Thank you to everyone who participated in our second round of nominations, with comments here and on Facebook! Eighteen books were nominated; four titles tied for first place with just two nominations each. Three of the four — Every Monday Mabel, Fireworks, and Our Lake— were nominated in the first round. The fourth book, Night Light by Michael Emberley, makes its Calling Caldecott debut. The remaining fourteen titles received one nomination each.  

In addition to Night Light, seven new titles were nominated. We’ve covered Harris’s Let’s Be Bees, Tabor’s Cranky, Crabby Crow (Saves the World), and Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa, illustrated by Martinez-Neal and written by Fajardo. Dawn by Martin is stunning, but the author/illustrator lives in Australia, so sadly the book is ineligible. We will try to cover Higuera's Xolo, Snider's Nothing Ever Happens on a Gray Day, and Every Peach Is a Story, illustrated by Tamaki and written by David Mas Masumoto and Nikiko Masumoto. I say “try” because after the holidays, the countdown to the announcements is on: T minus 3 weeks! 

Here’s what was nominated this time: 

We have a post scheduled for next Tuesday, Dec. 23, and after that, we're taking an end-of-the-year break until January 6. Our mock Caldecott vote will take place on (or around Jan. 15) with results posted Jan. 21. Stay tuned!