Choose Cybils Books for the Holidays

Are you ready to start thinking about holiday shopping?  Are you looking for the perfect gift for your children or grandchildren? Well, might I suggest that the Cybils nomination lists are an excellent source of book recommendations for kids of all ages? We have more than 900 nominated titles from 2009 in categories ranging from picture books to nonfiction to graphic novels. You can view all of the nominated titles, by category, on the Cybils blog.

You can also view a rotating list of Cybils nominees in the gorgeous and handy Cybils 2009 widget, developed by Tracy Grand from JacketFlap. You can view the widget in my right-hand sidebar (scroll down a bit - you'll see the Cybils logo). If you click through from the widget and purchase any of the titles from Amazon, a small commission will go to the Cybils organization. Money raised by these Amazon commissions is used by the Cybils organizers to buy prizes for the winners (last year we bought lovely engraved pens). You can also click a link to purchase from your local bookstore, if you prefer that.

You're also welcome and encouraged to install the Cybils widget on your own blog - you can customize it to choose particular categories, and you can add your own Amazon ID if you prefer (I've left mine using the Cybils Amazon ID, as a small way of showing support for the Cybils - but that is completely up to you). Many thanks to Tracy Grand for putting this widget together.

If you'd prefer shorter, more targeted book lists to choose from, you can find printable versions of the short lists and winners from the 2007 and 2008 Cybils in the upper right-hand corner of the Cybils blog. Many of these titles are, by now, available in paperback. You can print out the lists, and take them to your local bookstore.

I've always felt that one of the biggest benefits that comes out of the Cybils process is these categorized lists of nominees and finalists. I hope that if any of you are planning to buy children's or young adult books for the holidays, you'll take advantage of this resource. And if you're looking for reasons in general to buy books for the holidays, you might check out the Buy Books for the Holidays website (not Cybils affiliated, though there is certainly overlap between Cybils panelists and Buy Books for the Holidays advocates).

Wishing you all a lovely and safe Thanksgiving weekend, and a wonderful start to the 2009 holiday season!