The Caldecott Medal is awarded each January to the best picture book, or “most distinguished American picture book for children” as described on the ALA website.
Do awards matter? This is the first question I think pops into minds when we starting talking Caldecott and other awards. Does this mean I will love a book? Nope, is the easy answer. Depending on your unique taste or what you need a book for in that moment, this is not necessarily how to pick the right book fit for you. There are a lot of books on my best of 2021 that I wouldn’t consider Caldecott worthy, but for a variety of reasons I love them and think they might be the best book for someone.
It is however fun, at least to book nerd me, to think about and predict who might win. If this is fun for you too, let me know in the comments who you think should win!
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The Criteria
The criteria for the Caldecott medal is laid out on the ALA website, but in general they are looking for excellence in illustrations that well interprets the story, is appropriate in style to the book, adds to the words, and remembers it’s child audience. Other things, such as the writing, are taken into consideration, but this is primarily an award for illustrations.
Check out: Printable List of Previous Winners of the Caldecott
Contenders
This is my list of books published in 2021 that have truly exceptional illustrations. This isn’t exhaustive and the committee does consider some books published in 2020. They have guidelines about publication date on their site above.
Keeping the City Going
by Brian Floca
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Wonder Walkers
by Micha Archer
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Watercress
by Andrea Wang
pictures by Jason Chin
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Zonia’s Rainforest
by Juana Martinez-Neal
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Milo Imagines the World
written by Matt de la Pena
illustrated by Christian Robinson
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It Fell From the Sky
by The Fan Brothers
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The 1619 Project: Born on the Water
by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson
illustrated by Nikkolas Smith
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Mel Fell
by Corey R. Tabor
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Hurricane
by John Rocco
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The Lost Package
by Richard Ho
illustrated by Jessica Lanan
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Bright Star
by Yuyi Morales
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Unspeakable
by Carole Boston Weatherford
illustrated by Floyd Cooper
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Our Picks for the Caldecott Honor
Without further ado, here are our votes for the best picture book of the year.
MY VOTE: Keeping the City Going
by Brian Floca
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I struggled so hard with this decision. I loved absolutely every single book on this shelf. They made me laugh and cry, cry mostly – this is largely not a cheerful bunch of books. It also made me feel so lucky we’re living through such an incredible period in picture books and infinitely glad that ultimately the power of awarding the Caldecott is not in my hands. I think most likely UNSPEAKABLE or THE 1619 PROJECT: BORN ON THE WATER will win this year. Either would be a well deserved award. Both are powerful, beautiful books that tell children stories that they need to hear. They are history that are not in classrooms and history books, but should be. They help round out the history that we teach and the books on our shelves. In terms of artwork, both have stunning and frame-worthy illustrations. I think WATERCRESS also falls high on the list with it’s absolutely breathtaking art and perspective that should be shared. I tend to lean towards books that share a moment as well and this is a moment that perfectly encapsulates childhood, immigration, generational differences, emotions and family.
For my vote, however, I went with the book that touched me personally the most. I feel like we are living through a moment in history and that’s what is so well encapsulated in KEEPING THE CITY GOING. Someday our grandchildren will learn about the pandemic in their history books. It will just be a paragraph or two, but this is a moment we are enduring, surviving, fighting through right now. A lot of books have been written and published in the past year about the pandemic and many of them are good, but this one is the one that makes me cry and remember the early days of this experience so deeply, primarily because of the illustrations. Brian Floca has already won a Caldecott for LOCOMOTIVE and so I do think the award should go to someone else, but if I had to pick one book, a favorite from the year, this is mine.
HIS VOTE: Hurricane
by John Rocco
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He says – I think there’s a lot of good illustrations in it. Like when it says “The whole neighborhood comes down” the illustration shows so much more. It doesn’t say that he’s scared at any point but you can see it in his face. They used the pictures to their advantage. They limited the words to use the pictures to tell you more.
HER VOTE: Wonder Walkers
by Micha Archer
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She says – I have three. KEEPING THE CITY GOING, WATERCRESS, and WONDER WALKERS. I pick WONDER WALKERS because it’s very beautiful how they made art with the cut out paper. I think that’s pretty cool. I just really like how the pictures are a collage.
2021 Caldecott Winner and Honorable Mentions
Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children:
Watercress
by Andrea Wang
pictures by Jason Chin
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Honor:
Have You Ever Seen a Flower?
by Shawn Harris
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Honor:
Mel Fell
by Corey R. Tabor
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Honor:
Unspeakable
by Carole Boston Weatherford
illustrated by Floyd Cooper
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Honor:
Wonder Walkers
by Micha Archer
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