Mock Caldecott 2025 discussion

Hello Hello by Brendan Wenzel

If I Had a Horse by Gianna Marino

All the Animals Where I Live by Philip C Stead

They Say Blue by Jillian Tamaki

All of these books were written and illustrated by the author. Could any of these be a future Caldecott Winner?

If I Had a Horse is such a character building story. And look at those dreamy, wishful images. It as though real photographs have been muted into splashes of rainbow hues and tones. Yes...Caldecott!

They Say Blue is breathtaking! The colors are magnificent. Another beautiful imaginary book for children to easily dream and imagine. Readers will enjoy this time after time. The paintbrush seems to sweep across the page and create birds, whales, ocean waves, etc. Yes, Caldecott!

Hello, Hello has a wonderful message. A great resource to teach children to cherish nature and the world's wildlife.

While I'm not sure this is a Caldecott award winner, I really enjoyed it. The pared down text feels like conversations I've had with my own kids. Not emotionally abstract but full of emotion in the loving details. I also like the sparseness of the illustrations. I think it supports the feeling of living out away from the city and having space. I can't tell for sure but I perhaps like it because Wednesday looks just like my daughter's first dog, Rex. Right down to the underbite. I could see this being an enjoyable bedtime read or maybe story hour, eliciting conversation on living in cities versus living in the county or grandmothers or favorite pets.

This is a truly lovely book. I felt like each spread had the power to be a stand-alone piece of art. Reading the story made me feel quiet and peaceful. Much like all the animals where I live, the text was pared down and powerful in the essential quality of the observations or descriptions.

If I had a horse was not especially effective for me. While lovely, the illustrations had so little detail, I wonder if children would find they complimented the text in a meaningful way.

All the Animals Where I Live

I loved the sketchy looking illustrations in ink, marker, and various printing techniques, with the color washes behind the sketches. Stead seems to be musing about the seasons and the various animals and pets that he enjoys being around, now that he lives in the country.

Hello Hello

Fantastic illustrations rendered in cut paper, colored pencil, oil pastels, and marker. Two double page spreads at the back of the book identify the various animals depicted in the book.

Hello, Hello is phenomenal. Brendan Wenzel is a true star in the children's picture book world. His work continues to amaze me. Hello, Hello is another brilliant achievement. Creative, luminescent, informative, timely, important and gleeful. There may be over 6 months worth of upcoming releases but this title will be hard to beat. Hello, Hello has a wonderful chance of winning a Caldecott.

All the Animals Where I Live

First off, I love Philip Stead. He is maybe number four on my list of favorite current picture book illustrator's. Only topped by Brendan Wenzel, Lane Smith and Kevin Henkes. There is good news and there is bad news in my review. The bad news is there really isn't a story. Not even a hint of one. The good news is that the pictures are magnificent. I am not kidding. Truly breathtaking. I don't think it has a shot at a medal. It is one beautiful picture book.

Hello Hello[book:Hello Hello|36204763]
The illustrations in Hello, Hello were delightful. The story didn't resonate until I read the author's note at the back concerning endangered species and the encouragement to activism. Once I read that I was really hooked. I could see kids loving to learn the names of all the animals at the end and wanting to learn more about some of them. A fun way to introduce them to non-fiction collections.

All the Animals Where I Live- I am a huge fan of Philip Stead and his wife, but this book didn't do it for me. The medium wasn't anything we have not seen from him already. I could definitely see myself using this to support a class project but I would not add it to my list of contenders.

I truly enjoyed Hello, Hello and If I Had a Horse. Both have such beautiful illustrations. I like how Hello, Hello depicts so many different animals and includes the author's note discussing endangerment and the list of animals.

The art in If I Had A Horse is very ethereal to me and evokes my memories of horseback riding as a child and teen. So this title really connected to me on a personal level.

I really enjoyed the illustrations in All the Animals Where I Live, but the text was disjointed to me and felt like one non sequitur after another.

All the Animals Where I Lived is a tender story about a little fellow who moves from the city to the country and his interactions with an old lady, his grandmother, his dog, his teddy bear, and nature. At first, I had to reread the book to understand the chain of events. Then, I totally fell in love with this book. I read it to my three year old grandson. He enjoyed the parts of a loving grandmother and just smiled at me. He especially enjoyed the adventures of the dog! After reading, he wanted to pretend the story with Legos and plastic animals. Isn't that what a good book offers...ideas to role play in real life? The fabulous illustrations tend to encourage finding a pencil, crayons, and paper!

Hello Hello- I love the book and so do kids! I love how Brendan Wenzel creates the eyes of the animals it really draws the reader in. The white background brings out the color of the animals. I don't think it will win a Caldecott, but it is definitely one of my favorites.

They Say Blue- Honor book for the Horn Book Awards. That might be a book to watch.

Charlene wrote: "They Say Blue- Honor book for the Horn Book Awards. That might be a book to watch."
Thanks for letting us know that! What an intriguing book! It will be fun to watch 'They Say Blue' receive many rewards!

I finally got my hands on a copy of They Say Blue and I loved it. I definitely feel it is a contender. My favorite page is when the little girl starts as herself on the page and then gradually turns into a tree. It seemed effortlessly.

All The Animals Where I Live is not only beautifully illustrated, it tells a beautiful story about the passage of time. The seasons and nature in the yard changes as the storyteller reflects on memories of Grandma Jane and how her house smelled and felt. I love how the narrator’s home now, with time, holds similar smells and coziness. This is one of my favorites so far this year!

They Say Blue
I was also very impressed with this book. It celebrated the color blue, other colors, and seasons. And, yes, the girl morphing into a tree was pretty impressive. I think this might be a real Caldecott contender.

If I Had a Horse
Our library copy finally arrived. The gouache silhouettes evoke the special relationship a child dreams that she had with a horse. The double page spreads are painted in reds, blues, yellows and purples. I don't know if it will stack up to other Caldecott contenders, but I enjoyed it very much.

My favorite off this list is Hello, Hello - I read it quickly the first time, but in reading it aloud I found so much more depth in the illustrations. So many details you can find on a close read, like repeated shapes and patterns and motifs. One of my favorites so far this year.

I thought They Say Blue was also excellent.