K-2 Students Select Caldecott Medal Winners
(appearing in the Winnisquam Echo, page A7, January 14, 2016; and the Concord Monitor, January 21, 2016.)
SANBORNTON - On Monday morning, shortly after arriving at school, kindergarten, first and second grade students at Sant Bani School voted for the winner of this year's Caldecott Medal. At nearly the same time, a committee of librarians from around the country gathered in Boston to do the same thing. Both groups chose the book Finding Winnie written by Lindsay Mattick and illustrated by Sophie Blackall.
With help from picture book afficionado Kari Allen from Concord, who works with the National Writing Project in New Hampshire and is a Sant Bani alumna, current parent and former teacher, Sant Bani students have become experts on this year's crop of outstanding picture books. For the second consecutive year, Kari has been working with K-2 students to share her excitement about the Caldecott Medal, which is awarded to outstanding illustrations in a picture book. Based on her extensive knowledge of children's books and researching opinions of other experts, Kari compiled a collection of more than 25 titles that she predicted as possible candidates for this year's award.
Late in November, she met with the K-2 students to explain the Caldecott Medal and how the winner is chosen. Then students in each class began reading the books with their teachers, paying close attention to the illustrations. Last week Kari returned to meet with each class to discuss their favorite books and to narrow the field with a round of preliminary voting.
At a special Caldecott Party on Monday morning in the School Library, Kari announced the SBS winners and the students watched a video of the official announcement and cheered with excitement when their choice was announced the winner! They now have a two for two record; last year they were also correct when they chose The Adventures of Beekle by Dan Santat.
About Sant Bani School
Sant Bani, founded in 1973, is a vibrant independent K-8 school located five minutes from Exit 22 on I-93. Students graduate with confidence and a passion for learning, prepared to succeed in high school. Learn more and register for events at santbani.org/hello, or schedule an individual tour for your family: 934-4240 | admission@santbani.org.