It’s Nov 21 and nominations for The Cybils are now officially closed. Longlists of nominated titles are trickling in and we’ll be posting them all by the week’s end. First up–Non-fiction Picture Books. Chris Barton of Bartography has coordinated the Non-fiction Picture Books category, a job much more complicated than it first appeared. Think about it: What is Non-Fiction, especially …
Nominations are now closed
Thanks to the many hundreds of people who stopped by to list a favorite book in any of our eight categories. You can look forward to reading the full lists over the course of the coming days–just in time to start your holiday shopping! All the book titles will be linked to Amazon, and we earn a microscopic commission from …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
The Softwire
In March 2002, while much of the rest of the world was still on dial-up, author Gail Gauthier was starting her blog, one of the very first on children’s literature. She’s been posting her penetrating essays and reviews ever since, becoming one of the most influential bloggers in our sunlit corner of Internet. Why she isn’t as big by now …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
John, Paul, George and Ben
If you don’t laugh at this review, you need something stronger in your Starbucks today. What makes Deb Clark so funny? She taps into that Mommy fever dream of someday having an idle moment: Sometimes I find myself attracted to children’s entertainers. Not just any old birthday clown or balloon twister. It’s got to be someone who holds my kids …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
Kat and Mouse: Teacher Torture
We’ve got TangognaT forwards and backwards, and she looks the same coming and going. She’s not just a palindrome, but a librarian with a yen for Japanese manga. She recently helped our own Susan sort out what’s what. Here’s her short take on Kat and Mouse: Teacher Torture, by Alex de Campi and Federica Manfredi drawn from that post: Kat …
*Important*
You only have until Monday at midnight (Eastern time) to post your nominations! Not that we’re pressuring you or anything. But stick around afterward. We’ll be posting the full lists of nominees, and we’ll still be featuring a book and a blogger every day in our Reviews of the Day.
REVIEW OF THE DAY
Jazz
Today is Poetry Friday across the kidlitosphere, and what better way to jazz up the day than with a collection on that very subject? Kelly R. Fineman celebrates this uniquely American music in her blog, and her review is short and sweet: I read much of Walter Dean Myers’s book, Jazz, while I was in the bookstore, and I simply …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
Escape: The Story of the Great Houdini
We have several Jennifers among our volunteers, and this one’s a SAHM who blogs at Snapshot about her love of books and sharing that love with her two kids (among other things). She says she’s enjoyed the middle grade and young adult non-fiction nominees that she has read in anticipation of the short judging season. Even if the ones she’s …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
Duck, Duck, Goose
Betsy Bird, alias "Fuse #8" occupies a singular place in the kidlitosphere. From her "hot men of children’s literature" to her reportage from publishers’ PR extravaganzas, her blog has become the Grand Central Terminal of our burgeoning online community. It’s a starting point for those first venturing into our happy realm, but also an absorbing destination for the well-seasoned traveler, …
My, what nice potatoes you have
Many thanks to The Idaho Statesman for their news item about our contest. We appreciate the boost, and hope it brings in a few more nominations. The Statesman suggested using our nominations as a reading list. Excellent idea. Just browse the categories. Once nominations close Nov. 20, we’ll be posting the complete lists here at Cybils. Stop by anytime for …