Wednesday Links

Cybil 2008 Fiction Picture Book Finalists
I'm a little late here, but in case you haven't checked out the the Children's & Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards, the finalist were posted last week. There are some awesome titles in the running. And they're in great company with last year's winner and finalists. To see the 2008 finalist in all categories go here.


Quentin Blake-Ten minutes of Illustration
Got an extra ten minutes? Be sure to check out this video of British Illustrator Quentin Blake as he tours you through his studio and demonstrates the method he has used to illustrate over 300 books! I love his system for archiving all of his original artwork. Simply amazing to see. You can also check out a slide show of his workspace and tools.

Wednesday Links

Have you headed over to the Cybils (the premier Web awards for children's literature) to nominate your favorite book of 2008 yet? Don't forget to do it by October 15! You can read the rules here. Remember, once a book has been nominated it's in. No need to second that nomination.

I'm looking forward to nominating a book this year. Last year I had the honor of being one of the judges in the fiction picture book category, and felt it would be wrong to have a favorite going in. But not to worry. Others liked a certain book just as much as I did. It made it to the finals! With the first-round panelists narrowing it down to these outstanding finalists, it was a fierce battle. But in the end, a well deserved win went to The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County.

Pam Coughlan, the organizer of the 2008 Cybils fiction picture book category, sums it up best. "A good picture book is a pleasing merger of text and artwork. A great picture book is a celebration of story and illustration, with lasting appeal for kids and/or adults. The best picture books completely excel in art, story, kid-friendliness, and adult appeal."

Check out these links for all the previous winners.
2006 Cybils Awards
2007 Cybils Awards

The Crown Goes to...

After serving as a judge, and engaging in lively and passionate discussions with my fellow judges in the Fiction Picture Book category of the 2007 Cybils, I'm proud to announce The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice N. Harrington and illustrated by Shelley Jackson has been crowned the winner! With a vivid, expressive voice, brilliant use of energetic images, a lot of spunk, and a heartwarming surprise ending, The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County is sure to capture your heart.

The nominating panel gave us a tough job, with seven amazing titles to choose from, each covering widely varied topics and styles, but all exceptionally well done picture books.

Congratulations to all the 2007 winning authors and illustrators!
See sidebar.

Special thanks to all the panelists, judges, and especially the organizers, for making this all happen!

2007 Cybils Finalists!

The Cybils nominating panel has made their decisions! After reviewing and sorting through over 100 Fiction Picture Book nominations the team whittled down the selection to the following titles. Now it's time for us judges to get to work! I'm am thrilled to find among the finalists a few titles I was secretly rooting for, a couple I have only seen from afar and had planned on picking up, and even a couple that I hadn't seen yet, but find very intriguing! Good luck to all the finalists. We have a tough job ahead, and I can't wait to get started!

2007 Fiction Picture Books Finalists

Leaves
by David Ezra Stein
Putnam Juvenile

The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County
written by Janice N. Harrington;
illustrated by Shelley Jackson
Farrar, Straus and Giroux

The Incredible Book-Eating Boy
by Oliver Jeffers
Philomel

Pssst!
by Adam Rex
Harcourt Children's Books

Knuffle Bunny Too
by Mo Willems
Hyperion

Four Feet, Two Sandals
written by Karen Lynn William & Khadra Mohammad;
illustrated by Doug Chayka
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Go to Bed, Monster!
written by Natasha Wing;
illustrated by Sylvie Kantorovitz
Harcourt Children's Books


To read more about the Picture Book finalists go here. To check to all of the categories, just head over to the the Cybils blog.

Remember the Cybils

Have you voted for your favorite children's book yet? There's still time! Go to he Cybils blog and be heard! The Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards give the public the chance to nominate their favorite children's books from 2007.

Nominations close at midnight Chicago time on Wednesday, Nov. 21.

2007 Cyblis Kick Off!

I am very excited to be serving as a member of the Fiction Picture Book-judging panel for the 2007 Cybils. The Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards give the public the chance to nominate their favorite children's books from 2007.

I find myself in great company with of the following team. Be sure to check out their blogs.

FICTION PICTURE BOOKS

Category Organizer: Julie Danielson (Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast)

Nominating Panel:

Julie Danielson (Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast)
Marcie Flinchum Atkins (World of Words)
Annie Teich (Crazy for Kids Books)
Cheryl Rainfield
Pam Coughlan MotherReader

Judging Panel:

Mitali Perkins (Mitali's Fire Escape)
Nikki Tate (Work in Progress)
Gail Maki Wilson (Through the Studio Door)
Barbara Johansen Newman (Cats and Jammers Studio)
Stacey Shubitz (Two Writing Teachers)

You can see the entire team list for all of the categories here .

And now the fun part for you! You can nominate your favorite book of the year starting today, October 1st. Just go the the announcement on the Cybil's Blog found here, and follow the instructions. Books can be nominated in the following categories:

Fantasy/Science Fiction
Fiction Picture Books
Graphic Novels
Middle Grade Fiction
Non-Fiction: Middle Grade and Young Adult
Non-Fiction Picture Books
Poetry
Young Adult Fiction