Night Animals and Finding Winnie top the third grade Mock Caldecott choices

Third graders voted today. Night Animals was deemed to be the book that best met our Mock Caldecott criteria. 

The students also chose honor books, which are: Finding Winnie, Lenny and Lucy, and Waiting.

The students explained the rationale behind their Mock Caldecott Medal choice. This Worldle shows that the students were focused on the illustrations, which is great!

I think that Finding Winnie deserves to win the Caldecott Medal because the art matches the scene that is happening. Also I think the book will appeal to adults and children because at the end it shows how their family lived and in the beginning it shows a sort of child book.

The plot was engaging. The illustrations matched the text that was on each page, which is extremely important. The illustrations were also visually engaging in order to keep student's focus on the book as the text was being read. The factual history that inspired the book was also extremely interesting and made the story that much more intriguing to people of all ages.

I chose Finding Winnie because the pictures match the mood of the story and that it appeals to children.

I chose If You Plant a Seed because the illustrations are really important to understanding the story.

I Like Finding Winnie because it has a fabulous photo album is so cool because it shows cool background of the book

I choose Night Animals because it appeals to kids because of the funny endpapers and because you can see how terrified the night animals are!

I think Night Animals should win because I like how the illustrator made the animals look 3D. I also like the darkness with the eyes I think the color use is good.

I like If You Plant a Seed because I like the very rich painting and the illustrations tell you more than the words and text do, and the expressions are good and somewhat ridiculous on the page where there was one tomato left.

Because I like the same pattern of illustrations on each page. Also,I think that the style is perfect for the calm story.

Because it was funny, and I liked the surprise at the end. And I like how illustrations told what the book did not tell.

Because it shows a lot of affection and emotion.

Because you can't have the book without the pictures.

I liked the little X eyes on the possum when he was scared and the spray coming from the skunk when he was scared.

I think Lenny and Lucy should win because the illustrations show the boy's feeling along the story.

I chose Night Animals is appealing to all ages

The Illustrations tell you whats happening in the book and it is funny.

The reason why I thought Finding Winnie was good was because it's an adventure it felt like a circle. And the illustrations are outstanding.And when you see the page that has the bear tied up sitting next to the bench with the man who tied the bear and he looks cute.

There was a dark background and I like when they shine the flashlight at the animals.

It has great illustrations like when the kid shines the flashlight it makes most of the page yellow,really showing how bright it is.I loved how there were speech bubbles instead of the words being in the corner.I also liked when the Possum fakes being dead,pinching his nose because of the skunk.I liked how each animal was afraid of each other.That made it a really good book to read as a kid.

I think Waiting best met the criteria because the pictures showed what the text did not.

I think that Night Animals should win the mock Caldecott because it has appropriateness and it appeals to me. I like that the illustrations show things that the words don't say.

I think it is appeal and interesting to people all over the world.

I chose Night Animals because the illustrations are funny, but also they are excellent and would appeal to children.

I think Night Animals I can't explain I just really like it.

I CHOSE FINDING WINNIE BECAUSE IT HAS COOL DRAWINGS AND IT IS A GOOD STORY.

The reason why I chose If You Plant a Seed shows kindness and it comes back and it was beautiful illustrations!

The book Night Animals appeal to me because it was funny.

I picked Finding Winnie for my first choice because the illustrations match the words.

I chose Finding Winnie because I think that it's appealing to readers to all ages. The pictures are well drawn.

I liked how before the animal who was chasing a smaller animal only showed its little eyes before showing what it actually WAS,so you can take some guesses and see if you were right.Also without pictures you would not be able to see the possum faint and that is SO funny!

I think the color and the shape that the pictures are, make it look more jolly and fun. I wish I had heard it long before.

I think that night animals deserves to win the Mock Caldecott award because it is a truly funny book. And the illustrations are critical to the story.

I like the illustrations when the possum falls over and they do not write it in and when they shine the flash light a lot of the page terns yellow and the kids expression on there face looked liked AHHHHHHH!



because the book is very funny with the possum, and 3-H laughed at most of the pictures. and you cold see with out the writing that he played dead when the skunk sprayed. and there are a lot of colors saying that it is mostly black.

