I wanted to share Maria Gianferrari‘s great Caldecott and Newbery picks that she left in my comments:
My vote for the Caldecott goes to Marla Frazee’s The Farmer and the Clown–I LOVE this book! It’s funny and touching–I laughed and cried
I also loved Kelly DiPucchio’s Gaston w/ Christian Robinson’s amazing art, and The Right Word by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet.
I also loved Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin as well as Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson.
I’m up for Picture Book of the Day today and my pick is another Caldecott hopeful, Where’s Mommy?. (More of my Caldecott and Newbery picks are here).
Where’s Mommy? by
My second pick for the Caldecott is Where’s Mommy?. The story is fairly straightforward and charming, but it’s the mid-century modern house and classic feel to the illustrations that show the mouse and little girl in parallel in their two homes that make this book a winner in my humble opinion.
2015 Caldecott Picks by Maria Gianferrari
The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee
A wordless picture book from two-time Caldecott Honor medalist Marla Frazee is about a little clown who gets separated from his family when he is bounced off his circus train and gets reluctantly rescued by a farmer.
Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Christian Robinson
An adorable dog story about four puppies who are learning to be well-behaved.
The Right Word by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Alex Baugh of Randomly Reading has a great post on two word-ish biographies (Two Books About Words): Noah Webster & His Words by Jeri Chase Ferris, illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch, and The Right Word about Roget Thesaurus!
2015 Newbery Picks by Maria Gianferrari
Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin
I must say that I was very impressed with Rain Reign social media book launch on Instagram using #RainReign by publisher Mac Kids Books! I don’t know who came up with it but it was effective! I saw an equally strong presence on Google + too, if I recall correctly! It conveyed the gist of the story beautifully; I understood it to be a story of a special needs girl and her lost dog who goes missing after a big flood.
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
I don’t know a single person who hasn’t loved memoir-novel-in-verse Brown Girl Dreaming! And that includes middle school girls who are not brown!
What about you? Do you have some new favorite books from 2014 that you are hoping will win an award? Please share!
p.s. Some related posts here:
Predicting 2015 Caldecott and Newbery
Newbery Award Winners by Age Appropriateness
Predicting 2014 Caldecott, Newbery, and Printz
2014 Winners for Caldecott, Newbery, Printz and More
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Mia!!
Imagine my surprise when I opened my email & saw that you had highlighted my own picks–thank you!I do LOVE all of these books!
I hadn’t heard of “Where’s Mommy?” so I’ll definitely check that one out! Thanks for the recommendation!
Thanks for your great book suggestions as always Maria! I love your book picks!
All great picks! I recently read RAIN REIGN and was pretty much blown away! So glad to see it getting some attention here. 🙂
Hi Danielle,
I need to get a copy of Rain Reign!! Adding it to my list! I have been hearing nothing but praise for it!
Illustrations can really make a book!
Hi MaryAnne,
I usually need a really great story more than the illustrations but sometimes just the illustrations can tell the story in such an amazing way as to make the book a must read!
I like your picks for the Newbery as they are some of my favorites. Reviewed “Rain Reign” and “Brown Girl Dreaming.” But, one book that really made a lasting impression on me was “A Time to Dance” by Padma Venkatraman. I also liked “A Snicker of Magic,” by Natalie Lloyd.
Loved “A Farmer and the Clown.” I’d add “King for a Day” by Rukhasana Kahn.
Hi Patricia,
I haven’t read either A Time to ance or A Snicker of Magic but I’ll add to my wishlist! I hope to get my son to try these with me! I find I am reading a wider range of books with him these days which makes me happy!
Nice! I’ve added the farmer and the clown one to my list. I’ve had Gaston on there too and am waiting for it to come to my library!
Hi Nina,
Thanks so much! Glad you are able to get a copy to read from your library! I stalked book stores for them LOL!
HI Mia. I like the way you began your post with a reader comment/vote. 🙂 I am looking forward to reading Rain Reign. It is on my “to buy” list. 🙂 Thanks for sharing these winners. I love them. I came via Kid Lit Blog Hop, but I’m a fan. 🙂
Hi Literate for Life,
Rain Reign is on my “to buy” list too! Thanks for your kind words!
Great list! I am rooting for Bad Bye Good Bye for the Caldecott and definitely Brown Girl Dreaming for the Newbery. My third grader’s vote this week for the Caldecott, so I’m interested in seeing their favorites!
Hi Katie,
Bad Bye Good Bye escaped me! I’ll have to find a copy of that picture book! How fun that your third grader is doing a Caldecott pick too! I’d love to know what they picked!
Another year gone by and another treasure trove of wonderful books. Thanks for sharing in the Kid Lit Blog Hop. 🙂
Hi Renee,
Can’t wait to see who win!
Thanks, Mia! The kids are voting tomorrow, but our ballot choices is up now:
Hi Katie,
I can’t wait to hear what the kids selected!
The kids’ votes are up now! It’s interesting that each grade level ended up with a different favorite this time. (This is Not my Hat was a definitive winner among all of them two years ago.)
Thanks so much Katie!! I’m posting your link here since my commenting plugin won’t let you leave a link: http://www.thelogonauts.com/2015/01/caldecott2015.html