Charlotte Taylor has been fan of fantasy since she was a toddler, and spent her childhood rejecting her sisters’ importunings to come play in favor of peaceful reading. She still spends as much time as possible reading (mostly middle grade speculative fiction, but other genres too, because she wants to read All the Things), but she is hampered her day job as a professional archaeologist, …

Jone has been involved with the CYBILS since 2006.  She’s currently the chairperson of the poetry category.  Poetry is part of her everyday life especially in the K5 library where she teaches. Her students’ poems have appeared at “Check It Out”  These students also send poetry postcards to recipients throughout the world for National Poetry Month. Jone assist students in …

Jennifer has been involved with Cybils since 2009 and is excited to be chairing the Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction category for another year. When not obsessively reading and blogging at one of her many blogs, including Jean Little Library, she is the head of the youth services department for the Matheson Memorial Library in Elkhorn, WI. She has recently reorganized much of the library to make …

Liz Jones has been part of Cybils graphics since 2007, and fully credits it for introducing her to the wonderful variety in graphic storytelling on the market, even though her local market doesn’t offer much in this category. She connects readers to graphics via the children’s lit class she teaches at the University of Pittsburgh, the students who attend art classes at her studio …

Jodie Rodriguez is a certified teacher, administrator, and reading specialist who has worked in charter and public schools in St. Louis, MO. Her blog, Growing Book by Book, which focuses on books, literacy and writing activities, and family literacy projects, has been going strong for five years. Jodie served as a first-round panelist for easy readers and early chapter books …

Some things never change. Four years ago, my daughter would say everything I did was “weird.” She still does. Almost 15 years ago, said daughter rekindled my love of children’s literature. That fire is an eternal flame.    Hardly a day goes by that I don’t read an adorable board book and wish I still had a toddler, or come …

Melissa has gained the reputation at work for her happy dances… which she breaks into whenever  1) a new Middle Grade or YA book she’s particularly excited about comes out, 2) when she gets to do a fun story time, or 3) she gets the opportunity to bring a cool author (favorite so far? Maggie Stiefvater!) to Wichita. In short: she loves her …

I’m the Cybils spokes-model, getting paid big bucks to show off my glamorous self and sell these sleek awards. Only I don’t get paid, and I’m in my PJs, and the awards are free. I’m not really sure why organizers keep me around a decade after co-founding the awards, actually, except as some sort of mascot. I wave a lot …