Thursday, September 30, 2010

It's Cybils Eve!

Taking a break from Banned Book Week for a day, I have to remind everyone that the Cybils nominations start tomorrow. Woot! And double woot! This is the 5th year for the kidlitosphere's beloved homegrown book awards.

October 1st - 15th, anyone can nominate a book in any category. Teachers, librarians, kids, parents, if you loved it, shout it out! Then the first-round judges swing into action, reading like crazy folks, and winnow the giant piles down to a few finalists for each category. Those lists are released January 1st, and that's when the second-round judges clock in, taking the next month to intensively read and debate every single book on their category's shortlist until one is declared the winner. All winners are announced on Valentine's Day.

I've judged for the past three years, and I can tell you it's a lot of work, but so worth it! If you want to check out the judges for this year (and, of course, their blogs!), stop in and have a gander at the panels. Congratulations to everyone who made the cut!

Also on the Cybils website, along the sidebar: finalists and winners from the last few years, a fine resource for anyone who wants to find marvelous books. If you want to show your support for the bestest little award on the internet, get shopping at the CafePress store.

But most importantly of all . . . what are you going to nominate?

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Got Kleenex?

Okay, I'm posting this Ounce of Prevention ad not only because it will bring tears to your eyes (WAAAAAAAH), but also because of its focus on early childhood education, including--you guessed it--reading together as a means of cementing family bonds.



Thanks to Pima County Public Library's Facebook feed for the heads-up.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Oh, Now I'm Very Hungry Too

One of the cuter sites I visit regularly is My Food Looks Funny. A few days back, they featured a little lunch box filled with the Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Nostalgia Overload!!!
see more My Food Looks Funny

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, y'all! You know what slays me, is the little holes in the food. That's thoroughness, right there.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Farewell, Booklights!

One of my favorite blogs is going offline- PBS's Booklights is closing down after a couple of great years of posts about child development, early literacy, and reading with your kids. Siiiiiiiiiigh. I hope they'll keep the archives up, because some days I just want to print out entire posts and pass them out in storytime.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Reading Roundup August 2010

By the Numbers
Picture Books: 45 (I know! I changed positions this month, and now I'm back to being a children's librarian, where having a stack of picture books on your desk looks like work.)
Early Readers: 4

Sources
Library: 46

Standouts
Writing: The Daddy Mountain by Jules Feiffer
Adventure and derring-do with a courageous little girl and her daddy. Perfect.
Illustration: If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen
I mentioned it in my review, but the slick, retro look of this book was the perfect choice for the anything-goes flight of fancy in the text.
Overall: Mama, is it Summer Yet? by Nikki McClure
A tender, gorgeous book about mothers, sons, anticipation, and the slow turning of the seasons. I don't usually make award predictions, but I will be very unhappy if this doesn't get some love come January.

Because I Want To Awards
What the . . . ?: The Chicken Thief by Beatrice Rodriguez
Even Better on the Second Reading, Because You Know What to Look For: The Pirate Cruncher by Jonny Duddle
Yep. You're Gonna Cry: Remembering Crystal by Sebastian Loth
A Worthy Sequel: A Birthday for Bear by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton