The Caldecott Committee Honors Some of Our Favorite Books of 2012

~post by Children’s Book Buyer Meghan G. 

Every year, as we await the announcement of the American Library Association’s prestigious Youth Media Awards, we talk amongst ourselves here at BookPeople about what books we’d love to see on the various lists. So when we tuned in for the big reveal this morning, we all had a list of pet books in mind. And we were not disappointed in the least. We were thrilled to see that some of our true favorites from last year had earned the acclaim (and oh-so-shiny awards stickers) they deserve.

Topping the list and claiming the coveted Caldecott Medal with his slyly deadpan heist tale This Is Not My Hat was author / illustrator Jon Klassen who we simply cannot get enough of here at BookPeople. As evidence of our (possibly demented?) fervor, I simply point to the homage recently featured in our 2012 holiday catalog:

We are apparently not alone in our Klassen obsession however, as the committee unexpectedly chose to honor his illustrations from a second book called Extra Yarn, which we also got behind in a big (and potentially over-the-top) way earlier this year.

I actually had the pleasure of joining the charming Mr. Klassen for tea with a group of other booksellers at BookExpo America this past spring and snagged a rather fashionable hat for myself at the same time. Snazzy! So, suffice it to say, we are big fans.

And what about the rest of the selections not illustrated by Jon Klassen? Frankly there is a lot to love on this list. The deliciously dark Creepy Carrots, illustrated by another staff favorite Peter Brown, was one of our big features for school book fairs this year. And, in fact, every single book on the Caldecott list has been highlighted in our newsletter, online, or in-store displays over the last year. From the refreshing inventiveness of Green to the gorgeous dreamlike imagery of Sleep Like a Tiger, to the witty whimsy of One Cool Friend, this year’s list serves as a smashing and appropriately diverse tribute to the art of the picture book.