SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • *Best New Books*
    • Annual Best Lists
  • Reviews
    • One Star Review
    • Nonfiction
    • Toon Reviews
  • Articles
    • Authors
    • Link Du Jour
  • Covers
    • Covering the Newbery
    • Cover Curiosity
    • Unfortunate Covers
  • News
    • Books on Film
    • Morning Notes
  • Newsletter

December 10, 2018 by Travis Jonker

2019 Caldecott Medal Predictions

December 10, 2018 by Travis Jonker   5 comments

Caldecott 2019

Last year I went 3 for 5. The year before that? 3 for 4. Before I crow about myself some more and totally displease the book award gods (rendering all future predictions incorrect) here are my picks for 2019 Caldecott glory.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Caldecott Medal Prediction

Dreamers

Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

Right book, right time, right creator: the amounts of “right” here are staggering. Matched only by the amounts of “self” in these illustrations. Morales keeps pushing artistically and Dreamers is the clearest example of this yet.

Caldecott Honor Prediction

Thank You Omu

Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora

When you think of an award as old as the Caldecott, you might be tempted to believe that it only rewards the established creators. People knock the Grammys for this all the time. And sure the well-known get theirs, but Caldecott is not entirely afraid of heralding an exciting new talent. Think of Erin E. Stead, Mo Willems, Jon Klassen, and others who received recognition early in their careers. Thank You, Omu! manages to be both timeless and fresh. No easy feat, especially for a newcomer to the form. I think the committee will want to champion this book.

Caldecott Honor Prediction

A Big Mooncake for Little Star

A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin

Sometimes we get lulled into a sort of daze by a great book creator. We put them in the “Great” box (because it’s warranted) and then go out to look for the next exciting thing (side note: and this, in a nutshell, is why sequels have a hard time winning Caldecott). But with this book, Grace Lin took an astonishing artistic leap and I think it’s enough to shake the committee out of their daze and see what’s right before their eyes.

Caldecott Honor Prediction

Hello Lighthouse

Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall

Notice how every detail in this book is not just considered (because pretty much every detail in every picture book is considered), but succeeds in adding a palpable depth and visual delight. The trim size, the case cover, the circle as a visual motif, the remarkable use of repetition – it’s all just undeniable.

Caldecott Honor Prediction

They Say Blue

They Say Blue by Jillian Tamaki

I’ve read this book with over 20 groups of kids now and it’s grown on me more than any other title this year. Mesmerizing in its depth and meditative beauty, They Say Blue features some of the most unforgettable two-page spreads of the year. Don’t underestimate the Caldecott committee importance of the unforgettable two-page spread. At this point I feel like it’s an absolute masterpiece and you’re not going to convince me otherwise (but you could convince me that the text deserves Newbery consideration).

Filed under: Articles

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

February 2023

Notes on January 2023

by Travis Jonker

January 2023

Your 2023 Caldecott Comment Card

by Travis Jonker

January 2023

Who's Published the Most Newbery Winners in the Last 25 Years?

by Travis Jonker

January 2023

2023 Caldecott Medal Predictions

by Travis Jonker

January 2023

The Ten Most Eye-Opening Caldecott Books of All Time

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Sydney Taylor Blog Tour: THE TOWER OF LIFE by Chana Stiefel and Susan Gal

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Abecedarian Movement and Dance: A Q&A with Corinna Luyken About ABC and You and Me!

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Haley Newsome on Unfamiliar | Interview

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Heavy Medal

What’s Coming in 2023, A Feedback Poll, and Goodbye for Now…

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Writing Trans Joy in Spite of Everything, a guest post by Edward Underhill

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

A Book 25 Years in the Making: Marla Frazee Visits The Yarn

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Sports-Forward Books for Fans of the Movie "Space Jam: A New Legacy" | Read-Alikes

Four Magical Middle Grade Novels for 'Encanto' Fans| Read-Alikes

Four YA Romances for Teens Watching 'The Summer I Turned Pretty'

Four Breezy YA Summer Reads for Fans of 'Along for the Ride' on Netflix | Read-Alikes

Three Action-Packed Adventures for Fans of 'Spider-Man: No Way Home'

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. jules says

    December 10, 2018 at 12:37 pm

    Not to be all blog-pushy, but did you see Martha’s write-up at Calling Caldecott of THEY SAY BLUE? Ah, she captured it well. She made me see the book in all new ways, too!

    • Travis Jonker says

      December 10, 2018 at 1:54 pm

      That’s a great post! I just went back and found it. Thanks for sharing!

  2. Luke Henderson says

    December 11, 2018 at 1:14 pm

    Just a note from The Bookies in Denver and an agreement with EVERYTHING you said about DREAMERS. Just a perfect book at a perfect time.

  3. Sam Juliano says

    December 14, 2018 at 10:00 am

    All five are stupendous books of course. The big surprise here is the appearance of Thank You, Omi which I also adore. It seems most are agreeing on Dreamers for the gold, an i certainly wouldn’t dispute it. And I do agree with every word you invest on the Tamaki book.

    There are six books missing, any of which I think could land in the winner’s circle. They are:

    Blue
    A House That Once Was
    Adrian Simcox Does Not Have a Horse
    Imagine (Colon)
    Julian is a Mermaid
    The Day You Begin

    I also would LOVE to see a big surprise materialize. In that category I am putting my wishes in for:

    The Wall in the Middle of the Book
    We Are Grateful
    The Stuff of Stars

    Anyway great predictions here! You did so well last year!

  4. Sam Juliano says

    December 14, 2018 at 10:02 am

    Barbara McClintock’s Nothing Stopped Sophie would also seem to be a (deserved) major player.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Author/Illustrator Blogs

    • Erin Stead Illustration
    • Hey, Rabbit!
    • James Preller's Blog
    • MATTHEWCORDELLBLOGS
    • Mo Willems Doodles
    • The Scop
  • Book Blogs I Like

    • A Book and a Hug
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • A Kids Book a Day
    • A Year of Reading
    • Abby (the) Librarian
    • Awful Library Books
    • Becky’s Book Reviews
    • Better Book Titles
    • Book-A-Day Almanac
    • Bookends
    • books4yourkids.com
    • bookshelves of doom
    • Bottom Shelf Books
    • Calling Caldecott
    • Caustic Cover Critic
    • Chad C. Beckerman
    • Charlotte’s Library
    • Cheryl Rainfield
    • Chicken Spaghetti
    • CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION
    • Collecting Children’s Books
    • Cybils
    • EarlyWord
    • educating alice
    • Finding Wonderland
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Good Show Sir
    • GottaBook
    • Great Kid Books
    • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
    • Hi Miss Julie!
    • Jen Robinson’s Book Page
    • Kidsmomo
    • Maria T. Middleton Design
    • Nerdy Book Club
    • Neverending Search
    • Nine Kinds of Pie
    • One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books
    • Out of the Box
    • Oz and Ends
    • PlanetEsme
    • Read Roger
    • Reading Rants!
    • Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
    • sharpread
    • ShelfTalker
    • so tomorrow
    • The Children's Book Review
    • The Miss Rumphius Effect
    • Uncovered Cover Art
    • Waking Brain Cells
    • Watch. Connect. Read.
  • Library Blogs

    • ALSC Blog
    • Blue Skunk Blog
    • librarian.net
    • LISNews
    • Stephen's Lighthouse
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Unshelved
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023