Rounding Up the Cybils NFPB Reviews

I am still making my way through the Cybils nominees in the category of nonfiction picture books. So far I have written reviews for nearly 35% of the books. Here are the titles reviewed to date.

• 10 Things I Can Do to Help My World: Fun and Easy Eco-Tips, written and illustrated by Melanie Walsh
• Animals Christopher Columbus Saw, written by Sandra Markle and illustrated by Jamel Akib
  
• Animals Robert Scott Saw, written by Sandra Markle and illustrated by Phil
  
• Astronaut Handbook, written and illustrated by Meghan McCarthy
• Ballots for Belva: The True Story of a Woman's Race for the Presidency, written by SudiptaBardhan-Quallen and illustrated by Courtney Martin
• Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman, written by Marc Tyler Nobleman and illustrated by Ross MacDonald
• Duel!: Burr and Hamilton's Deadly War of Words, written by Dennis Brindell Fradin and illustrated by Larry Day
• Eggs, written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Emma Stevenson
• Fabulous Fishes, written and illustrated by Susan Stockdale
• Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move, written by JoAnn Early Macken and illustrated by Pam Paparone
• It's Moving Day!, written by Pamela Hickman and illustrated by Geraldo Valéro
• Johnny Appleseed: The Legend and the Truth, written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Jim Burke
• Lincoln and Douglass: An American Friendship, written by Nikki Gionvanni and illustrated by Bryan Collier
• Little Green Frogs, written and illustrated by Frances Barry
• Looking Closely: Inside the Garden, written and illustrated by Frank Serafini
• Molly the Pony: A True Story, written by Pam Kaster
• Nic Bishop Frogs, written and illustrated by Nic Bishop
• Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival, written Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery and illustrated by Jean Cassels
• Underwear: What We Wear Under There, written by Ruth Freeman Swain and illustrated by John O'Brien
• Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa, written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter

My colleagues on the review panel are also hard at work. You can find their take on the nominees at the sites below.

• Jone's posts at Check It Out
• Becky's posts at In the Pages
• Debbie's posts at Readerbuzz

You can find links to even more NFPB reviews at this post.

We're getting down to the wire now, with a list of finalists due at the end of the month. Criteria used to evaluate the nominees include:

• Writing (and if pertinent, illustration)
• Kid appeal
• Is it a book an older child, or even an adult, will rush to finish, before reading it a second time?
• Is the book innovative? Does it surprise you with something new?
• Does the book speak to you as a reader?

I can't wait to see where this goes. More to come . . .