ALA Notable Children's Books

The 2008 list of notable children's books is out. (Thanks to Elaine for the notice.) Here is the description of notable from the ALA web site.

"According to the Notables Criteria, "notable" is defined as: Worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children's books, notable should be thought to include books of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry and pictures for all age levels (birth through age 14) that reflect and encourage children's interests in exemplary ways."

This is an exceptional list. Many of these titles were nominees for the Cybils or are currently Cybils finalists. Here are the finalists that appear on the list.

Young Readers

Lightship
by Brian Floca
Cybils Category - Nonfiction Picture Book

The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County
by Janice N. Harrington
Cybils Category - Fiction Picture Book

Vulture View
by April Pulley Sayre
Cybils Category - Nonfiction Picture Book

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity
by Mo Willems
Cybils Category - Fiction Picture Book

Here's a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry
edited by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters
Cybils Category - Poetry

Middle Readers

One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II
by Lita Judge
Cybils Category - Nonfiction Picture Book

Robot Dreams
by Sara Varon
Cybils Category - Elementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novel

Older Readers

Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood
by Ibtisam Barakat
Cybils Category - Middle Grade/YA Nonfiction

Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam and the Science of Ocean Motion
by Loree Griffin Burns
Cybils Category - Middle Grade/YA Nonfiction

Who Was First?: Discovering the Americas
by Russell Freedman
Cybils Category - Middle Grade/YA Nonfiction

Marie Curie: Giants of Science #4
by Kathleen Krull
Cybils Category - Middle Grade/YA Nonfiction

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village
by Laura Amy Schlitz
Cybils Category - Poetry

The Wednesday Wars
by Gary D. Schmidt
Cybils Category - Young Adult Fiction

The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain
by Peter Sís
Cybils Category - Middle Grade/YA Nonfiction

The Arrival
by Shaun Tan
Cybils Category - Teen/Young Adult Graphic Novel

The ALA also named the Top Ten Graphic Novels for Teens. There are a few Cybils books on this list as well.

Laika by
Nick Abadzis
Cybils Category - Teen/Young Adult Graphic Novel

Both The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain and The Arrival also made this list.