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The 2016 Caldecott Honors are:

Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews

Waiting by Kevin Henkes

Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena


And the 2016 Caldecott Award goes to:

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick

What do you think about the committees choices?

So happy that Sophie Blackall finally won! I am really pleased with all of these choices.

I loved Finding Winnie. Now I know for certain that a book can win the Caldecott even if the author isn't a U.S. resident. It is high time for Blackall to have won. She continuously produces the most beautiful picture books I have ever seen. I'm glad Henkes was recognized. He won a Geisel honor as well. I thought Last Stop on Market Street was very nice. Not thrilled that it won a Newbery too, however. Voice of Freedom and Trombone Shorty are not favorites of mine. The illustrations for both are well done. I thought Flutter and Hum and Water is Water were no-brainers to win. Each title is so original and stunning.

Laura wrote: "I loved Finding Winnie. Now I know for certain that a book can win the Caldecott even if the author isn't a U.S. resident. It is high time for Blackall to have won. She continuously produces the mo..."

Actually in order to win the Caldecott, an illustrator must be a resident or citizen of the US. Sophie Blackall lives in New York though she was born in Australia so she meets the resident requirement. See the Terms and Criteria from ALA:

Casey wrote: "Laura wrote: "I loved Finding Winnie. Now I know for certain that a book can win the Caldecott even if the author isn't a U.S. resident. It is high time for Blackall to have won. She continuously p..."

I was referring to the author Lindsay Mattick, not Sophie Blackall, Finding Winnie's magnificent illustrator and Brooklyn resident. Mattick lives in Canada.

I'm going to be shamefully honest -I'm an elementary librarian & won't be ordering Finding Winnie for my school. I haven't read it either. Why? First, I don't see my students being interested in the story. Second, the cover does not seem appealing at all to my population. In animal books, they either want photographs or cartoonish, adorable creatures. That cover would just not generate circulation! And with my limited budget, I can't spend money on books that adults may consider distinguished, but will only be checked out by me once a year. We own Waiting and Last Stop on Market Street & I'm ordering Trombone Shorty.

Julie I can completely understand your concerns with Finding Winnie and your desire to purchase books that will circulate! I also have limited funding at my school and I know that can be incredibly challenging. I do want to put in a little plug for Finding Winnie though... Out of 12 books I shared with my 1st-4th graders during our Mock Caldecott program Finding Winnie was the universal favorite and won our Mock Caldecott by a landslide. Once you show it to readers they are fascinated... there are soldiers, real photos at the end, family connections and even a little boy who's allowed to get in a zoo exhibit with a real bear! I have so many students who are eager to check out the book and who can't stop talking about it. Just thought I'd share my experience with the book. I hope you at least take a chance on the book and read it yourself, it's worth it!

Julie,

I too completely understand your thought behind not wanting to order a book that your students will not check out. I think so many of us have limited budgets and have to be very thoughtful of what to purchase. But, my question is have you read Finding Winnie? If not, you need to find a copy and read it. It is an amazing true story, with beautiful illustrations. FW also won our mock Caldecott by a huge margin. I have read the book to 2nd-6th graders and they were completely intrigued by the story, as was I. I have even shared the story with adults, who are going out to buy the book. Find a copy, give it a chance, and you may just change your mind.

I am also very happy that Finding Winnie won the Caldecott Award; it was not my pick for the winner, but I am still glad it won.

Out of the many, many stellar books published in 2015, Finding Winnie is deserving of Caldecott Award. It has long lasting value on library shelves and in hands of readers. This book can be used as a stepping stone to a unit on animals, wildlife, zoos, study of wars and it's working people, family trees and history, creative writing, storytelling, and so much more! - Of my top 50 rankings for this year's Caldecott, I placed FW at #4! - only behind Boats for Papa, If You Plant a Seed, and Toys Meet Snow!

As elementary librarians we do have to spend our money wisely and in accordance to our public, it can be tough.
I had great success with "Finding Winnie" this week in all of my classes K-6.
I had loaded up a Pinterest board with photos of the real Winnie, Christopher Robin and with the Disney version we all know.
I paraphrased the book, and then shared the photos. My students were entranced all week. I heard more positive comments about how the kids thought it was such a good story , and I would point out some of favorite illustrated pages.
It was a great week!

Is your pinterest board public? I'd love to share it with my 3rd graders! What a great idea.

Let me preface this by saying I'm not an elementary school librarian, and obviously I understand budgets are budgets, but...

I think having the award winning books around gives the students something to compare and contrast with - what is considered exceptional illustrations vs. what is considered average. Art teachers show students examples of a variety of art pieces and teach the techniques of those "masters," and I guess I view award winning books in a similar light.

Most school librarians do whatever is in their power to acquire the newly announced award winning titles (if they aren't already in their collection), asap. This also includes purchasing from their local bookstores if necessary. Finding Winnie is an exceptional title. A myriad of school lessons can be taught from this book. Teachers can discuss the war, the close bond between Winnie and the soldiers, and how an author (Milne) can take real life events and spin them into a series of classic books and the creation of a cast of iconic literary characters. The illustrations in Finding Winnie are beautifully detailed and incredibly inviting as well.

I am sad to say I don't own Finding Winnie...not because I don't want to but because I can't get my hands on a copy. I have my weekend mapped out. I am on the hunt for Finding Winnie. We already owned Waiting and Last Stop on Market Street. We are also waiting on our ordered copy of Trombone Shorty. I must say I am proud of the diversity present in this year's winners. I'm already on the lookout for 2017 hopefuls.

Charlene wrote: "I am sad to say I don't own Finding Winnie...not because I don't want to but because I can't get my hands on a copy. I have my weekend mapped out. I am on the hunt for Finding Winnie. We already ow..."

Grab a copy of There is a Tribe of Kids by Lane Smith. I think it comes out late Spring. It is glorious and a most definite Caldecott 2017 contender.