Well, we’ve made it through round one of the March Picture Book Madness competition. Tons of fun so far and SO difficult to choose winners from all of these fantastic books.
Without further ado, here are the results of Round 1 and the brackets for Round 2 along with a bit of analysis based on voting.
BRACKET 1
Best Frints in the Whole Universe, by Antoinette Portis
Are We There Yet? by Dan Santat
WINNER = Best Frints in the Whole Universe
All the matchups were close, but this one was absolutely down to the WIRE. People who voted for Frints loved the quirkiness, the made-up words and the humor. People who voted for Are We There Yet loved its originality, interactivity, and closing message. In the end, I think it came down to which had the most votes at closing time.
BRACKET 2
This is Not a Picture Book, by Sergio Ruzzier
The Journey, by Francesca Sanna
WINNER = The Journey
Voters loved the fact that This is Not a Picture Book reveals the “magic” of reading in a delightful and unexpected way. They also loved the humor. The Journey, depicting life of immigrants/refugees, was lyrical and timely. The Journey won out due to its importance given current global events.
BRACKET 3
Drum, Dream Girl, by Margarita Engle
The Night Gardener, by the Fan Brothers
WINNER = The Night Gardener
Voters were unanimous that both of these books are stunning works of art. Those who voted for Drum, Dream Girl loved that it featured a real person, a strong female protagonist, and the healing power of music. The Night Gardener won out due to its stunning illustrations, originality, and whimsicality. People loved that it was such a visual story.
BRACKET 4
One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree, by Daniel Bernstrom
Du Iz Tak, by Carson Ellis
Voters had strong feelings on this matchup. With Du Iz Tak, they either loved everything about it (see my thoughts here), as I did, or found it a bit taxing as read-aloud. Voters either LOVED the rhythm and playfulness of Eucalyptus, or found it a little bit off. Lots of love and support for both books.
WINNER = Du Iz Tak
BRACKET 5
School’s First Day of School, by Adam Rex
Thunder Boy Jr., by Sherman Alexie
WINNER = School’s First Day of School
Got a lot of complaints about this matchup because many people wanted to vote for both! One voter said she needed to sleep on it. 🙂 Voters loved that Thunder Boy had so much depth while retaining humor and was so relatable for many kids. Another point in its favor was the focus on the father/son relationship. For School’s First Day of School, voters were won over by the unusual combination of first-person POV attached to an anthropomorphized inanimate object. SFDS breaks a lot of rules in Picture Book writing, and does so with aplomb.
BRACKET 6
Best in Snow, by April Pulley Sayre
The Bear and the Piano, by David Litchfield
WINNER = The Bear and the Piano
Best in Snow voters loved the stunning photographs, the lyricism, and the fact that it is nonfiction that appeals to younger readers. Voters who chose The Bear and the Piano said it had a huge heart. BEAR made quite a few people cry, in fact. They also loved how the Bear found his calling and thus, himself.
BRACKET 7
We Found a Hat, by Jon Klassen
Chicken in Space, by Adam Lerhaupt
WINNER = We Found a Hat
I suppose this wasn’t a fair matchup given the immense popularity of Klassen’s “Hat” trilogy. Voters appreciated this kinder, gentler, conclusion to the hat series. Yay to Klassen for surprising us! Folks loved the, well, “folksy” nature of Chicken in Space and the “plucky” main character. 🙂
BRACKET 8
Pink is for Blobfish, by Jess Keating
Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol
WINNER = Leave Me Alone!
Whew! Strong opinions on both sides here too, as these books are SO different from one another and each spectacular in its own way. Pink is for Blobfish voters commented on its genius way of making nonfiction appeal to both male and female readers, the humor infused and all of the research and fun facts that went into it. Leave Me Alone was a Caldecott Honor book and also a rule-breaker, with an elderly main character. The fact that her journey was so preposterous and humorous tipped the vote to LMA.
So, we are now on to Round 2. To vote on any bracket, you MUST read both books in that bracket. If you’ve only read one (or none), just skip voting for that bracket. Here are the second round books and brackets in case you can’t see them on the image.
BRACKET 1
Best Frints in the Whole Universe, by Antoinette Portis
The Journey, by Francesca Sanna
BRACKET 2
The Night Gardener, by the Fan Brothers
Du Iz Tak, by Carson Ellis
BRACKET 3
School’s First Day of School, by Adam Rex
The Bear and the Piano, by David Litchfield
BRACKET 4
We Found a Hat, by Jon Klassen
Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol
As with Round 1, the voting for each round will take place on the 12 x 12 Facebook group. Discussions about the books and rationale for voting one way or the other will be held on the 12 x 12 Forum. Once the voting is complete, I will post the winners here on the blog along with some analysis from our discussions. At that time, I’ll launch the next round.
The remaining schedule is as follows:
Round 2 Launch: March 14
Round 2 Reading: March 14 – 19
Round 2 Voting: March 17 – 19
Launch Round 3: March 20
Round 3 Reading: March 20 – 25
Round 3 Voting: March 24 – 26
Launch Round 4: March 27
Round 4 Reading: March 27 – 30
Round 4 Voting: March 29 – 30
Winner Announced! March 31
Ready, Set, READ!
