Monday, January 07, 2008

Nonfiction Picture Books - Cybils Finalists!

After weeks of reading books and discussing their merits, the shortlist for nonfiction picture books is in. HURRAY! I am so pleased to have been a part of this process. Working with Andrea (Just One More Book!!), Emily (Whimsy Books), Fiona (Books and 'Rocks), and Jennifer (Kiddosphere) was amazing. I also can't forget to mention our fearless leader, Eisha (Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast). Thanks, Ladies!

I was convinced that getting from 46 books to 7 would be a difficult task, but in the end, there was little to debate. All seven titles in my top ten made the shortlist. In fact, two panelists had all seven books in their tops tens, one had six, and two had five. If anything, this should tell you that there was great consensus in choosing these books. To learn more about the work of the nominating panel, listen to this podcast over at Just One More Book!!

I am happy to hand this list off to the judging panel, confident that they will have much to discuss in the days ahead. The folks who will work together to make the final decision are:
Without further ado, here are the finalists in the Cybils nonfiction picture book category.

 Guess What is Growing Inside This Egg
Written and illustrated by Mia Posada
Millbrook
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense (your local independent)

 Let's Go!: The Story of Getting From There to Here
Written by Lizann Flatt; illustrated by Scot Ritchie
Maple Tree Press
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense (your local independent)
Read my review.

 Lightship
Written and illustrated by Brian Floca
Atheneum / Richard Jackson Books
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense (your local independent)
Read my review.

Living Color
Written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins
Houghton Mifflin
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense (your local independent)

One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II
Written and illustrated by Lita Judge
Hyperion
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense (your local independent)
Listen to the podcast review.

Vulture View
Written by April Pulley Sayre; illustrated by Steve Jenkins
Henry Holt
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense (your local independent)
Read my review.

Where in the Wild?: Camouflaged Creatures Concealed ... and Revealed
Written by David Schwartz and Yael Schy; illustrated by Dwight Kuhn
Tricycle Press
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense (your local independent)

In closing, I should mention that there were a few books that never received full consideration by our panel, simply because we weren't able to obtain copies. I was luckier than most in that I was able to find a few titles in my local library and others through interlibrary loan. I know my top ten would have looked a bit different if some of these titles had been available. I was particularly fond of Meghan McCarthy's book City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male and Sawdust and Spangles: The Amazing Life of W.C. Coup by Ralph Covert and G. Riley Mills.

I will continue to post reviews of Cybils nominated books in this category, as I've found a number of great new books to add to my teaching collection.

Before you head out, be sure to take a look at the finalists in the other Cybils categories. You can also read the full list of nominations.
Winners will be announced on February 14th.
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