*stumbles into the room*

Is everybody happy?!?

Okay. So. So it’s been quite the year already and we haven’t even gotten to the awards announcement in *checks watch*  . . .

Wait. The Youth Media Awards celebration is in February this year?!?  For crying out loud, anything could happen between now and then. No no no no, I vote we move them up to a nice and respectable January 15th. That sounds reasonable, yes? Nothing too out of the ordinary could happen between now and then.  Right?

Out of the ordinary is precisely the phrase I’d use to describe what happened with the Newbery committee recently. Poor Newbery committee.  First they get what I can now officially call a bum Newbery year. My evidence? Aside from a sort of general understanding that we’re a bit light in slambang middle grade fiction submissions this year, I will now direct your attention to the recently released longlist for the 2017 National Book Awards in the Young People’s Literature category. There are good books there. Strong books. And very very YA books. Of the ten books listed, only two are for kids rather than teens. This is not particularly surprising since the NBAs do favor older fare and this year’s panel of judges consisted of four authors that work primarily as YA writers alongside one bookstore owner. Still, I cannot help but think that it’s indicative of the trend that a lot of us have seen in 2017. Newbery worthy titles aren’t surefire this year, and that may well mean we get some surprises come February. Be sure to read the Heavy Medal discussion of the NBAs here, when you have a chance.

The other news that is no longer news is Angie Manfredi and the fact that she will no longer be serving as a Newbery committee member this year. The Heavy Medal blog recently had a measured and thoughtful post on the subject, complete with measured and thoughtful comments. It’s all very adult and refreshing. This does not make things any easier for the committee, of course, and it may well be that Ms. Manfredi’s position on the committee will remain unfilled. We shall see.

So! On that cheery load of happiness and bliss, let’s look at some Newbery and Caldecott contenders, shall we? I mean Heavy Medal is up and running, as is Calling Caldecott, and I’m feeling good about that.  Picky as all get out, but good!  So let’s crank her up and see where she takes us, eh?

2018 Caldecott Predictions

After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again by Dan Santat

Once someone has won a Caldecott you do sort of want them to take a step back and rest on their laurels for a while. I don’t think Mr. Santat knows how to rest, though. His laurels sit there, pristine, untouched, un-rested upon, because the man just keeps on working working working. The kicker is that After the Fall is, to my mind, his strongest work to date. It isn’t just the writing and the message, which are good, no question, but the quality of the art that he brings to so personal a subject.

All the Way to Havana by Margarita Engle, ill. Mike Curato

You probably know Mike best from his work on the Little Elliott series. The crazy thing about those books was that beneath the usual cute-polka-dotted-elephant-romping-in-NYC veneer there was a great deal of artistry to the work. When Elliott took a trip to Coney Island I just about blew my top at the pinpoint accuracy that was at play. Now paired with Ms. Engle, this book has the writing chops and the gorgeous illustrated know-how. I’m not sure how far it’ll go in the consideration process, but I do know that it’s worth a serious discussion.

The Antlered Ship by Dashka Slater, ill. The Fan Brothers

For a second there I wasn’t quite as sure about this book. Sure it’s beautiful and the publisher spared no expense in making it a tactile wonder (just FEEL that final cover!). But someone mentioned to me that the writing doesn’t complement the art as well. Certainly the Caldecott goes to a book’s art and not its text, but at the same time one can’t drag down the other. I gave it a good reread with this in mind and concluded that I love the writing. Consider the highlight: How do we make friends? We ask questions. I’m having a hard time not believing that this isn’t a lesson we could all benefit from this year.  Mind you, it has four extra pages at the end that probably should have gone right out. Other than that, it’s fabulous.

Dazzle Ships: World War I and the Art of Confusion by Chris Barton, ill. Victo Ngai

Can you believe this is Ngai’s debut?  An artist as comfortable creating online comics as wine labels, Ms. Ngai outdid herself with the art in this book. Stunning is all that you can say about it. Of course, I’d love to see any Chris Barton book win a Caldecott. It seems to me that it’s not out of the range of possibility that nonfiction may do very well in 2018. Sometimes it feels as though more effort is being placed on those books anyway. Case in point . . .

Grand Canyon by Jason Chin

To date no Jason Chin book has ever won a Caldecott. What’s more, the man runs the risk of falling into Bagram Ibatouille / Gennedy Spirin territory. Caldecott committees are not kind to realism in art unless it’s magical realism (they’re not too dissimilar from the wider artistic world in this respect). What Chin does so well here in rendering the Grand Canyon accessible may be the book’s very undoing come award season. Still, I like to believe that craft and careful thought can be rewarded. Also, with our current president taking pot shots at our National Parks (did you hear the latest?), maybe giving this book an award could be construed as a small act of resistance in and of itself.

How to Be an Elephant: Growing Up in the African Wild by Katherine Roy

And speaking of folks I’d like to give the moon, this book is probably the wildest of my wild cards. To even include it assumes that the Caldecott committee this year will consist of like-minded individuals that see scientific rigor and expertise as an integral part of the artistic process when considering works of nonfiction.  To that I’d add that this book makes complex ideas understandable. David Macaulay did much the same thing back in the day. Then again, Macaulay didn’t win a Caldecott for his science . . .

Mighty Moby by Barbara Dacosta, ill. Ed Young

When Kate and I sat down to look at Lon Po Po for our podcast I was struck once again by the book’s great elements. Do I think Mighty Moby is as strong as Young’s previous winner? Maybe not, but I’d be a fool to think it doesn’t have a chance.

Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters by Michael Mahin, ill. Evan Turk

The art is unparalleled. The text is good too. The storytelling lovely. The final product just a visual stunner. Will it win? Not a chance. But there’s much to be said about celebrating it properly just the same. If there was any justice in the world . . .

Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets by Kwame Alexander, ill. Ekua Holmes

Ms. Holmes is another previous winner of a Caldecott Honor. In her case it was for Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer. This could easily be her second win, if not her first gold. We haven’t seen the last of Ms. Holmes, not by a long shot.

A Perfect Day by Lane Smith

I feel like any buzz this garnered is slowing down to a crawl. That’s okay. Mr. Smith has won before, though I won’t object a jot if this book gets him another Honor. I like its cheeky sense of humor and its rather magnificent art.

Silent Days, Silent Dreams by Allen Say

The most difficult book to ascertain for this list. In my review of the title Monica Edinger and I went back and forth over whether or not the art in this book is entirely that of Allen Say’s or if it incorporates James Castle’s originals in any way. Reviewers seem mixed on this point and unfortunately the book doesn’t reveal anything itself. Monica wrote a well researched post on Castle here that’s worth reading. I’ll continue to look into the case, listening to The Yarn interview with Say to see if that sheds any light on the matter. If you have thoughts one way or another, please be so good as to tell them to me here.

Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell

It’s all about looking outside your prejudices and bubbles and the sense of the “other”. See, Caldecott committee?  It speaks to our times!  Medal it, please.

2018 Newbery Predictions

Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk

It was the first book I read in 2017 that made me say, “YES! THAT is how you write a book!” Which was kind of a bummer since Wolk won an Honor last year and I’m a sincere proponent of spreading the award love around. There is little denying the sheer craft with which the woman can put together sentences. Then again, it didn’t even get a nomination in the NBAs so perhaps I’m wildly off-base. Hard to tell but I think this book remains one of the most “distinguished” of 2017, at least in terms of writing and character development.

Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers

One of the advantages of a weak middle grade year is that it opens up speculation on many fronts when it comes to potential winners. If you have not read this book and you are cringing at the possibility of yet another adult author tossing their hat into the ring of children’s books (we tolerate Gaiman because he is Gaiman but our generosity stretches only so far) be of good cheer. This book has everything that I could potentially dislike in a title. I was worried it would be a smattering of faux patriotism with just a tincture of distrust of child readers. Instead, I found it not only lives up to its hype but exceeds it. This is the only book that has made me cry, repeatedly, this year. It’s not the art, nice though that may be. It’s the writing. It’s just plumb extraordinary. What’s more, in this, the first year of Trump’s presidency, the Newbery committee would be well within their rights to say that this is the best written book of the year. It comes out at the right place, at the right time, and deserves the gold sticker. I think I’m on to something here.

One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes  

Last time I included this book I had heard that it might be too old for Newbery consideration. After reading it, I personally disagree. Since this is Grimes it’s a poetry affair, and we know that Newbery committees are usually pro or anti-poetry, depending on their committee members in a given year. More to the point, it may fall by the wayside due to a strict interpretation of rules. Grimes includes famous poems by famous poets then turns their lines into her own poems. As I said last time, “It’s a mash-up book, and it will be entirely up to the Newbery committee to determine if mash-up culture has a place in the pantheon of Newbery winners.  If ever, the time is now.”

Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder

Last time I included it on this list I was going off of others’ recommendations. This time I’ve read all the books I’m recommending today (with the exception of a single title). This particular book I read and enjoyed thoroughly. And now that it’s gotten a nice little National Book Award nomination, its star is rising all the faster. Snyder’s been in this game for years and paid her dues. It’s great to see her produce something that elicits so much easy discussion. Turns out, this book is a very serious contender.

Patina by Jason Reynolds

Will Patina run away with the gold?

Sorry. Sorry. That was some low hanging fruit there. I rescind the question, your honor. Reynolds is our bright young star in the firmament. If I were on the Newbery committee I’d be tempted to give this book the gold if only to listen to the man’s Newbery speech. Clearly the publisher thinks it has a shot. Note the copious amount of space at the topic. Just perfect for a medal or three. If I’m being honest, I think this is an Honor book rather than an Award book. There isn’t a lot of conflict for Patina to bounce off of, unlike Ghost. It’s a book about relationships, particularly those between women, and doesn’t quite have that extra added something to take home the full-on award. But an Honor? Absolutely.

Princess Cora and the Crocodile by Laura Amy Schlitz, ill. Brian Floca

Because Lord knows we could do with a little whimsy this year.

Since graphic novels have done so well with the ALA Awards in the past few years I did seriously consider whether or not there were any I’d like to mention for the Newbery. And while I like many of them quite a lot, I’m not seeing an El Deafo, if you take my meaning. This book isn’t a graphic novel by any stretch but it is a heavily illustrated early chapter book. I don’t think it says something deep and meaningful about the human condition. It doesn’t question the morality (or lack thereof) of its characters. It doesn’t question assumptions or look for the ultimate inner truth. It’s about a crocodile that bites people on the bum and a princess that shrugs off her shackles. It’s also beautifully written. For your consideration then.

Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman

There were a lot of shocking things about the NBA nominees this year, but the most shocking has got to be the complete and utter lack of nonfiction on the list. Had there been a single solitary nonfiction title to show up on that longlist, it would have been this one. Winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award category in nonfiction, Heiligman knocks it out of the park with this book. Is it too old for Newbery though? Apparently there are a couple prostitutes hanging around the text. The Heavy Medal discussion proved very interesting in this regard. True, the prostitutes don’t do much, and I remember being ten and singing the full soundtrack of Les Miserables with my best friend (yes, I’m afraid that’s how I learned what a prostitute was) so I may be inclined to be forgiving on the matter.

I’m a slow reader this year so I know there are heavy contenders that I should probably also consider. What do you consider the most egregious gap in this here list?