Mock Caldecott, part two

This afternoon I had opportunity to finish out my Mock Caldecott choices; one whole week (give or take) before the planned session. In addition to the previously selected titles posted in Mock Caldecott ... early choices, here is a quick look at the remainder of the list, book and illustrator:

• Ain’t Nobody a Stranger to Me, Jerry Pinkney
• Anne Hutchinson’s Way, Michael Dooling
• The Bravest Knight, Mercer Mayer
• Catching the Moon, Chris Sheban
• Heat Wave, Betsy Lewin
• How Many Mice, Michael Garland
• The Liberty Bell, Matthew Skeens
• My Life as a Chicken, Michael Slack
• Pocahontas: Princess of the New World, David Diaz
• Stick, Steve Breen
• The Top Job, Robert Neubecker

Two of these titles caught my interest. The first, Catching the Moon, is a charming tale of a Fisherwoman who is trying to stop high tide from completely eroding neighborhood shacks and piers. She and her mouse have concocted an ingenious plan to catch the Man in the Moon; "With my trusty mouse and his nose for cheese, I'm sure to hook the Man in the Moon. And once I do, I won't throw him back until he's agreed to keep high tide away!" The Fisherwoman catches the attention of the Moon, a mysterious monthly guest in her shack, who resolves her problem with an ingenious gift of moonbeam paint. Sheban's art work, bold watercolor paints and Prismacolor pencils, is suitably framed and placed along side the text of the book. Use of light, in the form of Moonbeams, is a purveying theme. From the grimacing mouse struggling to pull in a teakettle from the sea, to the thoughtful Moon in his many disguises, each illustration is delightfully complete.

Stick, according to the cover, is the debut picture book of "Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Steve Breen." In this nearly wordless picture book, Breen chronicles the adventures of a young frog named Stick who likes to do things "all by himself." One day his overzealous lunch selection, a large mosquito, results in a wild ride through towns and cities, by car and by plane, and even by seagull, before finding his way back home. From ground level to a birds-eye view, the graphic illustrations cleverly portray Stick's journey. Breen's watercolor artwork is presented in comic book format, as well as full double-paged spreads that move the story along at a fast pace. Readers will be pleased at the end papers rendering of Stick's entire journey in map format.

The Mock Caldecott session is tentatively scheduled for September. Time will tell what title is the favored by the students this year.


Tags: Mock Caldecott, Juvenile literature, Picture books, Catching the Moon, Chris Sheban, Stick, Steve Breen