I think night animals should win because it really pulls you into the story.

I think finding Winnie should win because the illustrations are grate and its appropriate.

I like finding Winnie because it is funny and the color matches the story.

I think that Night Animals should win because it does have all four rules.

I chose waiting because, the pictures matched the story on what was happening!

If it did not have pictures then you would not understand the story Night Animals.

I think if you plant a seed is my favorite book because the art is so well done.

I chose that because I loved how they had a food fight in the backyard.

I think Night Animals deserves the Caldecott because the illustrations are appropriate the book.Its appealing,the illustrations demonstrate excellence,and the illustrations are critical to the understanding of the story.

I thought that night animals is worthy because the illustrations fit the story well.

I think night Animals is Appealing to mostly all ages.

I think that the pictures can really describe how the characters feel and there are hardly any words.

Y like the actions and pictures

Its such a happy book.

I chose Finding Winnie because the collage is appropriate
I chose Night Animals because the illustrations are critical to the understanding of the story .

because I like the word bubbles and the art

I chose this book because illustrations match the tone and mood of ''If you plant a seed''.

I think this book is the best here is why; all of the text never blocks the illustration,and the illustration almost looks real

I chose Finding Winnie because the illustrations match the choice of words. I also like that it because it doesn't tell you everything that happens, but the illustrations give you clues of what is happening.

Night Animals should win because it's a funny book; the illustrations tell what the text doesn't.

I chose Finding Winnie because the illustrations were colorful and it was based on a true story.

I chose finding Winnie because I like bears.

I think the illustrations match the story and on to it and it gives clues of what is going to happen next

I think that the illustrations are important to the story because they help tell the journey of Winnie.

I like the illustrations.

because it is so friendly to boys and girls

I picked Finding Winnie for my first choice because I think that the illustrations match the words and I also like how the story moves from generation to generation and ends with a mom telling her son about how it all began.

I chose this book because it really describe what the language was.

I think water is water should win because the illustration really brings out the inside story that helps the reader understand the words.

I think that Night Animals because it is so funny and it has the right type of background.

I chose Waiting because it has a very great use of color and it appeals to children.

I chose Night Animals because it tells more from pictures than writing.

The illustrations tell you about the story and it matches the text.

I chose If you Plant a seed because I think that the illustrations match the story.

The pictures were good and I liked the storyline.It fit together well.Another good thing was that it had TRUE facts.

The reason why I like Finding Winnie is because its has beautiful pictures.Also it has a story of a man at war.

I think that Night Animals is the best because it appeals to kids because the pictures are really funny and you can see how scared the animals are!

I like Lenny and Lucy because in the beginning there is not much color and in the end there is more color.

Finding Winnie dominates the fourth grade Mock Caldecott

Finding Winnie was a hands down Mock Caldecott Medal choice for the fourth graders.

Followed by honor books: Leo: a ghost story, If You Plant a Seed, and Lenny and Lucy.

Why did the students chose the Medal books they did?

I chose Finding Winnie because it appeals to children,it has excellence in its technique, and the illustrations are key to understanding the book.

I think Leo should win the Mock Caldecott because the pictures are important. One way the pictures are important is that it never says that Leo was alive a long time ago but you can tell by the pictures.
I think it should win because I like how in the beginning it just refers to a mom and a boy, although it could turn from first-person with the mom to a third-person story. The illustrations are so detailed and so beautiful that I can't explain how they make me feel.

I think If You Plant A Seed has amazing excellence and appropriateness of technique because the technique really fits the story. I think the illustrations really help the understanding of the story. There are many details not even mentioned in the story that the illustrations show. I also think it has amazing appeal.

I think that My Pen fantastic in every criteria to start with excellence it is amazing how he made the lighting, shadow, and just pictures themselves with just a fountain pen. I also think that it is very appropriate because it only was pen in the illustrations which also made it important. It also appeals to me the most of all the other books.

