friday's five

There are only two weeks left to focus on Cybils-nominated picture books, for on January 1st, the shortlist will be revealed, and the work will be in the hands of the Round Two panelists. This has been a whirlwind of fun, and I'm happy to say that I got my hands on almost 95% of the nominated titles! Thanks to the fabulous library system in my county, as well as the interlibrary loan system, I borrowed almost 160 books! I've had a blast being introduced to many fabulous books, and (more than a few) giggles over some books that inexplicably got published. Here are five more books that I've enjoyed from the nominations.

1. A Few Blocks by Cybèle Young -- An everyday, uneventful walk to school can turn into a veritable adventure when you have two children with elaborate imaginations taking the trip. When Viola's little brother Ferdie doesn't want to go to school, she entices him with beginning a fabulous game of pretend on their walk, and along the way he participates in the pretending with gusto. The illustrations in this one are "ink and watercolor on paper and cut-out assemblages," which is actually really darn cool.

2. Wiener Wolf by Jeff Crosby -- Ever long for a break from the mundane of the every day? Well, a certain little dachshund dog feels that way, and when he sees a pack of wolves on television, he feels a call of the wild. But, perhaps he didn't fully understand what he was getting into in the wild... will Wiener Wolf want to return home to his loving Granny owner? The illustrations are neat, especially of the wild wolves with details that are extremely life-like. 

3. The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man by Michael Chabon -- Minus the controversy that I was unaware of before reading this book, it's a cute little story of AWESOME MAN, who innocently tells his life story of having this secret identity. The illustrations are colorful and cartoonish, and the story includes vocabulary that makes me feel it's probably best for kindergarten and up. I get the feeling that in our gender-specific type of world, young boys will be drawn to the cover perhaps more than young girls.

4. I Believe in You by Marianne Richmond -- I was fully prepared for this one to be high on the cheesy factor, but I came away from it with a happy smile on my face. It's a lovely book to read with your child, and it's one that I think my daughter will especially benefit from, as she sometimes questions her abilities. Yes, this is a bit heavy on the "message," but I think it does it in a way that is still enjoyable for both parents and children. Every child could benefit from hearing these words.

5. Picture a Tree by Barbara Reid -- Here's another title that I didn't expect much from going in, but I have to tell you that I really like this one. I'm a sucker for a story about nature anyway, but this one combines unique illustrations ("Plasticine that was shaped and pressed onto illustration board... with paint for special effects"), and encourages children to be observant about the world around them as well as to use their imaginations a bit. My favorite spread features four folks standing at a bus stop, each slightly in front of a tree that matches them in a funny way-- not obvious at first glance, but cute enough to get kids to see it. Unfortunately, this one is hard to find, but I still wanted to include it in a round-up just in case someone can get their hands on it.

As always, all opinions expressed here are mine alone, and not representative of the other judges or the Cybils Awards. I hope you find some books here that will bring a smile to your kids' faces! I encourage you to check out all the other nominated titles over at the Cybils Awards, and I am having a ton of fun reading through all the books and sharing my opinions with you all!


Always happy to be surrounded by books,