SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Pearl's & Ruby's
  • Politics in Practice
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • 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

November 13, 2024 by Travis Jonker

Our 2025 Mock Caldecott Program

November 13, 2024 by Travis Jonker   Leave a Comment

Every year at my K-3 school we do a Mock Caldecott program. Here’s a run down of how we’re Mock Caldecotting this year.

Week 1

  • I’ve learned over time that too much detail can bog down the entire process (especially for lower elementary) so I do my best to keep it simple. I introduce the Caldecott. I show the honor and the medal. I explain it’s given for the best illustrations. I talk about how it’s chosen. I explain that soon we’ll be reading books that might win and our school will be choosing our favorite.
  • We read a past winner. I’m reading Kitten’s First Full Moon with kindergarten, This is Not My Hat with 1st grade, Beekle with 2nd and Finding Winnie with 3rd grade. When finished, I ask students why they think it won. Discussions about art ensue.
  • We watch the most recent (2024) Caldecott announcements to get a feel for what it’s like:

Weeks 2-3

  • We read two mock Caldecott books back to back. After we finish each one, I ask students if anything stood out to them about the illustrations. Discussions about art ensue.
  • After reading the two books, students pick the one they thought had the best illustrations. For K-1 it’s a show of hands, for 2-3 we vote via a google form – this is just an informal “Which of the two had the strongest illustrations?” vote. The official vote comes in week 4.

Week 4

  • We review all the books. I remind students that the Caldecott Medal is an award for the illustrations. Students vote via a google form. Or here’s an alternative: paper ballots showing all four book covers. Students circle their choice.

After

  • I add up the votes. Most votes gets the medal, the next closest batch of vote getters receive honors. I announce the winners to students!
  • Fast forward to Monday, January 27, 2025. I show the 2025 Youth Media Awards video to students. Did any of our Mock Caldecott picks get awards?

Here are the books we’re reading this year. Admittedly, it’s a limited list. Be sure to check out the Mock Caldecott list on Goodreads, the discussion list at the Calling Caldecott blog, Mr. Schu and Colby Sharp’s Mock Caldecott list, and the Caldecott predictions at A Fuse #8 Production for more ideas:

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

How do YOU Mock Caldecott? Leave advice in the comments.

Filed under: Articles

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
CaldecottMock Caldecott

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

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

A Fuse #8 Production

Publisher Preview: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (Fall 2025)

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Don’t Cause Trouble | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Heavy Medal

Our Mock Newbery List is Up to 52 Titles

by Steven Engelfried

Politics in Practice

When Book Bans are a Form of Discrimination, What is the Path to Justice?

by John Chrastka

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Here Have Some New YA Thrillers

by Riley Jensen

The Yarn

How Colby Sharp Celebrates Reading with Students

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

SLJ Opens Poll, Asking Readers to Name the Best Books of the Past 25 Years

9 Titles to Learn About Juneteenth

4 Books for the 4th (July 4th, That Is!)

Life During Wartime: 16 Untold World War II Stories | Great Books

More Than 50 Standout Titles! | Starred Reviews, June 2025

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

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
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books 2024
    • 2024 Stars So Far
    • 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
    • Pearls & Rubys
    • Politics in Practice
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • Reasons to Love Libraries
    • 2025 Youth Media Awards
    • Defending the Canon:SLJ & NCTE Review 15 Banned Classics
    • Refreshing the Canon Booklist
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Read Free Poster
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies

    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 © 2025


    COPYRIGHT © 2025