Cybils: 2007 Nonfiction Picture Book Finalists

The Nonfiction Picture Book panelists had some fabulous books to choose from this year, and the ones that made the short list are representative of all the best things this category has to offer: informative and engaging text, brilliant illustrations, and lots of appeal for young readers.

-- Eisha Prather, Nonfiction Picture Books organizer.

Guess What is Growing Inside this Egg
Written and illustrated by Mia Posada
Millbrook Press
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Emily of Whimsy Books says: "Guess What is Growing Inside this Egg, by Mia Posada, is an interactive treat. Children will scour through the creative illustrations guessing at the animals hiding in each egg. Following each guessing game, readers will enjoy learning a few interesting facts about the animals."

Let's Go!: the Story of Getting from There to Here
Written by Lizann Flatt; illustrated by Scot Ritchie
Maple Tree Press
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Andrea of Just One More Book!! says: "Engaging, upbeat illustrations and a stirring current of action, alliteration and ever-changing gaits sweep us through the evolution of transportation from the ice age to modern day, providing vivid glimpses of North American life and insight into the impact of transportation technology on the human experience."

Lightship
Written and illustrated by Brian Floca
Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books
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Fiona of Books and 'Rocks says: "The fog seems to waft off the page in this delightful look at the work and life aboard the lightship Ambrose -- a floating lighthouse anchored offshore. Floca's detailed watercolor illustrations and deceptively simple text sprinkled with sensory language have readers practically feeling the dampness, tasting the sea air, and tilting with the deck."

Living Color
Written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins
Houghton Mifflin
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Jennifer of Kiddosphere says: "Using his trademark cut-paper-collage illustrations and engaging text, Steve Jenkins introduces readers to the wild and wonderful world of color in the animal kingdom. Jenkins shares information, rather than lectures, and readers feel as if they are being included in delightful secrets. Perfect for children who enjoy 'browsable books,' but don't be surprised if an adult sneaks a read as well."

One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II
Written and illustrated by Lita Judge
Hyperion
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Andrea of Just One More Book!! says: "Eye-opening scatterings of yellowed newspaper footprints, handwritten lists and aged, intimate photographs make vivid this beautifully told true story of hardship, and the pulling together of communities torn to opposite sides of war."

Vulture View
Written by April Pulley Sayre; illustrated by Steve Jenkins
Henry Holt & Co.
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Tricia of The Miss Rumphius Effect says: "We've all seen them, with their dark plumage, featherless heads and hooked beaks, circling, circling something in the distance. Road kill for breakfast? Don't mind if I do! Yes, I'm talking about vultures, and so is April Pulley Sayre in her informative and poetic book, gorgeously illustrated by Steve Jenkins." Read her review here.

Where in the Wild?: Camouflaged Creatures Concealed...and Revealed
Written by David Schwartz and Yael Schy; photographs by Dwight Kuhn
Tricycle Press
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Fiona of Books and 'Rocks says: "A refreshing selection of ten camouflaged animals beautifully photographed and presented as a "find-the-critter" challenge. Snappy titles and delicious poems cleverly hint at the animals' identities (form and meter match each animal!), and fold-out pages reveal the animals and cool information about them, clearly written in a kid-friendly style."