Epic Cybils Book Battle: Week I

*Disclaimer* The process described below is one method for informing Cybils evaluating. It is not, I repeat, not how the Cybils shortlists are created.

I’m honored to be a panelist on the fiction picture book committee of the 2010 Cybils awards. Since “kid appeal” is part of the award criteria, I though it wise to hit up honest-to-goodness youngsters for their opinions. While I can make predictions on what will float kids’ boats, you can never know for sure until you see the boats actually floatin’.

Here’s my plan:

A book battle of epic proportions. Two schools, eight classrooms, one winner. Well, actually, two winners (but that last sentence sounded so much better with “one winner”). I’ll add these two final student choices to the list of books I’ll be fighting for when our committee gathers to create a shortlist.

Week 1 is a straight-up battle. Each classroom gets two books, they read both and pick their favorite. Scientific? Nay. But a way to gather some useful information.

I feel like it would be slightly unfair to show which books lost, as all have been nominated and are still under consideration. So let’s take a look at the winning books for week one. Each and every title has been classroom approved:

Sneaky Sheep by Chris Monroe

The illustrations in Sneaky Sheep were a high point for students. The humorous story was also a winner.

Hot Rod Hamster Cynthia Lord & Derek Anderson

Students enjoyed the rhyming text and humor of Hot Rod Hamster.

Mostly Monsterly by Tammi Sauer & Scott Magoon

Students noted the artwork in Mostly Monsterly as excellent. They also enjoyed the original story.

Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown

Humor takes the cake. Children love the absurdity of this story and the fact that the boy’s only communication is “squeak”.

Spork by Kyo Maclear & Isabelle Arsenault

Students like Spork‘s unusual illustrations and loved the originality on display. They use sporks at lunch, so they can relate the utensil. The giant baby featured in the climax was also a big hit.

My Garden by Kevin Henkes

My Garden won the day for two reasons: the creativity of the story and the outstanding illustrations.

The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson & Marcellus Hall

Students enjoyed the rhyming words, setting, and concept of The Cow Loves Cookies.

The Thingamabob by Il Sung Na

One student was quoted as saying “short, but hilarious” to describe The Thingamabob.

For round two, I’ll match these winning books up with a fresh batch of excellent titles and students will rate them on a scale of 1-10 for pictures, story, and overall appeal. I’ll share these results as soon as the resultifyin’ is wrapped up.

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