Each January, my library classes take part in one of my favorite projects of the year — our Mock Caldecott! We spend the month reading and studying twelve picture books that might be in the running for the real Caldecott Medal.
We talk a lot about how illustrations help tell a story. We talk about how the colors, details, and style can make you feel something or notice things you might have missed in the words alone. It’s always fun to hear what students notice and which books they think stand out.
Each class votes for their favorites, and let me tell you, the excitement is real when we announce our winner and honor books! If one of our picks ends up matching the actual Caldecott results, it’s a huge deal around here.
It’s such a fun and meaningful way to get students talking about books, art, and storytelling — and it’s become a highlight of our library every year!
I’ve put together a full unit lesson plan with scoring sheets and a Google Slides presentation to introduce the award and guide the process. If you’d like to try a Mock Caldecott in your own classroom or library, those materials are available in my TPT store.
For a more detailed step by step blog post check out my previous post. Link here
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