Welcome to our last featured blog review of the Finalist judging period! Today’s featured review comes from longtime Cybil-ite, former category organizer, and Round 2 judge Jone MacCulloch, who blogs at Check It Out. A few months ago, she reviewed Poetry finalist H Is For Haiku: A Treasury of Haiku from A to Z, written by Sydell Rosenberg and illustrated …
REVIEW: Can I Touch Your Hair?
Our featured blog review for today looks at Poetry finalist Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship written by Irene Latham and Charles Waters and illustrated by Sean Qualls and Selina Alko. Round 1 Poetry judge, editor, and longtime Cybils participant Anastasia Suen posted a wonderful author guest post on her blog early last year. Co-author …
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: Blood Water Paint
Today’s featured book review comes from Young Adult Fiction judge Stormy Campbell, a book lover and writer from Texas who blogs at Book.Blog.Bake. Last month she reviewed Poetry nominee Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough, a novel in verse based on the life of Renaissance painter Artemisia Gentileschi: I confess to knowing absolutely nothing about Artemisia before reading this book. …
REVIEW: With My Hands: Poems About Making Things
Ready for some verse? Our featured blog review for today was written by Round 1 Poetry judge Carol Wilcox, a Cybils regular, educator and mom who blogs at Carol’s Corner. This past month, Carol posted a review of Poetry nominee With My Hands: Poems About Making Things written by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater and illustrated by Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson: …
REVIEW: Bull
Our featured blog review for this Friday was written by Round 2 judge Rosemary Kiladitis, a children’s and YA librarian who blogs at Mom Read It. During this past year she looked at Poetry finalist Bull by David Elliott, a reimagining of the tale of Theseus and the Minotaur. According to Rosemary’s review: There are inevitable Hamilton comparisons to be …
REVIEW: The Playbook
Kwame Alexander is known for his novels in verse, but he’s also written Poetry nominee The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life, a sort of sports-focused guide to life, success, and happiness. Round 1 judge and Cybils veteran Gary Anderson reviewed this title over the summer on his blog What’s Not Wrong? and …
REVIEW: Forest World
Deb Nance of the blog Readerbuzz wrote our featured review for today. Deb is a librarian from Texas who is a Cybils regular and Round 1 judge this year in Fiction Picture Books/Board books. Earlier this year, she reviewed Poetry nominee Forest World by Margarita Engle on her Goodreads account: Cuba came alive for me in this story, with its …
REVIEW: We Come Apart
Our featured blog review for today is from the Poetry category: We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan. Longtime Cybils judge Sandy Brehl, an education outreach presenter who blogs at Unpacking the POWER of Picture Books, reviewed this nominee on her Goodreads page: The distinct and alternating voices of Jess and Nico are each heart wrenching, reflective of …
Interview with Laura Shovan
What were you doing when you heard you had won the CYBILS Award for Poetry? I was working on a big revision for my next middle grade novel. One of the judges Tweeted about the award. It was the best Valentine’s Day gift ever. Better than chocolate! This is a LOT of characters to invent and develop. What is your …