5 Things I Love About Judging the Cybils

Today is the day! The official call for 2015 Cybils judges has been announced! I'm very excited to be returning as the organizer for easy readers and early chapter books, and I am looking forward to working with a great group of judges this season.

For those who don't know, the Cybils are the Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards, given annually in a whole host of categories to kids' books that have both high literary merit and great kid appeal. There are two judging phases. Beginning in October, round one judges read every nominated book in their category, and then present a short list in January. Between New Year's Day and Valentine's Day, round two judges read every book on their category's short list and choose the winner. (To serve as judge, you must be a blogger who meets the eligibility requirements.)

With the exception of 2013 (when I was a brand-new mom), I have participated in Cybils every year since I started blogging, and I look forward to it at the end of every summer. Today, in the hopes of inspiring potential judges to submit their applications ASAP, I want to share with you just five of the many reasons I love judging the Cybils.

• Connecting with the blogging community. Blogging, like any type of writing, can be very isolating if you are not connected to a network. Cybils has helped me discover not just other book bloggers, but other book bloggers who are interested in the same very specific types of books that I prefer to read and review. I still follow many of the bloggers with whom I have connected through Cybils, and each year, I find new blogs to add to my RSS subscriptions. Cybils is a great opportunity for new and experienced bloggers to branch out, make friends, and enrich the blogging experience.
• Deep discussions. Chances are, if you blog about books, you like to talk about books. But how often do you have the opportunity in your everyday life to engage in deep conversation about what makes a great book work? During Cybils season, judges have these conversations on an ongoing basis, from their preliminary discussions about the judging criteria, to those final decision-making moments at the end of each round. Not only have these discussions helped me to look at books in new ways, they have also made me much more skilled at expressing and defending my own point of view. 
• Having a reason to look forward to Fall and Winter. I love summer, and it is a disappointment every year to see the weather turn cold, the daylight grow short, and the winter coats come out of the closet. Knowing that Cybils will run from October to February makes the transition into this time of year seem much more bearable. 
• The thrill of the hunt. There is nothing I love more than tracking down a long list of titles to read. I use Cybils as an excuse to visit as many different local libraries and bookstores as I can, in the hopes of finding and reading all those obscure and hard-to-find nominees. Review copies are nice, too, but there is something so satisfying (at least for my librarian's soul) about finding each book on my own. 
• Professional development. As a stay-at-home mom, I really enjoy professional projects that can help me stay connected to the fields of librarianship and children's literature without requiring me to travel for conferences or take on a part-time job. Cybils is the ideal way to participate because I can do the reading during nap time, write reviews on the weekends, and save the discussions for the evenings when my daughter is in bed. No matter how many books I read in a given year, there are always new ones I learn about come Cybils time, and sometimes these previously unknown titles end up becoming new favorites! 

Have I convinced you to apply? Click here for the application. Good luck and happy Cybils! 

16 Picture Books About Writing

The books on this list are all about writing! They are organized into four categories: What Writers Do (books about authorship and types of writing), Writing Your Name (books about kids learning to write their own names), Creative Writing (stories about the creative process of writing a story or essay), and Writing Implements (books starring pens and pencils as characters.)

What Writers Do

• Written Anything Good Lately? by Susan Allen and Jane Lindaman, illustrated by Vicky Enright
  This alphabet book provides young readers with a great foundation in the many different types of writing they can do, from telling their autobiographies to giving directions to their houses. 
• Author: A True Story by Helen Lester
  In this light-hearted picture book biography Helen Lester traces her writing career from the scribbles of toddlerhood through her struggle with "mirror writing" in school, and on toward adulthood, where she is the creator of beloved stories such as Hooway for Wodney Wat and Tacky the Penguin. 
• If You Were a Writer by Joan Lowery Nixon, illustrated by Bruce Degen
  In this fictional story, Melia wants to be an author just like her mother. Though this book could use some modernizing (few authors, aside from possibly Kevin Henkes, work with typewriters these days), but the advice to show rather than tell and the family's enjoyment of words and wordplay still makes it a worthwhile read. 
• What Do Authors Do? by Eileen Christelow
  This non-fiction picture book tells what writers do, from the beginning brainstorming stages of a story, all the way up through the publication phase. The informational text is accompanied by a fictional narrative told in comic book panels, in which two authors are inspired to write a story by a funny interaction between their pets.  

Writing Your Name

• Yoko Writes Her Name by Rosemary Wells
  Yoko, a young Japanese cat, writes her name perfectly in Japanese, but she is teased by her classmates, who believe she is just scribbling and therefore won't be allowed to graduate from kindergarten. 
• The Day of Ahmed’s Secret by Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland, illustrated by Ted Lewin
  Ahmed hides the happy secret of his newfound ability all day while he travels the streets of Cairo delivering fuel to help his family earn money.
• Write on, Carlos! by Stuart J. Murphy
  In this book from the I See I Learn series, Carlos wants to learn to write his name like his friends can. As Carlos's mother helps him identify each of the letters of his name, readers are also shown the letters on an alphabet strip at the bottom of the page, which reinforces their own letter knowledge. 
• My Name is Yoon by Helen Recorvits, illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska
  When Yoon and her family move to the U.S. from Korea, it takes her a little while to accept how her name is written in English, and to want to write it herself. 

