Happy Cybils Day!

The Cybils awards have been announced! This is an exciting day in the Kidlitosphere, I think, as these are truly OUR awards.

I love the choice in poetry this year - Paul Janeczko's Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto. I wish I'd been in on the conversations, but I've had that privilege enough years to know it was high quality, insightful, funny, and carefully done.

If you're looking for books to read and recommend, the Cybils list is a great place to start. Go on and check 'em out.

It's Cybils Time!

The Cybils (that's the Children's and Young Adult Bloggers Literary Awards) are baaaack!

There are new eligibility rules this year that you should read before nominating books for the award. There are new categories (book apps! "born digital" eBooks!) to join the continuing ones, so be sure to check them out. And then...

Nominate! Nominate! Nominate!

I'm a huge fan of the Cybils. It's a chance for our voices to be heard... for surprise winners... for categories to get extra attention (graphic novels and poetry jump to mind as two under-recognized areas in our field). I've served as a judge every year up until now, though I'm taking this year off. That's not because my enthusiasm has dimmed at all, though. In fact, I love the addition of the new categories and am more enthused then ever. So get out there and NOMINATE! You only have until October 15th, so make sure you take action. I think you'll be glad you did....

Congrats, Cybils Winners!

Yesterday saw the announcement of the 2010 Cybils. The range of books that get recognition is really fabulous... as are all the winners I'd encountered. I use the Cybils lists as book recommendation/buying lists all the time, actually.

I was part of the poetry crew that tapped Marilyn Singer's Mirror Mirror for the Poetry Cybil. We had a great group of books to choose from which made the conversations spirited, to say the least!

Good times... and fantastic books. I hope you'll go check out the results if you haven't already seen 'em.

Cybils Time! Judging and... Nominating

I'm excited to be a judge for the upcoming Cybils awards - I'll be serving as a finals round judge in the poetry category. And I'm super excited to be joining such great folks in looking at this year's children's poetry books. Check out these fab folk:

The round one judges (who read 'em all and hand over a smaller group to us final round judges):

Bruce Black, Wordswimmer
Elaine Magliaro, Wild Rose Reader
Gina Ruiz, AmoXcalli and The Graphic Landscape
Laura Purdie Salas, Writing the World for Kids
Sylvia Vardell, Poetry for Children

The final rounders (who debate and discuss and ultimately determine one book to get the Cybil):

Kelly Fineman, Writing and Ruminating
Sara Lewis Holmes, Read Write Believe
Greg Pincus, right here at GottaBook
Jama Rattigan, Alphabet Soup
Liz Scanlon, Liz in Ink

Kelly, by the way, is the "fearless leader" of the whole poetry category. Lots o' work, that, and I'm glad she's there to do it.

Now, the Cybils start taking nominations on Friday, October 1st. And the thing is, if folks don't nominate, then we judges have nothing to do. So start thinking about your favorite books (not just in poetry, but across the kidlit board) and get ready to nominate. You can only do one book per category... but there are a lot of categories!

Cybils time!

I'm quite excited to be judging the Cybils, once again, as one of the poetry judges. I can tell that the first round judges are gonna hand us fabulous books, but then it'll be up to me, John Mutford, Sylvia Vardell, Jama Rattigan, and Liz Garton Scanlon to pick the Cybil winner. I can't wait, frankly, as it's always invigorating (and good reading, too!).

Nominations open October 1st, so get yourself ready to be part of the process, too.

It's Cybilriffic!

The Cybils are back for year two, and I'm thrilled and honored to be part of the Poetry judging committee (alongside AND following some mighty fine bloggers!) And foor those of you who don't know, the Cybils are the Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards. In other words... good stuff.

This year, I see, there's a Cybils blog. AND... perhaps most importantly... nominations for all categories, not just poetry, open soon, and y'all are part of that process! So go on... check it out.