The 2014 Cybils Awards were announced on Saturday, February 14, 2015. You can see all of the winners here.
I had fun being a Round 2 Judge for the Elementary and Middle Grade Nonfiction category. Thank you to Jennifer Wharton who facilitated the Round 2 Judging Phase, and fellow judges: Anamaria Anderson, Monica Edinger, Lisa Taylor, and Laurie Ann Thompson.
The Elementary & Middle Grade Nonfiction winner is:
Feathers: Not Just for Flying
by Melissa Stewart; Illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen
Charlesbridge Publishers
Nominated by Laura Purdie Salas
Using child-friendly similes, Feathers shows that there is both beauty and purpose in nature and that, although we do not fly, we have many things in common with birds, such as the need to be safe, attractive, industrious, communicative, and well-fed. The simple, large text is suitable for reading to very young children, while the inset boxes contain more details for school-aged kids. The scrapbook-style watercolor illustrations show each feather at life size, and provide a nice jumping-off point for individual projects. Science, art, and prose work together to make this the perfect book to share with budding young artists, painters, naturalists, and scientists, and it will be appreciated by parents, teachers, and kids.
Congratulations to Melissa Stewart & Sarah S. Brannen on creating such a wonderful book.