On Wednesday night, November 30, we held our last children's lit class of the semester. We read Charlotte's Web and had a good discussion about unlikely friendships, death in children's books, and the benefits of reading aloud.

Then we got to the big event: mock book award groups. Each student had nominated an eligible book — or so I thought. In fact, a couple of Canadians slipped by me (Elisa Gravel for The Toad and Isabelle Arsenault for Cloth Lullaby) so the students created a new award they dubbed the Maple Leaf Prize.

The instructors acted as moderators, making sure the discussions kept to the all-important Terms & Criteria. Debra Smith (TA) advised the Geisel Committee, Carli Spina (TA) worked with the Sibert, and Lauren Adams and I kept an eye on the three Caldecott committees.

Here are the results, followed by photos showing the entire process.

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Geisel

Winner:

• Duck, Duck, Porcupine by Salina Yoon

Honor books:

• Get A Hit, Mo! by David Adler


• The Thank You Book by Mo Willems


• [The Toad by Elise Gravel — Maple Leaf Prize]

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Sibert

Winner:

• Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe

Honor books:

• Esquivel: Space-Age Sound Artist by Susan Wood, illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh


• Some Writer!: The Story of E.B. White by Melissa Sweet

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Caldecott 1

Winner:

• Henry & Leo by Pamela Zagarenski

Honor book:

• We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen

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Caldecott 2

Winner:

• Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis

Honor book:

• Fish by Liam Francis Walsh

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Caldecott 3

Winner:

• The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles by Michelle Cuevas, illustrated by Erin Stead

Honor books:

• Thunderboy Jr. by Sherman Alexie, illustrated by Yuyi Morales


• We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen

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