CYBIL Award Winners & Finalists

Earlier this month, the winners and finalists of the CYBIL Awards were announced (CYBIL stands for Children's and Young Adult Bloggers Literary Awards). This is yet another great place to look for outstanding books to share with your children at home or in your classroom if you're an educator!

You can see the full list of finalists and winners of the CYBIL Awards here (opens as a .pdf). Visit the CYBIL website for more information about the awards, judging process, etc.

Since Easy Readers and First Chapter Books can sometimes get overlooked, I thought I'd pull out the finalists and winners in that category for our book list today:

• Clara and Clem Under the Sea by Ethan Long 
• My New Friend is So Fun! by Mo Willems
• Okay, Andy! by Maxwell Eaton III
• Pigsticks and Harold and the Incredible Journey by Alex Milway
• The Ice Cream Shop by J.E. Morris

Looking for more award-winning titles in children's and young adult literature? Check out our post about the Youth Media Awards from the American Library Association.

Picture Books in Honor of Black History Month

February, Black History Month, is an appropriate time to spotlight a few great picture books by and about African-Americans. Share these with your children this month and all year long.

Recommended titles from the Association for Library Service to Children blog:

• The Bat Boy and His Violin by Gavin Curtis, illustrated by E.B. Lewis
• I See the Rhythm paintings by Michele Wood, text by Toyomi Igus
• Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey, illustrated by Floyd Cooper
• Wilma Unlimited: how Wilma Rudolph became the world's fastest woman by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by David Diaz

Recommended titles from PBS Parents:

• Welcome, Precious by Nikki Grimes
• Please, Baby, Please by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
• Baby Dance by Ann Taylor
• Jazz Baby by Lisa Wheeler
• This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt, illustrated by R.G. Roth
• The Colors of Us by Karen Katz
• What a Wonderful World by George David Weiss and Bob Thiele, illustrated by Ashley Bryan
• See more titles for older kids on the PBS Parents page.

The Mighty Girl's [Classic] Reading List

If you're interested in a return to some classic children's literature, here's a fun reading list compiled by the bloggers at I Think We Could Be Friends. All of these titles feature strong young female characters. 

Check out one of these books from the library today!

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
Matilda by Rolad Dahl
Ramona by Beverly Cleary (link is to Ramona Quimby, Age 8)
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
The Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon By Grace Lin
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum

Youth Media Awards announced today!

It's that time of year again - the Youth Media Awards were announced this morning at the American Library Association Midwinter Conference in Chicago. 

You can view the webcast of the award presentations, and view a complete list of the award winners and honor books on the ALA website.

Below is a (small!) sampling of the award-winning and honorable books in children's literature this year--make sure to check out the award website for a complete list!

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature:

"The Crossover," written by Kwame Alexander, is the 2015 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Two Newbery Honor Books also were named:

"El Deafo" by Cece Bell, illustrated by Cece Bell and published by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS.

"Brown Girl Dreaming," written by Jacqueline Woodson and published by Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children:

"The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend," illustrated by Dan Santat, is the 2015 Caldecott Medal winner. The book was written by Dan Santat and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Six Caldecott Honor Books also were named:

"Nana in the City," illustrated by Lauren Castillo, written by Lauren Castillo and published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

"The Noisy Paint Box: The  Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art," illustrated by Mary GrandPre, written by Barb Rosenstock and published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

"Sam & Dave Dig a Hole," illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Mac Barnett and published by Candlewick Press.

"Viva Frida," illustrated by Yuyi Morales, written by Yuyi Morales and published by Roaring Brook Press, a Neal Porter Book.

"The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus," illustrated by Melissa Sweet, written byJen Bryant, and published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

"This One Summer," illustrated by Jillian Tamaki, written by Mariko Tamaki and published by First Second.