Summer is coming to an end, pumpkin spice is in the air (like it or hate it), and Labor Day is in our rearview mirrors. That means it’s time to welcome everyone back to Calling Caldecott, the Horn Book blog devoted to discussing a year’s worth of Caldecott-eligible books through the lens of ALSC’s Caldecott Award criteria (more on that to come). Beginning later this month through the YMA announcements in early 2026, our contributors — picture book experts all — will examine eligible books published in 2025 that they would champion if they were members of the real Caldecott Committee. 

Next week we’ll share the list of books we plan to cover in the coming months. In the near future, we’ll look back at coverage of the winner of the 2025 Caldecott Medal, Rebecca Lee Kunz, who illustrated Chooch Helped written by Andrea L. Rogers and published by Levine Querido. Until then, please enjoy this cover of the July/August 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine, featuring original art by Rebecca — and generously signed by the artist herself!  

Feel free to share your own lists — what books do you think the Committee should be considering?