Mock Caldecott: Notes from the committee

The Mock Caldecott committee is reading a ton of picture books. Here are some notes on what they've read:

Tadpole Rex by Kurt Cyrus (9780152059903) is the book we all thought was truly remarkable. The illustrations seem to vibrate and want to jump off the page. Cyrus uses scratch board and digital colorization so well the claws look like they could leave a mark. Unique and exciting.

We Are the Ship by Kadir Nelson (9780786808328). The vivid illustrations are from oil paintings done by the author. You can feel the respect and admiration he feels for his subject and lets their strength and dignity shine through his art.

Scoot! by Cathryn Falwell (9780061288821). The lives and adventures of "six silent turtles" is brought vividly to life by the use of paper collages. The blues and greens capture the lush world the creatures inhabit and there is a "Printing Textures" page for readers with information on creating different effects by the use of found things such as bubble wrap or a broccoli flower. Very lively and fun use of collage. Illustrated by the author.

Wave by Suzy Lee (9780811859240). This is a wordless picture book, illustrated by the author in charcoal and acrylics. There are only two characters, the ocean and the little girl and very few colors but all the playfulness and excitement of a child's first encounter with the ocean is evident.

I'm Bad! by Kate McMullan, illustrations by Jim McMullan (9780061229718). This is by far the book that had the whole group saying "I love this book." The review in SLJ calls it a "wonderfully illustrated psychedelic spread" and it is. The greens, oranges and violets are as bold and vibrant as the T-rex himself.