A Checklist for Evaluating Books for a Mock Caldecott Program
Reviewer (student’s) name_____________________________________
Book Title_________________________________________________
Illustrator________________________________________________
After examining the illustrations in the book, circle or underline at least one choice for each category:
COLOR:
Quiet Active
Soft Bright
Combination Other______________
MEDIUM:
Watercolor Pen-and-ink
Photographs Oils
Gouache Cut paper
Colored pencil collage
Mixed media Other_________________
STYLE:
Realistic Cartoon
Photographic Abstract
Stylized Combination
Other_________________
ACCURACY:
Art matches author’s descriptions Doesn’t match
DESIGN:
Many pictures on a page Few pictures
Large drawings Small drawings
Many words on a page Few words
Combination
NECESSITY:
Illustrations help in understanding the story
Illustrations limit understanding
Rate the illustrations on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being the highest, 5 the lowest:
1 2 3 4 5
Answer the following questions:
1. What is the story’s theme? (What is it about?)
2. What is the mood of the story? (sad, dreamlike, funny, etc.)
3. What age child would like this book? Why would the art appeal to children this age?
4. Do the illustrations represent the story in a way that increases your interest in or understanding of the story? Why or why not?
5. Do the illustrations match the story, theme, or mood? Why or why not? (Include aspects of art listed on the other side of this page.)
Circle a number below to indicate whether you think this book is Caldecott Medal quality. Remember, according to the criteria for the Caldecott Medal, your rating should be based on illustrations first, then the story, overall design, etc.
1 2 3 4 5