Finding Winnie is (in my opinion) the best book because the technique of the book is really good and it's a really fun story!
This book (Finding Winnie) has just the right technique because it appeals to me and the illustrations are nice! I also like the colors.
I think Finding Winnie deserves this award because I think a lot of children would want to know the true story of the well known bear. The pictures show excellence, and really match the mood and words. The pictures are important. That is why Finding Winnie deserves this award.

If you plant a seed teaches people that sharing can be very helpful and will make you a better person. In addition I think that it appeals to children and the illustrations are very good and the story in general is very appealing to children.

Finding Winnie I think it has excellence it also has nice appropriateness I think it would also appeal to most children
I thought "Finding Winnie" is worthy to win the medal because the technique is great, with the painting all flowing together. The pictures looked good too, giving it a great excellence. The illustrations are critical to the book. And I really liked the design which a child (including me) would really like the illustrations. This gives the book a huge chance to get the Caldecott Medal!
I think it really, has good text and teaches you something.
Because the words and the pictures match perfectly.
I think that Finding Winnie best meets the criteria in all ways.
illustrations are perfect!

I think that Finding Winnie meats the criteria because it would appeal to a child and I think that the illustrations were excellent.

This book is amazing and demonstrates excellence.

I think finding Winnie was amazing for all the criteria.

I think it should win because you can see the emotions just by looking at the pictures. And you can see light reflecting of of the characters.

I think Finding Winnie should win the medal because the illustrations are excellent, appropriate, important, and will appeal to children.

I love the detail and importance of the pictures if you look at the picture hard you will find detail like no other book
because of it's importance in the pictures.

i just thought it just matched every thing

I chose it because it has the right colors that go with the book and it has great detail.

The excellence is awesome and everything has a glow that reflects the light. I can almost feel them coming to life.

I chose Finding Winnie because I liked how the pictures help me understand the story.

Such a terrific use of illustrations. You can barely can tell what type of art work was used.

I chose this book because I really like how the illustration matches the mood of the story. I also like how there is such strong friendship in the story.

leo had the perfect colors to fit the scene

I chose if you plant a seed because the illustrations are amazing it appeals to children on so many levels. It is amazing that it gives a moral, but is not boring. ~Maddie

I think that Lenny And Lucy should win the Mock Caldecott because the illustrations really match the text and also because of the use of color, I really like back and white illustrations.
Finding Winnie really appealed to me and I think it's illustrations match the mood.

if you plant a seed has amazing illustrations

I think Finding Winnie should win because of the picture and the pictures show the mood of the story and the excellence of technique is really good also the pictures are important to tell the story also I think it also appeals to a child audience.

I chose Finding Winnie because the excellence of the book is awesome the appropriateness really appeals to kids. the importance is also amazing.

My pen should win the Mock Caldecott because the drawing is awesome!And I want to draw like Christopher myers (he is the author and illustrator.

I think Finding Winnie should win because I loved the pictures and I thought the album at the end showing real pictures was so cool!
I think that the importance of Finding Winnie is really good and I feel like if the illustrations where not there then the story would not mean enough.

I like it because there is only color on things that need to be colorful. I also like it because the appeal is strong.
I think that the pictures are really important to the book and it is really appealing to a child audience.

I think If You Plant a Seed should win the award because the little critters are REALLY cute and the story teaches patience.

Finding Winnie teaches you a important lesson, it teaches you that anything is possible.

I believe that Lenny & Lucy should win the Mock Caldecott medal because it has the perfect technique for the children of all ages.

I like the pictures of how his room looks like a old fashioned room and I like how he plays child games so the appropriateness is very good.

I think the illustration matches the tone of the book.

I like this book because I like the way the author described the characters feelings.

I think Finding Winnie because it appeals to kids the illustrations are great and the importance of the illustrations are pretty important.

I think the technique is awesome and a good tone you need the illustrations because without them it would be impossible . the illustrations appeal.

I think finding Winnie had great everything. I loved the detail.

I think this book is a great book and is very well done.

The appeal to children great and excellent.

I think that the technique really matched the mood.

It deserves a medal because the illustrations are wonderful and it would appeal to young students.

Night Animals tops the second graders Mock Caldecott books

The second graders ranked their books in order that they felt each best met the Caldecott criteria.

and the fifth grade Mock Caldecott choices are...

