Technology is Loose in the Library & Around the School!!: Oak Hills Students Vote In OHE's Annual Mock Caldecott

It's time for our 3rd annual Mock Caldecott! It has been such a successful unit, with our entire student body getting involved, that I decided to keep up the tradition! January is the perfect time as the highly anticipated Caldecott Award announcement is just around the corner!! (Along with other prestigious awards - Newbery, Printz and Coretta Scott King Book Awards to name just a few!) February 2nd is the big announcement day!!

The candidates for this award are kept secret until the announcement, but that doesn't keep librarians and media specialist around the nation from speculating! Not unlike all of the Hollywood film awards, speculation and "buzz" is everywhere, only minus the pictures of the best and worst dressed!

To get ready for our Mock Caldecott, I spent a few weeks reading blogs and the School Library Journal website trying to choose a possible "short list" of candidates. Most of the "hopefuls" for the Caldecott seemed to come up again and again. We really can't know until the announcement is made, but it is fun to speculate!

Students will read and discuss the criteria used by the Caldecott committee! The criteria language can be intimidating for students, but it seems to become clearer once we discuss it!

Caldecott Criteria

1. In identifying a “distinguished American picture book for children,” defined as illustration:

a. Excellence of execution in the artistic technique employed

b. Excellence of pictorial interpretation of story, theme, or concept;

c. Appropriateness of style of illustration to the story, theme or concept;

d. Delineation of plot, theme, characters, setting, mood or information through the pictures. Excellence of presentation in recognition of a child audience.

2. The only limitation to graphic form is that the form must be one which may be used in a picture book. The book must be a self-contained entity, not dependent on other media (sound, file, or computer program) for its enjoyment.

3. Each book is to be considered as a picture book. The committee is to make its decision primarily on the illustration, but other components of a book are to be considered especially when they make a book less effective as a children's picture book. Such other components might include the written text, the overall design of the book, etc.

Students will be evaluating the following books and voting for their favorite! A few of this year's short list of books have book trailers! We welcome anyone who wants to vote to join in!! Find the voting ballot at the bottom!