Creative Writing

• Rocket Writes a Story by Tad Hills
  Rocket the dog wants to tell a story of his own, but finds himself dealing with writer's block until his friend the yellow bird encourages him to go out and gain some life experience. 
• Poppy’s Best Paper by Susan Eaddy, illustrated by Rosalinde Bonnet
  A young rabbit named Poppy thinks she wants to be a writer when she grows up, but when it comes time to write papers for school, she becomes overconfident and rushes through her work. Finally, after getting into trouble for outbursts at school and at home, she finds a topic she is passionate about and hands in her very best paper. (I recently received a digital ARC of this book from Charlesbridge Publishing via NetGalley.) 
• Arthur Writes a Story by Marc Brown
  When Arthur is given an assignment to write a story, he worries that the topic he chooses will be boring in comparison to what his classmates decide to write about. 
• Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk
  Sam, a mouse who lives in a library, begins to write and illustrate his own stories and leave them for the kids who use the library to find. 

Writing Implements

• The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Bruce Ingman
  A pencil begins to draw, and soon a whole world is born. Unfortunately, all the people and creatures created by the pencil soon begin to complain, and before too long, the pencil feels compelled to draw an eraser to rub them all out! 
• The Obstinate Pen by Frank W. Dormer
  Horace's Uncle Flood knows just what he wants to write with his pen, but the pen has a mind of its own and instead writes silly insults directed at Uncle Flood himself! 
• The Little Red Pen by Janet Stevens, illustrated by Susan Stevens Crummel
  The little red pen has lots of homework to correct, but neither the stapler, nor the eraser, nor the pushpin will help her in this school-centered retelling of The Little Red Hen. 
• Little Red Writing by Joan Holub, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
  A little red pencil must make her way through the writing process while avoiding the Wolf 3000 pencil sharpener in this clever retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. 

10 Picture Books About Lions & Tigers

Kids love to read about the ferocious antics of lions and tigers. Indulge their interests with this list of books about these big, wild cats.

Lions

• The Happy Lion by Louise Fatio, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin
  Everyone loves the lion at the zoo, until one day, he wanders out of his cage, and suddenly his admirers all flee in terror.
• Little Lions by Jim Arnosky
  Two mountain lion cubs play with their mother on a ledge, waiting for the day they are old enough to be taught how to hunt. This is a perfect nature picture book for toddlers.
• Chloe and the Lion by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Adam Rex
  In this sophisticated picture book, author and illustrator appear in the story, arguing over whether Chloe should meet a lion or something much more sinister in the woods on her way home.
• Pierre by Maurice Sendak
  A difficult, selfish child named Pierre only says one phrase: "I don't care." It is not until he is swallowed by a lion that he changes his attitude and learns to stop being so apathetic.
• Lion by William Pene du Bois
  During the creation of the animals on Earth an angel works hard to perfect the lion, making lots of silly modifications before getting it just right.
• We’re Going on a Lion Hunt by David Axtell
  Two sisters travel across the African savanna to hunt for a lion in this take-off on We're Going on a Bear Hunt.

Tigers

• Tiger Can’t Sleep by S.J. Fore, illustrated by R.W. Alley
  A little boy is kept awake by the noisy, but otherwise friendly, tiger who lives in his closet.
• Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown
  In a world where all civilized animals wear clothes, Mr. Tiger decides to shed all the finery and get back to his natural naked state.
• Sam and the Tigers by Julius Lester, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
  The tigers want to eat Sam, but he is smart enough to trick them instead. (This book is a retelling of The Story of Little Black Sambo.)
• Who is the Beast? by Keith Baker
  The jungle animals flee from the frightening tiger until he explains how he is similar to each of them. 

Moms Club Ukulele Sing-Along, 7/22/15

Instead of story time, this past month I performed a ukulele sing-along for my moms group. It was pretty well-attended, and there were a good number of kids ranging in age from a few months old to four years old. Below is my set list from the performance, along with the chords for each song in the key in which I played it.

Hello, How Are You?

• Tune: Skip to My Lou 
• Key: C
• Chords: C, G7 

The Wheels on the Bus

• Key: D 
• Chords: D, A7 
• Notes: For the first time ever, Little Miss Muffet did all the motions to this song! 

Bumpin' Up and Down in My Little Red Wagon 

• Tune: Available on Spotify.  
• Key: C 
• Chords: C, G7

Row Your Boat

• Key: F 
• Chords: F, C7

The Itsy Bitsy Spider 

• Key: A 
• Chords: A, E7

You Are My Sunshine

• Key: C 
• Chords: C, F, Am, G7
• Notes: This is the song during which all the children old enough to walk got up and left the pavilion and headed for the playground. Apparently this is not that much of a favorite after all. 

Butterfly Gals

• Tune: Buffalo Gals; also available on Spotify. 
• Key: C
• Chords: C, G7 
• Notes: We acted this one out, and most of the kids did at least half of the motions. I was originally going to play this in G, but at the last minute decided to play it in a key I am more comfortable in. 

Aikendrum 

• Tune: Available on Spotify.
• Key: A 
• Chords: A, E7 
• Notes: I did this as a cumulative song, since I knew most of the kids wouldn't know it and wanted them to have enough repetitions of each verse that they could learn it quickly and start to sing along. Not all of the kids were into it, but the oldest among them were definitely with me until the end. 

ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep

• Key: G
• Chords: G, C, D7 
• Notes: One of the moms signed the alphabet and Twinkle Twinkle for her daughter, which I loved. 

Chickadee

• Tune: Available on Spotify.  
• Key: C 
• Chords: C, F, G7 
• Notes: This didn't work for me on ukulele, and had this not been a ukulele sing-along, I'd have preferred to sing it a cappella. One of the kids and his mom were really into it, but I had pretty much lost the other kids by this point.