We are constantly amazed at our Cybils judges. They spend personal time reading books and thinking and discussing about them, and championing kids books all over the internet. But, sometimes, they do things that go above and beyond, and we sit back in amazement and feel a need to share. Our Fiction Picture Book/Board Book Chair, Deb Nance, sent us …
REVIEW: Friends and Foes: Poems for Us All
Happy Boxing Day! Our featured review for today comes via Round 2 Poetry judge and Cybils regular Sylvia Vardell, an author and professor who blogs at Poetry for Children. Earlier this year, she looked at Poetry nominee Friends and Foes: Poems for Us All by Douglas Florian: You’ll find 25 poems on many different aspects of friendship, including some of …
REVIEW: Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish
Today’s featured review comes from longtime Cybils returnee Sarah Sammis, a librarian in Northern California who is a Round 1 Middle Grade Fiction judge this year. On her blog Puss Reboots, she reviewed Middle Grade Fiction nominee Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya: Marcus Vega is tall for his age and he’s taken on the role of protector …
REVIEW: March Forward, Girl
After a bit of a hiatus earlier this week, our featured blog reviews are back with Junior High Nonfiction nominee March Forward, Girl: From Young Warrior to Little Rock Nine, a memoir written by civil rights activist Melba Pattillo Beals and illustrated by Frank Morrison. One of our Round 1 judges, Rebecca G. Aguilar, reviewed this book on her blog, …
The Armchair Cybils Shortlist Contest
The Round One panelists are in the last stages of creating the short-lists for each of the Cybils categories. While they are hard at work, we thought it would be fun to get YOUR guess on what those finalist lists will look like! So we’re hosting a #CybilsShortlist contest! The Contest: Predict the Finalists List for a single category. Grand …
REVIEW: Hey Kiddo
Hey Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka is today’s featured nominee, from the Young Adult Graphic Novels category. Mel Schuit, a Round 1 judge and picture book enthusiast, posted about this title (and a few other nominees) this past fall on her blog Let’s Talk Picture Books: Jarrett does everything he can to make his non-normal life seem normal, and as …
Help Out the Cybils With Your Holiday Shopping!
If you’re anything like me, you’re just getting started on your holiday shopping. The good news is, we’ve got your kidlit book recommendations covered! And if you buy books or ANYTHING after clicking through from a Cybils affiliate link, we get a teensy percentage of the purchase price–so don’t forget about Cybils when you’re doing your inevitable last-minute Amazon shopping …
REVIEW: Happy Grumpy Loved: A Little Book of Feelings
Our featured blog review for today comes from Round 1 judge Dawn Mooney, a mom and former preschool teacher who blogs at 5 Minutes for Books. Over the summer, she reviewed Board Books nominee Happy Grumpy Loved: A Little Book of Feelings written by Ruth Austin and illustrated by Kanae Sato: Ruth Austin and illustrator Kanae Sato have come together to …
REVIEW: Ghost Boys
Today’s featured review, I’ve just now realized, is from our third Jennifer in a row, Jenni Frencham–a Round 1 judge in Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction. She’s a blogger at From the Biblio Files, and earlier this year she reviewed Cybils nominee Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes on her Goodreads page: This book covers an obviously timely topic and includes references …
REVIEW: Eliza: The Story of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton may have gotten all the buzz lately, but just wait until you read about his wife, Eliza. Elementary Nonfiction nominee Eliza: The Story of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton by Margaret McNamara and illustrated by Esme Shapiro is today’s featured title, recently reviewed by Round 1 judge Jennifer Dieleman on her blog Picture Books 4 Learning: Margaret has written a …