CYBILS Winners Announced!

Valentine's Day is here and you know what that means. I'm not talking about long-stemmed red roses, heart-shaped chocolate boxes, and flutes of Champagne (although I sure wouldn't mind a glass or two tonight). No, I mean today is when the CYBILS announce the winners of the 2012 books they love best of all.  As a second round judge this year, I got to debate the merits of some fantastic books in the Easy Reader and Early Chapter Book categories. My fellow judges provided some top notch critiques and I'd like to thank them all for their passion and zeal. These folks seriously dig children's books. So a big round of applause to Julie Azzam, Stacey Loscalzo, Nancy Talan, and Zoe Toft! And a special shout-out to Terry Doherty, our fearless mediator!

As for the winners, we selected Frank Viva's A Trip to the Bottom of the World with Mouse for best Easy Reader, an exceptionally gorgeous book with eye-popping illustrations and laugh-aloud text. For Early Chapter Book we chose Sadie & Ratz by Sonia Hartnett and illustrated by Ann James. I didn't know about this remarkable book about sibling rivalry run amok until judging time. All I can say is I'm so glad I got the chance to read it.

So hop on over to the CYBILS website and take a gander at all the other fine winners. You're sure to see many of your favorites as well as a few surprises.

Now where's that Champagne?