We here at Calling Caldecott think often of Robin Smith — beloved second-grade teacher, reviewer, and enthusiastic co-author of this blog before her untimely death last June. Her passion for and astute observations of picture books infuse the work we continue to do here, every day. Every. Single. Day. We wanted to do something special to recognize her contribution to our field in general and this blog in particular, in a way that would honor her legacy and celebrate her love of picture books. In that spirit, we hereby launch an award in her memory here at Calling Caldecott: the Robin Smith Picture Book Prize. Every year, we will choose and recognize one picture book we think Robin would have loved. A book that exemplifies what she looked for in picture books, as a devotee, teacher, parent, reviewer.

And now that the blog has wrapped up for the season and the Real Committee has made its Real choices, it seems like a good time to bestow and announce the inaugural Robin Smith Picture Book Prize. So…drumroll, please (this was a tough decision!)…the first-ever Robin Smith Picture Book Prize goes to:



We think Robin would have loved Mac Barnett's and Jon Klassen's The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse. She would have appreciated many elements of this book, including the textured illustrations and the high-quality paper. (She was a stickler for good paper.) But Robin was also a second-grade teacher, who particularly enjoyed reading out loud to her students. She especially valued picture books with strong writing, as well as funny books that make for entertaining read-alouds. We can imagine her in her classroom rocking chair, her students sitting in front of her on the rug, as she launches into the book and shares the wry humor of this compelling story. How easily we can envision her yelling "CHARGE!" as she shared that wonderful spread of the duck and the mouse, helmeted with a saucepan and colander, exiting the wolf. We can hear her laughing now — and what a great laugh she had!

Congratulations to The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse — and, Robin, how we miss you.

The winner of the annual Robin Smith Picture Book Prize, we are sorry to say, receives no fancy gold medals, book stickers, coins, or bills. But it does have the Robin seal of approval, which — at least to those of us who knew and loved her — means a whole heapin' lot.