Handicapping the Caldecotts and Newberys

Karen MacPherson, who does such a nice job covering the children's book scene for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, rounded up a number of  experts to guess which books might win the Caldecott and Newbery awards. Click here at the Scripps Howard News Service for the story. The prizes are announced on January 23rd at a big American Library Association meeting.

Prestige is one thing, but winning a Caldecott or Newbery also translates into sales, lots of sales, for years to come. Caldecotts are given for illustration and Newberys for writing.

There's a new prize this year: the Dr. Seuss award for beginning readers. Thank goodness. We could use a little steering in the right direction; except for the Mr. Putter and Tabby books and a few others, this is one of my least favorite genres. Suggestions welcome, by the way, as long as you leave out  a certain bovine series that sometimes goes over the head of its intended audience. (Granted, the illustrations are cute.)

Comments

[Kelly]

I really like the "Oliver and Amanda" readers (about the same level as "Mr. Putter") My daughter loved them too.

[Chris Barton]

Cynthia Rylant's Poppleton series is as good as her Mr. Putter and Tabby books, I think.

(Have you ever noticed how Zeke looks like Mr. Putter, and Tabby looks like Mrs. Teaberry?)

At this very moment, we have 10 Nate the Great books in our home. My six-year-old loves the writing, and so do I. I dig Marc Simont's illustrations, too.

[Susan]

Thanks, y'all! I will look for these; I've seen the Nate the Greats at Jr.'s school library.