Epic Cybils Book Battle: Week II

This was fun.

As a panelist for the fiction picture book category of the Cybils Awards, I decided to enlist students to assist in the decision-making. I put together a classroom book battle with the goal of narrowing things down to two books that I will fight for when our committee meets to create our shortlist.

Last week I delivered two books to each participating classroom. They read both books and chose their favorite. Click here to read that post. Those eight titles have moved on to this week’s no-holds-barred cage match.

This time around, I added a fresh batch of competitors into the mix and students rated the books on a scale of 1-10 in three categories – story, illustrations, and overall. The top two vote-getters win a spot on my list of favorites. Before we hail the champions, let’s look at the top vote-getters in each class:

Goal! by Mina Javaherbin, illustrated by A.G. Ford

I loved seeing this book win over the class. Student’s noted the illustrations and powerful story as reasons for victory.

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

Kids saw Interrupting Chicken as an excellent combination of artwork and story.

Art & Max by David Wiesner

Kids noted the scene where Max has to re-create Art from a piled-up line as very good. They also loved the colorful illustrations and conclusion.

Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton, Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

The humor in Shark vs. Train carried it to victory.

The Thingamabob by Il Sung Na

This unusual, but funny story won votes for The Thingamabob.

Sneaky Sheep by Chris Monroe

The illustrations, featuring comic-like panels won over the students who read Sneaky Sheep.

The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Marcellus Hall

Kids voted for the outstanding rhyming text and repetition of The Cow Loves Cookies.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead

This one was very consistent for students. They liked the story and illustrations in equal measure.

But among these winners, only two can pass. The ultimate top vote-getters among 2^nd grade students were:

The Cow Loves Cookies

The Thingamabob

Many thanks to the teachers and students who took part. Bring on the shortlist discussion!

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