut picture book does not disappoint. Her lovely watercolors do a fine job telling Buckley's story of loss and healing. The illustrations tell the story on their own, but the text adds more detail and dimension. I felt Buckley's hurt and surprise when he went to find paper in mama's desk, and then the tears welled when I turned the page and he thanked mama for a wonderful birthday. I also love the ode to the Oregon coast with Haystack Rock in many of the beach scenes. The endpapers bring the story full circle. It's on my 2016 short list!

Float: I admired Float as well; here is my review:
This is another wonderful wordless book. The only spots of color in the otherwise dreary, rainy day is the boy's bright yellow mackintosh, and the blue and pink rectangles on the paper origami boat. When the boat unfolds back into the page of newsprint, the dad helps him fold it into a paper airplane instead. Now the sun is out and the boy goes out into the brilliant yellow day to fly his plane.

Grasshopper and the Ants:
The watercolor illustration style for this book is very similar to the style in his 2015 Caldecott award book The Lion and the Mouse. So perhaps the committee will not consider this book, although it is every bit as beautiful, and reimagines another Aesop fable. This one has a happy ending for the grasshopper.

Beverly wrote: "Grasshopper and the Ants:
The watercolor illustration style for this book is very similar to the style in his 2015 Caldecott award book The Lion and the Mouse. So perhaps the committ..."

Mr. Pinkney won the Caldecott for The Lion and the Mouse, then he did The Tortoise and the Hare followed by The Grasshopper and the Ant. I believe they are all sort of related. Not really a trilogy or a series. More like spin offs of the first book. Everything Jerry Pinkney does is gorgeous. I don't think the Caldecott Committee will see anything particularly unique in this book.

Boats for Papa
What a sweet and heartwarming story! While I found the watercolor illustrations to be lovely (especially the skies and sunset), I don't know that they are unique enough to tempt the Committee. I guess one needs to be an Oregonian to recognize the rock and its significance as a landmark on the Oregon coast. I didn't see any reference to it in the blurbs or on the verso of the title page.