Mock Caldecott 2026 discussion

All Ears, All Eyes written by Richard Jackson and illustrated by Katherine Tillotson.


Priscilla Gorilla written by Barbara Bottner and illustrated by Michael Emberley


Round by Joyce Sidman


Triangle written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen

Do any of these titles strike you as a future Caldecott winner?

The only book my library owns is All Ears, All Eyes by Richard Jackson. A beautifully written book. I have to acknowledge the design choice. The way the words are position going down the page and then up the page, guiding the reader's eye to what the illustrator wants them to see. Toward the end of the page I love how everything blends in with the deep dark colors. The one thing I don't like is the actual page texture,
Waiting on the next three books, as I have placed them on hold.

I've spoken before about Triangle. It's incredibly appealing to young children and has sparked lots of great conversation about a whole range of things, from sequence and shapes to bring a good friend and fears. I'm looking forward to the other two in the series.

All Ears, All Eyes
I really liked the watercolor and digital paintings, and the way the author blended some of the animals into the background, like the owls and the deer. I liked the way the illustrator used light and texture in her paintings. Some of the animals were not very obvious, making it a good "seek and find" book, as well as a lovely poem. I also liked the way the text was added--some large fonts, some small; some of the words swirling around in a circle.

I had been looking forward to Round for months. The author and illustrator are wonderful. Round was nice but it didn't have the "wow" factor I expected. Sad about that. All Ears, All Eyes, is a beauty. I haven't read/seen Priscilla Gorilla, Triangle is by the Dream Team of Barnett and Klassen. Nuff said there.

All Ears, All Eyes was beautiful. I could see it getting a Caldecott.

Triangle is the only one of these four I like. In fact, I'm obsessed with Triangle and am in love with Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen. They can do no wrong in my opinion. Hisss!

Priscilla Gorilla
The illustrator for this book lives in Ireland, so it would not be eligible for a Caldecott award.

Round
The simple, but expressive text is beautifully illustrated with mixed media paintings to celebrate all things round. The paintings also extend the text by depicting things (like a balloon), that is not explicitly mentioned in the text.

Triangle
I found the watercolor and graphite illustrations mostly dull with lots of dark browns and dark greens. I am not sure what to make of this story of two shapes playing sort of mean tricks on each other. Not really my cup of tea.

All Ears, All Eyes is not yet available at my library, but the rest are really great. Triangle made me laugh, Priscilla Gorilla was basically me as a child and Round was gorgeous. I love that Dad was so present on each page and the roundness of both the text and the illustrations.

Beverly wrote: "Priscilla Gorilla
The illustrator for this book lives in Ireland, so it would not be eligible for a Caldecott award."

As long as he's still an American citizen, he's eligible (looks like he was born in the US).

I really enjoyed Priscilla Gorilla but can't say that I paid special attention to the illustrations - I'll have to take another look. Still waiting to get my hands on the others...

I have only been able to get a hold of Triangle and Priscilla, Gorilla.

I don't know that Triangle will be a Caldecott contender because the style is so similar to other books illustrated by Klassen. That said, it's a wonderful book and I loved it, as I do pretty much everything by Barnett and/or Klassen. I know I'll be buying it for my library because kids go nuts for their books.

I really enjoyed the illustrations in Priscilla, Gorilla. I thought the depictions of the family at home were very true-to-life and still just a bit whimsical.

So far I've only read Priscilla, Gorilla and Triangle. I have the other two books on order.
I enjoyed Priscilla, I like that she thinks for herself and is a true individual. But she learns that sometimes she needs to think of others before herself.
I loved Triangle, the duo of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen is a favorite of mine. I had the pleasure of having Mac Barnett at our library at the beginning of August and hearing him read Triangle aloud was a real treat!!