The San Jose Public Library staff held their 4th annual Mock Caldecott discussion on January 8, 2021, socially distanced via Zoom.
The Caldecott Award is awarded annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. Staff read a variety of pre-selected titles and discussed as a group which book or books could take home this year's award based on the award's criteria. After some thoughtful and lovely discussion, the SJPL staff voted and tied for two winners and two honor titles.
In real-life, the Caldecott committee cannot choose more than one winner. They would have to continue to discuss and vote until a final winner was determined, but in our case (and for the sake of time), our mock committee was pretty evenly split on the two choices below, so we decided to recognize both.
If you are curious who will take home the Caldecott and other youth book awards this year, tune to the Youth Media Awards announcement on Monday, January 25, 2021, at 6:00 AM PST.
SJPL Mock Caldecott 2021 Winners
The Old Truck by Jarrett Pumphrey & Jerome Pumphrey
When is an old truck something more? On a small, bustling farm, a resilient and steadfast pickup works tirelessly alongside the family that lives there and becomes a part of the family’s young daughter's dreams and ambitions.
After long days and years of hard work leave the old truck rusting in the weeds, it’s time for the girl to roll up her sleeves. Soon she is running her own busy farm, and in the midst of all the repairing and restoring, it may be time to bring her faithful childhood companion back to life.
Packs: Strength in Numbers by Hannah Salyer
Groups, packs, herds of millions, and more–our world teems with animals on land, air, and sea.
Packs is an inspiring celebration of how togetherness helps many creatures thrive in both nonhuman and human communities.
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