Battle of the Kids Books

Last year was my first time participating in School Library Journal's Battle of the Kids Books.
This year I'm so excited to start reading this round up of best books from 2012 and trying to guess which wonderful book will win.  The brackets below show which books will go against each other.  Visit the website and you'll be able to meet the judges and hear from the peanut gallery.  We have some of the books (Wonder, Titanic, Temple Grandin, and The One and Only Ivan) in the Bandelier Library, some are meant for much older kids and others can be found at the public library.  So far, I've read half of the list.  I love them.  I love them for all different reasons and I would not want to be a judge who had to decide which was the winner.  If you're looking for something to do this month, start reading!  I'll let you know my guesses once I've finished the list.

The Caldecott Medal

The awards were announced this morning, an exciting time for authors, illustrators and book lovers across the country.  The honor books for the Caldecott Medal are:

And the winner of this year's Caldecott Award goes to...

Now, if you've been paying close attention we read three out of the 6 winners.  We discussed all along that it was possible a book would win that we hadn't even read and that was the case!  This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen (who also illustrated honor book Extra Yarn) is a hilarious story of a little fish who thinks he's gotten away with a theft.  Congratulations to all of the award winners today, so fun to see such great books!

And The Winner Is...

This week we voted on our final Beardacott winner.  Throughout the week the leader was uncertain but by the end of the week is was clear, the students chose Chloe and the Lion as the first ever Beardacott winner.  The kids loved the humor and creativity in both the story and the illustrations.  We can't wait to find out what the Caldecott Committee will pick!

Round 5

Our three choices for this week were:

Baby Bear Sees Blue by Ashley Wolff is the adorable story of Baby Bear noticing the colors of the world.  The illustrations are vibrant and beautiful and the story is one all kids and adults can relate to.  Question after question about the world come from Baby Bear and are answered by Mama.

Laura Vaccaro Seeger's book Green is a creative look at the green in our surroundings.  Each page has a cutout that leads to the next page in a surprising way.  Kids love figuring out the puzzle of what came before and what will come next.

More is the story of a greedy Magpie who ends up with way more stuff than he has room for, sound familiar?  This sparsely worded book has detailed illustrations that are captivating in their story.  A good lesson for all of us about how much is enough.

This was the closest vote yet, More was the winner by just a few votes.  We'll get to see the winner of the first ever Beardacott award next week!

Round 4

We're getting closer to finding out the winner of the first annual Beardacott Award AND the actual Caldecott Award.  This week we read three books and it was a close vote!

 In A Home For Bird by Caldecott winning author Philip Stead, Bird is lost and his new, adventurous friend, Vernon is determined to help him find his home.  The story is sweet and the illustrations are, as one second grader described, "colorful and unique". 

 and then it's spring is illustrated by Erin Stead, a Caldecott winning illustrator who happens to be  married to Philip Stead.  The lovely illustrations and wood block prints in this book tell the story of a little boy and his animals waiting for their plants to grow.  It reminds us in these cold weeks that spring is coming...

Homer, written and illustrated by Elisha Cooper ,  tells the story of the gentle dog and how his day passes on the porch. The illustrations are beautiful, many kids described them as realistic.  The story is lovely. 

A Home For Bird was our winner by only four points, Homer came in second place so it seems it should win too.  Let's see what happens next week!

Round 3

Oh, No tells the story of a little mouse who is running from a tiger and ends up in a hole, oh, no!  Animal after animal attempt to help each other out of the hole and they all end up in the bottom of the deep, deep hole.  The rhythm of this book is delightful and contagious. The kids can't help but read along.  The illustrations are beautiful and engaging.  If I had to bet, I would pick this as a definite Caldecott contender. The students at Bandelier get to choose the Beardacott, let's see what they chose!

Chloe and the Lion is not like any other book I've read.  The claymation type author and illustrator interject their thoughts and ideas throughout the story making it a surprising and hilarious read.  Chloe, meanwhile, is eager for her adventure. 

Chloe and the Lion was the clear winner for this round! Can't wait to see what wins next.

Round Two

Round two in the first annual Beardacott Awards and another clear winner!  The two books I read this week were full of sweet adventure.  We went over the criteria for the Caldecott award and I was surprised to see how fast one book took and kept the lead!

 Red Knit Cap Girl lives with her animal friends in an enchanted forest. There is so much to see and do, but more than anything Red Knit Cap Girl wishes she could talk to the Moon. This story takes us  on a journey of curiosity, imagination, and joy as they search for a way to meet the Moon.

This looks like an ordinary box full of ordinary yarn.
But it turns out it isn’t.Watch the pages change as Annabelle knits sweaters for everyone and everything in her surroundings.  A book of magical fun.


Extra Yarn won this round, can't wait to see what wins next time.  Each of these books would make a great gift for kids of all ages.  Happy Holidays!