The clock is ticking. Our Round One Cybils Awards panelists for 2022 NONFICTION are faced with narrowing the nominees to just a few finalists. After that, a new panel of judges will take on the challenging task of naming a single title among each category: elementary, middle grade, and high school. I do not envy them their assignment.
My struggles to determine which titles belong on that short list are eased by some amazing discussions with the other panelists. And I'm lucky to have readers through this platform so I can describe and recommend far more than a few of the nominees in the picture book category. (I also review and comment on the older-reader categories in my Goodreads account, in case you are interested).
OWLKIDS BOOKS, 2022
So, without any indicators about which titles might be inching forward to that short list for elementary titles, I'm accelerating my looks at some of my MANY favorites, just in time for holiday gifting and book ordering in school and library budgets.
My last post featured ON A GOLD-BLOOMING DAY, here, and it definitely deserves your attention for its visual glory as well as its word mastery. Another picture book among the nominees that involves nature, superb language, and visual appeal is DIG, DANCE, DIVE: How Birds Move to Survive. It's written by Etta Kaner and illustrated by June Steube. The language in this delightfully informative book about bird adaptations is playful but precise. Each critter is introduced with a few lively words in oversized font, followed by a short passage with science-accurate descriptions of how the introductory phrase applies.
This example involves penguins.
"BIRDS TOBOGGAN."
In just a few following sentences in standard font, readers then learn about what it takes to safely and effectively conserve energy and yet escape or travel large spaces without harming penguin feathers. The appealing and reader-focused eyes are enhanced by the illustrator's placement of birds in dramatic perspectives, action-packed scenes, and creative clusters, but ones that are consistent with actual behaviors of that species. A final double spread offers quick notes about other birds and their surprising behavior patterns and adaptations that increase survival.
This is a thoroughly scientific/nonfiction title for young audiences, yet it abounds with humor, surprise, and curiosity-provoking content that are likely to develop more attentive observation of birds among those same young ones. If you are new to this blog you won't know that I am an avowed bird-lover, wowed by their intelligence, variety, beauty and behaviors. Even so, I feel safe is assuring readers that such a preset is not required to fall in love with this book and the birds within its pages.
What are you waiting for?
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