Cybils 2010

It's that time of the year again -- time to start thinking about nominations for the Cybil Awards. I am in awe of how the kidlit blogging community has pulled together to present their own award to deserving books, and will be celebrating the 5th annual Cybils Awards this year -- awards giving to the most deserving of books in the following categories:

• easy readers / short chapter books
• fantasy and science fiction
• fiction picture books
• graphic novels
• middle grade fiction
• non-fiction picture books
• non-fiction: middle grade and young adult
• poetry
• young adult fiction

If you don't know about these awards, I would encourage you to bookmark the Cybils site and follow as the nominations for these categories begin pretty soon. There are some wonderful titles in multiple categories that I find each year! Since the categories for the Cybils don't exactly align with the ALA award categories, it makes it fun to see when books win both an ALA award as well as a Cybil Award. As a 5th grade teacher, I am always checking out the nominations for the middle grade fiction category. I also have a soft spot for the non-fiction picture book category.

That being said, I'm very excited to share that I'll be serving on the Cybils non-fiction picture book panel again this year. I'm thrilled to be working with the other panelists, guided by our fearless leader, Jone. I look forward to reading close to 100 books or more, trying with my fellow panelists, to narrow it down to the seven most worthy of being a finalist in this category. A tough job, but I get an opportunity to see so many wonderful non-fiction picture books. I look forward to the nominations beginning!

Eleanor: Quiet No More

One of the books on the long list for the Cybils non-fiction picture book category is Eleanor: Quiet No More by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Gary Kelley. This book captured my attention from the gorgeous front cover: a picture of Eleanor Roosevelt, but not one word to be seen. It's a very flattering picture of Eleanor, but you can't help but be drawn into the force of the personality shown in this illustration.

When I opened the book, the delight I felt just kept growing. Each 2 page spread is designed exactly the same way: there is a gorgeous picture, some information about a different part of Eleanor's life written in verse, and a quote from Eleanor that mirrors the information in verse. I literally could not quit turning the pages of this book.

I loved this book as a reader, but as a writing teacher, I couldn't help but think what a fabulous mentor text this would be for one of my students writing a piece about a famous person. This format would breathe life into the information they discovered in their research.

As a reader, I was drawn into the force of Eleanor Roosevelt's personality and will. What an amazing woman she was, and how much she accomplished in her lifetime! In fact, Rappaport includes her thoughts about the importance of Eleanor to her -- what a role model for women!

Eleanor: Quiet No More will be a book I can't wait to share with my class, discuss the implications of the person, and pull out many more times after that to use as a mentor text.

(This book was sent compliments of the publisher, Disney/Hyperion Books)

It's Time For the Cybils!!

Tomorrow, on October 1, the nominations for the Cybils will begin. If you haven't checked out this year's Cybil website, you need to go visit. Many of the categories have their panelists posted on the website, and you can learn more about both the category and the panelists. Also, the judges' names who take it from the final 5 to the winner in each category are listed as well.

The Cybils are a great way for our kidlit blogging community to share what we think are the best and the brightest books that were written this past year. I know I eagerly await the nominations, the top 5 or so picks, and then the winners. What a great concept the Cybils is!!

In addition, this year Bill and I have a vested interest in the Cybils... more details to come later.

For now, I am just anxious to see the books that are nominated in each category. Let the nominations begin!!!

The Cybil Awards -- 2008

Nominations for the third annual Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (the Cybils) will be open Wednesday, October 1st through Wednesday, October 15th. The goal of the Cybils team (some 100 bloggers) is to highlight books that are high in both literary quality and kid appeal. The Cybils were founded by Anne Boles Levy and Kelly Herold.

This year, awards will be given in nine categories (Easy Readers, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Fiction Picture Books, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade Novels, Non-Fiction Middle Grade/Young Adult Books, Non-Fiction Picture Books, Poetry, Young Adult Novels). Anyone can nominate books in these categories (one nomination per person per category). Nominated titles must be published between January 1st and October 15th of this year, and the books must be in English (or bilingual, where one of the languages is English). To nominate titles, visit the Cybils blog (http://www.cybils.com/) between October 1st and 15th. A separate post will be available for each category - simply nominate by commenting on those individual posts. If you are not sure which category to choose for a particular book, a questions thread will also be available.

Between October 16th and January 1st, Cybils panelists (children's and young adult bloggers) will winnow the nominations down to a 5-7 book short list for each category. A second set of panelists will then select the winning titles for the different categories. The winners will be announced on February 14th, 2009.

The Cybils is a fun blog to watch in the upcoming months. Find a category(ies) that interests you, and follow it to see what nominees pop up.