NEWBERY, CALDECOTT, GEISEL -- OH MY!
It is that time of year once again! The American Library Association will present a plethora of awards for youth literature on Monday, January 22nd at 8:00 AM ET (which you can watch here!) The Youth Media Awards is always a fun occasion and there have been a TON of predictions floating about for the biggies - the Newbery and the Caldecott. I'm very bad at predicting because the awards are based on a long list of criteria that I rarely take into account when I'm reading a book. And because it seems like the committees for the Newbery seem to delight in selecting obscure books. Good books - but books that sort of fly under the radar - until they win the Newbery, of course. And I have no idea what will win the Geisel and all the other wonderful awards, either! But it's always fun to hear the winners.
For the Caldecott, I recommend that you start with this book -
Tomfoolery! Randolph Caldecott and the Rambunctious Coming-of-Age of Children's Books by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Barbara McClintock. Do I think it will win? Maybe an honor... But this quote from the book addresses one thing that is considered for Caldecott awards. "He has given children stories in pictures that they can understand even if they haven't yet learned to read." Readers should be able to follow the story of the book based on the illustrations - not just the text.
So here are the books I would like to see earn a Caldecott or an Honor -
Alebrijes by Donna Barba Higuera - Higuera wrote The Last Cuentista which one the Newbery year before last. This one is also sci-fi and dystopian. A long shot but a possibility.
A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat - A memoir graphic novel. It won the National Book Award so the literary merit is certainly there!
The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt - Hercules has just lost both of his parents and is now in a new school. His new history teacher assigns him a project - to replicate the labors of the mythological Hercules. Amazingly, the project helps him work through the grief and guilt of his parents' death. I really enjoyed this one and would be thrilled if it won.
The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Maas - Ghosts! This book has ghosts! It is told from multiple POVs and one of them is a cat! I also enjoyed this one and would be happy to see it win.
The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh - This one has been very popular in different polls. It is historical but flips back and forth between present day and the Stalin imposed famine in the Ukraine. The protagonist is thirteen year old Matthew but he read a bit younger than that to me. He is stuck at home in the early days of the COVID pandemic with his mom and his grandmother. His grandmother survived the famine in Ukraine but has never really talked about it until Matthew gets her to share her story with him. In between his tantrums. It's a good book but I'm OK if it doesn't win. Which, of course, means it probably will!
The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, A Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day; illustrated by Brett Helquist - This is a true story about the theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre around one hundred years ago. It is a fascinating read and I learned a lot. I would be happy if this won at least an Honor!
Once There Was by Kiyash Monsef. This is sitting in my TBR pile. Marjan's father is dead but it turns out that his veterinary practice was a bit more than she realized. He treats magical animals along with regular ones! Who would not want to read a book like that?
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow - I really like this book but it is controversial because it deals with a school shooting. Simon is the only survivor. So it is definitely grim. But it is also very funny in places and it deals with more than the aftermath of the shooting. Simon and his family move off of the grid because their old neighborhood and the internet provide too many reminders for the shooting. Again - I would be happy if this won.
The Skull by Jon Klassen - A few years ago, Jon was visiting Anchorage, Alaska. He stopped by the library and picked up a book of Tyrolean folktales to read to pass the time. A few years later, he decided to make one of the stories into a book of his own - but couldn't remember details. So he called the library and, of course, the librarians found the book. And thus we have the delightful book The Skull. It's a bit dark but also hopeful and filled with compassion and bravery.
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