From: Susan Dailey <obldailey>
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 14:51:59 -0500

A couple years ago we checked the publication date for the previous twenty years' Caldecott winners. I seem to remember that 14 of 20 had been published in the Fall. (Too many other facts have passed through my brain to be sure of the exact number!) After Jody's question, I decided to check the more recent titles. And the results...

In the past 5 years, 22 books were recognized for the Caldecott or for an honor. According to Baker & Taylor publication dates, 9 were scheduled for September release dates, 5 for October and 2 for August. Of the 6 remaining titles, 2 each were published in February, March and April, with all but the
"Three Little Pigs" being honor books. So it seems publishers wait for late summer/fall for what they view as possible contenders. (Bet you're thinking that I've either got too much time on my hands or secretly want to be a statistician--neither of which is true!) This fact makes compiling Mock Caldecott lists challenging since we rely on book reviews at my library.
(We didn't see our first review of "Joseph Had a Little Overcoat" until the day it was announced as the winner.)

Anyway, thought I'd share my research with the group,

Susan Dailey librarian, speaker and author of A Storytime Year (www.susanmdailey.com) Ossian Branch Library, Ossian, Indiana 260b2F91
Received on Fri 13 Dec 2002 01:51:59 PM CST