Without a doubt, last year was my best Caldecott predicting year ever. I will likely never repeat my 3 for 4 performance. But maybe I should keep trying just to see if I can?

Here are my picks for 2018 Caldecott glory.

Caldecott Medal Prediction

After the Fall by Dan Santat

Here’s the thing I love most about this book. The Humpty Dumpty story has been around a long time. There have been countless picture book retellings. It felt like the story had been explored and expanded and spun in every possible way. Then After the Fall comes along and gives the Humpty Dumpty story a final chapter that is so breathtaking and pure, you’d have thought it had always existed. Every step of the way, the illustrations set the mood, build drama, expand the text, and reveal surprises. Details (like the similarity between Humpty’s paper plane and his final form) reveal themselves on repeat readings. It has it all, folks.

Caldecott Honor Prediction

All the Way to Havana illustrated by Mike Curato, written by Margarita Engle

Maragrita Engle’s poem about a family trip leaves ample space for Mike Curato to work, and boy does he make the most of it. The lush illustrations provide a window into the people, places, and vehicles of Cuba. When the text zooms, Cara-Cara (the family car) zooms. When the text taps the brakes to linger on the crumbling balconies of Havana, the art pauses to take it all in. The care Curato put into these illustrations is apparent, and I think the committee will notice.

Caldecott Honor Prediction

Big Cat, Little Cat by Elisha Cooper

If books like Kitten’s First Full Moon or Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus have taught us anything, it’s that sometimes the perceived technical “skill” of the artwork is secondary to the overall storytelling success of a book when it comes to Caldecott. Sometimes a book is so simple and perfect it can’t be denied. And I don’t think any book this year tells its story as simply and perfectly as Big Cat, Little Cat. It’s one of those “Don’t change anything” books, where every line of text and illustration fit together.

Caldecott Honor Prediction

A Different Pond illustrated by Thi Bui, written by Bao Phi 

What do you think of when you think of a pre-dawn fishing trip? Darkness. Quiet. The world slowly coming alive with color. Thi Bui captures all of this in her illustrations for A Different Pond. Bold brushstrokes echo the weight of this family story, as color builds to toward the conclusion.

Caldecott Honor Prediction

Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell

I’ve been talking about this book for a while, and it’s had a big year already. It keeps rising to the top of best books lists, mock Caldecotts, and I’m guessing it’s been lingering in the minds of the Caldecott committee as well. Cordell goes wordless to tell a story of kindness and survival. The lack of text puts Cordell’s picture book savvy on display, as the images carry the story, revealing the danger and beauty of nature.