Here's a peak and our discussion and voting day:

Here's how the fifth graders ranked their seven books:

Hoping to get the students to focus on the criteria and not their emotional attachment to the books, prior to ranking their Mock Caldecott choices, they considered all the books for each of the criteria:

I took that data and plugged it into a grid for each book. These results align with their ranking, with the books getting the most "amazing" votes being the ones that ranked highest in the final votes.

Final ranking data:

I am looking forward to sharing the "real" Caldecott winners with them in January and being able to draw upon this experience and knowledge in our discussions.

Grade Four Mock Caldecott Initial Rankings

The fourth graders made their preliminary ranking of our Mock Caldecott titles. After ranking the books one to seven, with seven being the book they think best met the Caldecott criteria, the students explained their thinking behind their number one choice.  I wanted to get them thinking about how to explain their choices as they will be in small group discussions next week. 

 

How did your number one book best meet the criteria?

I love the way  the book's pictures show the mood of the story like if a person is sad I would know that they were sad with it being said in the text.
I think Finding Winnie best meets the criteria, the illustrations are beautiful!
I think Finding Winnie has a great appeal
Finding Winnie has really good illustrations.
Leo a ghost story doesn't have the most detailed  pictures but the style fits really well.
I think Finding Winnie best meets the criteria because the illustrations are excellent,  appropriate,  they help tell the story, and they will appeal to children.
I think Finding Winnie is a good book because it has good illustrations.
Finding Winnie because the illustrations are great and it will appeal to children
because Finding Winnie had terrific illustrations and would appeal to a children audience
I like the illustrations.  They are cute and the characters are interesting.  I think this book would appeal to children.
I think that My Pen best met the criteria because I think that it is so amazing that you can make such great, rich illustrations and shadow with just one pen.
I think Finding Winnie is a really  great book. It has illustrations that really help tell the story. I think this book would appeal to a child audience as much as it appealed to me.
I think that Finding Winnie best meats the criteria because it would appeal to a young audience. the illustrations are amazing.  
The illustrations did the best job of telling the story.
colors were awesome
It met the criteria because it was a very cute book and also funny.
The book meet the criteria because the drawings were very helpful.
PERFECT COLORS
I like how the is alone then finds a friend.
Lenny And Lucy best meets the criteria because all the pictures express what the theme of the page is.
I like how it meets the appeal, and without the pictures you could not understand any of the story. I think it would be better if the story went a little longer, or if the dark woods tried to come into the house
I think the illustrations meet the text.
The appeal to children.
I think that Lenny and Lucy met the criteria  because the color of the pictures matched with the mood and theme of the story.
I think the color matches the activity going on in the book.
I think the technique is excellent and it helped me understand the book.
It is pretty cool that Christian Robinson can make other colors out of blue and white
you can really see that the girl is having a hard time giving away her most favorite things, and then at the end someone wanted to sell her then her parents told her they would never sell her then it was okay to sell her things because she had her parents. So there is a lesson in this story, worry about what you have not what you don't.
Finding Winnie
The illustrations were excellent.
The illustrations were great and the technique was beautiful
The illustrations helped me understand the book.
Finding Winnie best met the criteria because the pictures really matched the story and the illustrator choose a very good style
The woods seemed to get less scary as the story went on, which made sense. The grey with a couple of other colors really fit in, and I LOVED the book!
I think that the pictures were really important in Finding Winnie.
My number one book was number one because I loved the way the author made things disappear and re-appear because Leo was a ghost and the appeal was great
I think Finding Winnie is a heart touching book that meats all the criteria!!!!
The illustrations and the choice of words were excellent
I think that Finding Winnie is a great book because the illustrations help tell the story.
how the book met the criteria was that the pictures described the feeling of the book
I just thought the pictures matched perfectly.
I think the technique was great.
I thought the illustrations told a lot more about the story
Finding Winnie met the criteria best because the illustrations were important and the book really appealed to me. The colors really matched the mood!
The illustrations are really perfect, they math the mood, the pictures are really important to the understanding the story, and they appeal to children.       

"I learned that it must be hard to choose Caldecott Award books."

