Mock Caldecott Contenders - Batch 2

Each January, the American Library Association awards the Caldecott Medal to the artist of "the most distinguished American picture book for children." The 2017 winners were announced last week, but we're still making our way through our list in first and second grade.

Most recently, we've read these titles:

The Typewriter

Written and illustrated by Bill Thomson  

In this nearly wordless book, three children find an old typewriter and discover that any time they type a word, it magically comes to life.Thomson's photorealistic style is vivid and detailed, and the kids reacted with lots of exclamations as we turned each page.

A Morning with Grandpa

Written by Sylvia Liu,
Illustrated by Christina Forshay

Mei Mei is eager to learn tai chi from her grandfather, and he is willing to try out yoga. They may not be very good, but they encourage and support each other in this sweet celebration of mindfulness, movement, and friendship. 

We did Mei Mei's yoga moves as we read (and I fell over), and then checked out this introductory tai chi video:

The Deadliest Creature in the World

Written by Brenda K. Guiberson,
Illustrated by Gennady Spirin 

We read The Most Amazing Creature in the Sea by this team last year; this book is also full of facts and stunning artwork.