Blogs
Not only is Island Storm, written by Brian Floca and illustrated by Sydney Smith, my favorite picture book of the year, it’s one of my all-time favorite picture books. This is the book I would be an advocate for if I were on the actual Caldecott committee this year, except that it wouldn’t be on the table; it’s not eligible. Sydney Smith is Canadian. So, it’s one of those CaldeNott books...
Way back in May of 2025, Brian Wilson emailed to ask us if he could write about Fireworks for Calling Caldecott, so we have to credit Brian with seeing this winner coming before the year was half over. I admit I thought the gatefold might mean no gold for this book, but Cátia Chien’s colorful, exuberant illustrations won the day. This...
Three more dawns / Three more days / Three days more! (You’re welcome for the Les Mis earworm). We hope the Caldecott committee members get to Chicago before the bitterly cold temps and monster snowstorm hit. If you can’t be bundled up at home, maybe hunkered down in a hotel to vote on the most distinguished picture book of 2025 isn’t such a bad gig? (Whatever you’re doing this weekend, if you’re affected by the extreme weather,...
Our 2026 mock vote winner—by a lot more than a whisker—is: Cat Nap, written and illustrated by Brian Lies. And our one honor book is: Fireworks, illustrated by Cátia Chien, written by Matthew Burgess. Congratulations to Brian Lies and Cátia Chien, and to all of you Calling Caldecott voters! Thanks so much for playing along...
Now is the time, dear Calling Caldecott readers! Our mock Caldecott poll is open, and it's time to select your top three choices for the most distinguished picture book of 2025. Over the last four-and-a-half months, we’ve covered thirty eligible books (or is it twenty-nine?). We've looked at the ecletic NYT/NYPL’s Best Illustrated list — which doesn’t have to contend with eligibility rules — and we’ve...
I’ve heard a lot of folks say that 2025 was an outstanding year for picture books, and it was, but I think that every year. Announcement day is coming soon, though, and there are some books we didn’t get to cover that we wanted to briefly acknowledge before the big day arrives. I’ll start with...
As with an intricately knotted Persian rug, each square inch of this book is maximized to include as much detailed beauty as possible. The case cover resembles the old frayed rug we soon learn will be replaced when the protagonists weave a new one, while the illustrations on the CIP...
Night Light, written and illustrated by Michael Emberley, functions as an early reader, from its trim size, paperboard covers, and "I Like to Read tag" that also labels it a "COMIC" in red. And yet, this gem of a book exhibits a discerning integration of art and text in the most Caldecott-worthy...
In Joyce Sidman's Dear Acorn (Love, Oak): Letter Poems to Friends, Melissa Sweet's illustrations carry much of the book’s expressive and structural weight, shaping how relationship, scale, and connection are understood across the poems. Sidman organizes the text as eight paired letter-poem exchanges between "big” and "little” voices, such as oak and acorn, sky and bubble, and button...
384 articles
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LOG IN
We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LOG IN
Thank you for visiting.
We’ve noticed you are using a private browser. To continue, please log in or create an account.
