Library & Literary Miscellany

Since I mentioned the Cybil Awards in my Scaredy Squirrel review, here’s a little bit more about the award (being as that these awards are not quite as renowned as the Newbery or Caldecott as yet).

About the Cybil Awards (from the Cybil Awards website):

Like all revolutions, this one started small, with a single post on a blog devoted to children’s literature. The Newbery Awards seemed too elitist and the Quills, well, not enough so. Was there a middle ground, an annual award that would recognize both a book’s merits and popularity?

The Cybils found that middle ground. The public nominates their favorite children’s books from 2007 in seven categories: Picture Books; Non-fiction Picture Books; Middle Grade fiction; Poetry; Young Adult fiction; Non-fiction (YA/MG); and Graphic Novels. Nominations open on October 1.

When we say “the public,” we mean it. Anyone with an e-mail address may nominate one book per category. Then groups of bloggers get to work. First, a nominating committee reads ALL the titles in a given category. After nearly two arduous months, this committee winnows the nominees to five finalists. A second committee of bloggers considers the shortlist and, after much debate, chooses the best of the best for 2007.

The Cybil Awards are unique in that, as they say, anyone with an email address is welcome to participate by nominating one book per category. If nothing else, I like to peruse the Cybil Nominee lists to garner reading ideas. One caveat regarding participating, though, try not to nominate a book that has already been nominated as this is a null vote and is rather tiresome for the moderators. A book need only be nominated once to be considered for the award.

At any rate, the Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards–the Cybils–provide children’s literature aficionados with a great way to participate in the awards process and to make one’s literary voice heard.

Hmmm, as long as we’re on the subject of voting and participating, keep the 2008 presidential elections in mind as an avenue for participating in the future of America and making one’s citizen’s voice heard. A couple of resources: the 2008 Portal (for an actual attempt at providing relevant information) and Indecision 2008 (for a satirical take). Or you may want to take a look at the PDF article The 51st State: The State of Online The Presidential Campaign 2008 Candidates and News Sources (this is an informative article elucidating the dramatic impact the Internet is having on the election process. The article lists the presidential candidates websites as well as useful mainstream media sites, blogs, and aggregator tools). Pardon the bunny trail…

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Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt (hardcover 2006, softcover March 2008)

Here’s my Scaredy Squirrel review, in a nutshell. Everyone fears something; Scaredy Squirrel fears everything. Scaredy Squirrel (aptly named) never leaves his nut tree–the safe, the known, the dependable, the predictable, the routine nut tree; he’s also fully prepared should anything happen in said nut tree. Then, the unexpected occurs, and Scaredy Squirrel must learn how to deal.

As you may have guessed, Scaredy Squirrel realizes that one cannot prepare for everything, and that sometimes, that’s okay. He even comes up with a new-and-improved routine for daily life. This book is SO much fun and the illustrations are charming. Scaredy Squirrel is an easy-to-identify-with character.

Rare is the children’s book where a life lesson is dished out in such a humorous, unobtrusive way. Kids will be able to relate to Scaredy Squirrel and his fears, and, it is hoped, they will draw courage from Scaredy Squirrel’s survival (and arguably thriving) when he comes face-to-face with his fear of the unknown. Nevertheless, he still insists that everyone wash their hands with antibacterial soap before reading his book!

Apparently, Scaredy Squirrel has more to learn in life than facing his fears (don’t we all) for he makes another appearance in Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend (2007) which I plan to read just as soon as I wash my hands again .

Scaredy Squirrel was the 2006 Cybil award winner for children’s fiction picture book, and Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend is a 2007 nominee for the same award.

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Being that November has rolled around (where do the years go), I wanted to include a post recommending that everyone go check out Robert’s Snow (also Robert’s Snowflakes), the related illustrated snowflakes, and the story behind both the book and the snowflakes.

Grace Lin’s Robert’s Snow exists due to her support of her husband, Robert Mercer, throughout his battle with cancer. The press release tells the story behind Robert’s Snow better than I ever could, so I pasted the main piece of it here (view the press release for a more-detailed account):

Just after getting married, her [Grace Lin’s] husband Robert Mercer was diagnosed with sarcoma, a cancer of the soft tissue and bone. While Mercer was receiving treatment, Lin told him a bedside story about a mouse that couldn’t go outside to play in the snow. The story grew into a children’s book, titled “Robert’s Snow.” When Lin was finishing the artwork for the book, her husband had a relapse, so her colleagues rallied to create Robert’s Snow: for Cancer’s Cure to increase awareness about sarcoma and to raise research funding. Mercer passed away in August 2007, but Robert’s Snow: for Cancer’s Cure continues as a legacy to his life.

The three 2007 Robert’s Snow auctions are to be held online on the following dates:

• Auction 1: November 19 - 23
• Auction 2: November 26 - 30
• Auction 3: December 3 - 7

Since 2004, children’s book illustrators have been creating unique snowflakes to raise money for sarcoma research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Everywhere you click in the KidLit Blogosphere (for example, view Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast’s Blogging for a Cure 2007 page for A LOT more detail), you can read interviews with Robert’s Snow snowflake illustrators–these “Blogging for the Cure” interviews and reviews provide more details about the illustrator’s works and the snowflakes that they have designed.

Robert’s Snow and the related snowflakes are testaments to the strength of the human spirit and to the generosity of humanity. To be a part of blogging/bidding in the fight against cancer and to own a piece of art from your favorite children’s book illustrator, don’t miss the auctions and/or Grace Lin’s children’s books.

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