7th and 8th grade students read, discussed and critiqued picture books to participate in a Mock Caldecott project. Students learned what it was like to be a librarian on the Caldecott committee and analyze and judge books based on their illustrations and how the pictures told the story. Each class voted for their favorite book, and each class had a different Mock Caldecott winner. As a part of the project, 7th and 8th graders selected their favorite titles and read them to Bethany 3rd and 4th graders and even walked to Waterford Elementary to read with 1st and 2nd graders. This allowed students to hear other perspectives on the books they enjoyed reading. Students created a picture book catalog to be displayed at Goshen Public Library and recorded picture book talks to plug their favorite books to area librarians and booksellers. One of the most enjoyable elements was bonding with younger students over a love of quality literature and sharing a new perspective on the value of picture books!
