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Blue by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin


What Do You Do with a Voice Like That?: The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan written by Chris Barton and illustrated by Ekua Holmes

A Parade of Elephants by Kevin Henkes

We have an amazing line up of books for our final month. Could any of these be a future Caldecott award?

Blue
I loved this beautiful book; it has more of a story in the pictures than her other book, Green. The story follows a little boy and his dog, growing up together. I am really hoping the Committee chooses this one for an award or honor.

Seeger's 2013 Caldecott honor book Green, was amazing. Blue is even better. Every time I pick it up, this quiet book evokes an amazing amount of emotion. It is stunning and one of my top favorites for a 2019 Caldecott.

What Do You Do with a Voice Like That?: The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan is glorious. From the text to the wondrous illustrations. Ekua Holmes should be a household name by now. She also illustrated The Stuff of Stars this year-another strong Caldecott contender. What Do You Do With a Voice Like That...will most certainly win awards. I am not 100% sure a Caldecott will be one of them. It would be fascinating and wonderful if Holmes won two Caldecott's in the same year.

A Parade of Elephants by Kevin Henkes looks incredibly simple but there is a lot going on here. Henkes continues to be the picture book master. He is going in a completely different direction than many children's literature author/artists today. Henkes is creating for his target audience-the youngest of children, exclusively and not so much for their parents. No clever devices, themes or text that only an adult can really appreciate and fully understand. A Parade of Elephants is a warm, subtle book that fully deserves a Caldecott award.

First off let me say how very wonderful this group is. I love it here! How, oh how did we miss David Covell's Run Wild?! Wow! This is another one to add to the banner year that will pronounce the 2019 Caldecott Winner. This year's committee has its work cut out for it.
While I adore Henkes' A Parade of Elephants and agree with everything Laura said, I am not sure it is Caldecott material. I need to look at that one more closely. What Do You Do with a Voice Like That made me teary but again, I agree with Laura, I am not sure it is Caldecott material. I adore The Stuff of Stars though and think that a more likely win.

Run Wild by David Covell was an "October Reads" book. I haven't seen it yet, because our library's copies are still "in processing."

There is a phenomenal 2018 release that I would love the group to be aware. It is Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Dee Romito. It is under almost everybody's awards radar but I sure do love it. The text is entertaining and fascinating. The illustrations just remarkable. I hope you all get a chance to read it.

Laura wrote: "There is a phenomenal 2018 release that I would love the group to be aware. It is Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Dee Romito. It is under almost every..."

You may also wish to copy this post into the "Watch List" topic.

Beverly wrote: "Laura wrote: "There is a phenomenal 2018 release that I would love the group to be aware. It is Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Dee Romito. It is unde..."

I didn't know that existed. Thanks for the heads up, Beverly!

I am in a Kid Lit group that just met tonight to select our top 15 favorite books that might be considered for the Caldecott. Although I lobbied for The Stuff of Stars to be included, it did not make the cut. Although others loved the art, they did not consider it a children’s picture book.

Susan wrote: "I am in a Kid Lit group that just met tonight to select our top 15 favorite books that might be considered for the Caldecott. Although I lobbied for The Stuff of Stars to be included, it did not ma..."

I have to ask-what do they believe it to be?

I think they thought it would only appeal to adults. I see it as a beautiful book that would grow with a person throughout their lifetime.

Susan wrote: "I think they thought it would only appeal to adults. I see it as a beautiful book that would grow with a person throughout their lifetime."

Oh, okay. It is a strong Caldecott contender, in my opinion.

Laura, I agree!

Laura wrote: "A Parade of Elephants by Kevin Henkes looks incredibly simple but there is a lot going on here. Henkes continues to be the picture book master. He is going in a completely different direction than ..."

I totally agree with Laura's opinion of this book. The pastel elephants are so adorable! This is a perfect concept book for toddlers, with simple counting, and simple opposite concepts. I love how the elephants blow stars out of their trunks at the end of the day! I also think it is a serious contender for a Caldecott award.

A Big Mooncake for Little Star
While I thought that this original story about the phases of the moon was delightful, I still liked other books better for Caldecott consideration. While I liked the gouache paintings in the book against the black backgrounds, and while I thought that they perfectly mirrored the text, I still liked illustrations in some of the other books we've discussed better.

Beverly wrote: "A Big Mooncake for Little Star
While I thought that this original story about the phases of the moon was delightful, I still liked other books better for Caldecott consideration. While I liked the ..."

I am with Beverly. It is a lovely picture book. Grace Lin is a wonderful author/illustrator. The other books however, are much stronger Caldecott contenders.

I'm a little late to the game, but thought I would add my opinion on this one. What Grace Lin has done is truly distinguished, singular, and timely. She has taken styles and ideas from prominent, famous, male, USA artists (Coles Phillips and Robert McCloskey) and the male-centric "man in the moon" stories and totally turned them on their heads. She has truly reclaimed the feminine and the American with this one.

While I like the art in many of the other books, the fadeaway women, her use of color and spatial dexterity here are truly special. Just consider the way the diagonal tension dictates time, physical space, character intention, and speed of reading. She also manages to use the inky black background to make this feel deep and broad but simultaneously comforting and cozy. I'd be very disappointed if Grace Lin doesn't get a nod from the committee this year.