Create Your Own Caldecott Club!
Have you tried implementing a Mock Caldecott unit with your students, or a similar program for your young library patrons or book club group? I’m so impressed by the level of the discussion of the young readers at the Lincolnwood Library (Illinois). Led by Miss Eti, it’s clear that the Caldecott Club’s discussions are fun and full of thoughtful insights. If you scroll down through this report from December 10, you’ll see that the group discussed my title The Stuff of Stars, featuring Ekua Holmes’ inspiring artwork, and Miss Eti summarizes their discussion by saying, “This book asks much of its young readers, but respects them enough to understand its depth and beauty. Our group certainly appreciated it.” (And I’m proud to note that they voted the title one of the winners for that session.)
If you are interested in planning a unit for your classroom, you may want to check out this post from teacher Pernille Ripp, who talks about what she thinks her students gain from their Mock Caldecott discussions, and provides a lesson plan to help you prepare your own unit.
