As promised I said I’d be your eyes on the sky, keeping a close watch over the Mock lists coming out in the coming weeks and months.  With the ALA Media Awards just around the corner, there’s a lot to keep track of.  So what do folks like?  Read through this and you’re sure to see some trends emerging.

Here’s what I have thus far.  Feel free to leave a comment with more Mocks that you know of:

Mock Caldecotts 2014

They’ve only gotten as far as the shortlist stage.  They’ll announce the Mock Caldecott results on January 22.  Here’s what they have under consideration:

Journey by Aaron Becker
On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne, illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky
Inside Outside by Lizi Boyd
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown
Locomotive by Brian Floca
Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle
Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner

Phil Nel recaps the winner and honors beautifully.  If you just want the raw data, however, here it is:

Winner: Journey by Aaron Becker

Honors: The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, ill. Oliver Jeffers

Honors: Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle

In a bit of a twist, Ossining’s Mocks are chosen by actual honest-to-goodness children.  The results:

Winner: Journey by Aaron Becker

Honors: Picture a Tree by Barbara Reid

Honors: The Dark by Lemony Snicket, ill. Jon Klassen

Brooklyn has a particularly long shortlist this year.  We’re having some discussion in our office as to whether or not Nino Wrestles the World is eligible.  I sure hope they’re right and it is.  Under consideration is:

- The Dark - illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Lemony Snicket
- Journey - Aaron Becker
- Locomotive - illustrated & written by Brian Floca
- The Mighty Lalouche - illustrated by Sophie Blackall; written by Matthew Olshan
- Nino Wrestles The World - illustrated & written by Yuyi Morales
- On A Beam of Light - illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky; written by Jennifer Berne
- The Tortoise & The Hare - illustrated & written by Jerry Pinkney

Good old Dayton.  Pretty straightforward when all is said and done.

Winner: Mr. Tiger Goes Wild written and illustrated by Peter Brown

Honors: Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me Illustrated by Brian Collier, written by Daniel Beaty
Honors: Journey written and illustrated by Aaron Becker
Honors: Eat Like a Bear illustrated by Steve Jenkins, written by April Pulley Sayre

All decisions will be made on January 23rd.  Though they’re still in the finalist phase they’ve a nice shiny list of contenders up and running.  These include:

Bluebird by Bob Staake
The Dark written by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Jon Klassen
Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle
Journey by Aaron Becker
Locomotive by Brian Floca
Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner
On a Beam of Light written by Jennifer Berne, illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky
Building our House by Jonathan Bean
Have you Seen my New Blue Socks? by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier
The Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
Inside Outside by Lizi Boyd
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown
Nino Wrestles the World by Yuyi Morales
If You Want to See a Whale by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E. Stead
Frog Song by Brenda Guiberson, illustrated by Gennady Spirin
Stardines Swim High Across the Sky by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Carin Berger
Unicorn Thinks he’s Pretty Great by Bob Shea
Tiger in my Soup by Kasmira Sheth, illustrated by Jeffery Ebbeler
Lucky Ducklings by Eva Moore, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
Hello, My Name is Ruby by Philip Christian Stead
Who Says Women Can’t be Doctors? by Tanya Lee Stone, ill. by Marjorie Priceman
Polar Bear Morning by Lauren Thompson, illustrated by Stephen Savage
Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike by M. Markel, ill. by Melissa Sweet
Chu’s Day by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Adam Rex
How to be a Cat by Nikki McClure

Mock Newberys 2014

No shortlist has been posted as of yet.

Know a school doing its own Mock list?  Pass it on!  I’ll take any and all comers.  This particular school has only listed the finalists at this point.  They are:

Rump by Liesl Shurtliff
Beholding Bee by Kimberly Newton Fusco
Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool
A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff
Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

Another Brooklyn school.  A different list of finalists.  They are:

Beholding Bee by Kimberly Newton Fusco
Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Jinx by Sage Blackwood
Rump by Liesl Shurtliff
A Song for Bijou by Josh Farrar
The Water Castle by Megan Frazer Blackmore
White Fur Flying by Patricia MacLachlan

Aw, heck. Three’s the charm. Here’s another list of finalists:

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
PS Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia
Rump by Liesl Shurtliff
Jinx by Sage Blackwood
The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata
A Song for Bijou by Josh Farrar
Doll Bones by Holly Black

This time the shortlist of titles comes directly from the public library itself.  The books are:

- Courage Has No Color written by Tanya Lee Stone
- Doll Bones written by Holly Black
- Flora & Ulysses written by Kate DiCamillo
- Serafina’s Promise written by Ann Burg
- The Thing About Luck written by Cynthia Kadohata

I’m particularly fond of this list of winners.  One shouldn’t have favorites, but this is very nice indeed.

Winner:   One Came Home by Amy Timberlake

Honor Books: