Fiction Picture Books panelist Cheryl Rainfield is a writer of teen fiction and a collector of all sorts of useful resources about children's and YA books–links, author websites, themed booklists for picture books and teen books, and more. She shares her love of books on her blog, which also includes in-depth reviews.
One of her Cybils nominee reviews looked at Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton (known for his books about Russell the Sheep). It's Splat's first day of Cat School, and like many kids on that first day, he's a little nervous and isn't quite sure he wants to go. According to Cheryl:
Splat is a character kids will like and identify with; he’s scared of school and resists change in funny ways, he likes and feels protective of his pet mouse, and he questions things that others take for granted (why do we chase mice?).
Read the full review here.