We're getting to the end of our Mock Caldecott unit. Teaching a Mock Caldecott in November during Picture Book Month has been a wonderful way to promote the power of picture books and the importance of visual literacy.  

The fifth graders have read, Finding Winnie, Growing Up pedro, If You Plant a Seed, Last Stop on Market Street, Mesmerized, and Yard Sale. Today, they ranked the books from one to seven in order of how well they thought each book met the Caldecott criteria. They will bring this viewpoint with them to the small group discussions next week. At the end of the discussion period, the students will choose their top four books and rank them. It will be interesting to see how this initial ranking changes after the discussions.

The overall ranking looked like this:

Growing Up pedro

Finding Winnie

Mesmermized

Leo: A Ghost Story

Yard Sale

If You Plant a Seed

Last Stop on Market Street

Here are the rankings for each book:

I wanted to get a sense before the final assessment (and before the Thanksgiving break) what it is they feel that they learned.  Here are there answers:

I learned that...

Illustrations are important
I will remember the Criteria for Success.
I learned that the pictures in a picture book should tell part of the story without the text.
Pictures are just as important as the text.
I have learned about the what to expect from a good book (ie cover, end pages, and interior).
I have learned how to carefully review and take important details about a book
I learned that picture books can be fun to read
To pay attention to the pictures
don't judge a book by its cover
That it is must be very very hard to choose a Caldecott book
I will remember that the Caldecott Medal looks at art in books.
I learned that the pictures in a picture really help you visualize the story better then not having the pictures at all.
That books can be expressed in different ways
I learned that choosing one book is very hard
I will remember that some picture books can be really good
Don't judge a book by it's color
I will remember all the Caldecott books
How to think about books and to notice small details in every book you read.
I learned about the Caldecott
I have learned from this unit that picture books are not all about the text . The art matters also, and the art has to tie together with the text.
Pictures can contribute greatly to stories.
I have learned that it is very hard to make a book that is Caldecott worthy.
I learned that picture books are very interesting and that they are very hard to rate.
That picture books are very important.
I learned that picture books are amazing and are really make you enjoy the world of books.
that book to meet the criteria is that it has to have excellence, appropriateness, appeal, and importance
I will remember all the criteria in all the picture books.
I learned not to judge books by first looks.
I'll remember that it's important to think about if the book is "good'' and not just if you like it.
You can learn a lot from picture books
no time 
picture books are good to read every once and awhile
I will remember reading Mesmerized
I learned that a lot more time goes into deciding the Caldecoyt award than I thought.
choosing the right book for the Caldecott honor is hard
That book titles and pictures count in how you "feel" the book
I have learned about the picture books and how the Caldecott award works
I learned that the Illustrations in a book matter just as much as the words.
That to be a Caldecott book award you need to have good pictures that match the words and the character has to have a dream
no time
I learned it was hard to rank the books
don't judge books by their cover
I've learned that pictures are important.
That picture books are more special then most people think
End papers give a clue to the story.
Illustrations are helpful
I learned that that pictures play a very important role in picture books
I will remember to look at the back, front, both covers, and sides before I decide to not read a book
You can always make your own ranking for the book you are reading
I will remember Finding Winnie, because it meant the most to me
I learned that the Caldecott Criteria is important because you can use it to see the quality of a book.
I have learned that picture books are very important because they help flow the story along.
I will remember of how the Caldecott system works.
To look very close at the pictures in a book.
To really look into the book for important details.
I learned that picture books are important because you can learn a lot from them.
I learned not to judge a book by its cover
That picture books are very powerful.
It's hard to rank the books!
That you should plant a seed of kindness
I learned that picture books are also fun and that you can really get into them if you read them more often. I will remember that it doesn't matter if a picture book is by the same author your opinion can be different for different picture books.
That it is hard to make a book that meets the requirements, and you have to make your book better than others.
I learned that I should share a picture book I read with other people so I could get their point of view of the book
I learned that there is so much more to Caldecott judging than you would think I mean you have to see if the text and the pictures match the style of the book and the jacket and cover.
I learned that it must be hard to choose a Caldecott award.