Here we are moving to Round 3 of the March Picture Book Madness competition – the FINAL FOUR picture books. The pressure is on, and the opinions are getting heated.
Without further ado, here are the results of Round 2 and the brackets for Round 3 along with a bit of analysis based on voting.
BRACKET 1
Best Frints in the Whole Universe, by Antoinette Portis
The Journey, by Francesca Sanna
WINNER = The Journey
This matchup was tough because these books are SO different. In the end, The Journey won out because voters felt it was an important story for our times.
BRACKET 2
The Night Gardener, by the Fan Brothers
Du Iz Tak, by Carson Ellis
WINNER = The Night Gardener
Voters thought both of these books were beautiful and original, so most votes came down to which one resonated more for the reader. There were some folks, however, who felt the made-up language in Du Iz Tak made it more difficult as a read-aloud, and that fact swayed their votes.
BRACKET 3
School’s First Day of School, by Adam Rex
The Bear and the Piano, by David Litchfield
WINNER = School’s First Day of School
Whoa! People on both sides of this matchup had VERY strong opinions about which book they wanted to win, and this one came down to the last second with the winner flip-flopping multiple times. As in the last round, the unique perspective of the school as a character helped it to tip the balance.
BRACKET 4
We Found a Hat, by Jon Klassen
Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol
WINNER = Leave Me Alone!
Voters thought both of these books were funny and original. Hats off (pun intended) to Jon Klassen for finding a unique way to conclude the ‘Hat’ series. Leave Me Alone edged Hat out for the winner due to its freshness, humor, originality and the unusual perspective.
With that, we are now on to Round 3 and the FINAL FOUR picture books. 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 third round books and brackets in case you can’t see them on the image.
BRACKET 1
The Journey, by Francesca Sanna
The Night Gardener, by the Fan Brothers
BRACKET 2
School’s First Day of School, by Adam Rex
Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol
As with Rounds 1 and 2, 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:
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!
