Link Du Jour: A Bit of Me Edition

New year, new stuff. Here’s a quick rundown of what caught my eye over the holidays.

Cybils Finalists Announced!

January 1st is New Year’s Day, sure, but it’s also Cybils finalist day. Let’s try to make that catch on, okay? There’s a whole mess of shortlists to peruse over at the Cybils website, including the category I was a part of – Fiction Picture Books. Click here to see all the lists.

New Ambassador

First Jon Scieszka wore the sash. Then the great Katherine Paterson. Who will be the next National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature? Having no inside scoop whatsoever, making a guess would be irresponsible. Since that hasn’t stopped me before – Laurie Halse Anderson would make a fine choice. Your opinions on the matter? We’ll find out on January 3rd. Click here to read.

Simms Taback 1932-2011

Sad news. The author and illustrator of Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, among other books, passed away on Christmas day.

Great Websites for Kids Overhaul

Are you in charge of a school website? You’ve gotta link to Great Websites for Kids from ALSC. They’ve recently given the site a makeover. Click here to check it out.

The Nerdies

Wait! Don’t say goodbye to 2011 without checking out this new For the People, By the People award. And the best named to boot. The 2011 Nerdies can be found here.

A Couple, Two, Three 2012 Predictions

What are children’s lit-type folks looking forward to in 2012? Jules Danielson of the venerable Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast threw out the question recently. Click here to read the responses.

I Brain Burped

Author, illustrator, and swell gal Katie Davis invited fellow school librarian John Schumacher and I onto her Brain Burps about Books podcast to talk about our Top 20 Books of 2011 list. Can you tell I’m nervous? Can you tell I’m sitting on a chair in a closet? Click here to listen. Click here to subscribe via iTunes.

Top Image: ‘Confetti‘ http://www.flickr.com/photos/71984448@N00/216516964

Filed under: Link Du Jour