What the Cybils and Chief Wiggum Have in Common —
and Happy New Year from 7-Imp!
December 31st, 2007 by jules
Jules here. I wanted, even though I mentioned this yesterday, to remind everyone that the shortlist titles in some — but not all — of the Cybils ’07 categories will be announced on January 1st. And that includes the category I organized and on which I served as a panelist, Fiction Picture Books.
I think our shortlisters for Fiction Picture Books are wonderful titles; I’m happy with the list and anxious to share it with everyone. There were three titles I had in my mind as Ones That Would Make Me Moan and Wail and Kick and Scream and Pout Like a Two-Year-Old If They Did Not Land Squarely on the Shortlist (including an illustrator whom I wanted to appear on the list in one way or another), and only one of them made it*. For a moment, I considered standing on my rooftop and yelling, in the words of Chief Wiggum, “you know what I blame this on the breakdown of? Society.” My own barbaric yawp across the rooftops of a small town in middle Tennesee. But, nah, I love the rest of the shortlist; it’s an impressive collection of picture book titles; I’m proud of it; and I particularly loved creating and molding it into shape with my Cybils ’08 peeps: Marcie at World of Words; MotherReader; Annie at Crazy for Kids’ Books; and Cheryl Rainfield. I was telling Cheryl yesterday if we channeled her passion for good books, we could power the globe. But if you channel the passion of all four of those panelists put together, you could power . . . uh, the . . . uh, solar system. Or the universe AND its screened-in back porch. Ahem, it’s hard to take that metaphor any further.
But you get the idea.
So, be looking for our shortlist at the Cybils blog tomorrow! This post over there will remind you which shortlists will be revealed tomorrow — and which on January 7th (Eisha’s category, Non-fiction Picture Books, falls into the latter category, though she is a nominating panelist for Young Adult Fiction, whose shortlist also will be revealed at that later date).
Oh and also, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL! Wahoo! My self-imposed blog break (well, minus this post and yesterday’s — Ooh! Ooh! R. Gregory Christie stopped by! Go see) might extend a bit further into the week, as it’s almost 2008, which so completely needs to be celebrated; my husband still has off work; and I’m still just kicking back a bit. But you know I’ll be back soon and running my mouth about books.
Happy ’08! In the words of Mark Twain, “now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.”
* Actually, there were a couple other titles that I’d put in the screaming and pouting category, but I didn’t have to argue for them, as it was immediately clear that we all loved them and they’d ez-ily made the shortlist.
I love it when you run your mouth about books. 🙂 I think passion about books is wonderful, and the world could use a lot more of it. 🙂
And Happy New Year to you, too.
Jules and Eisha, happy, happy new year!
Happy New Year, Impish Ones! I can’t wait to see how you rock 2008!
The Twain quote is supurb! Thanks, and Happy New Year.
Ooh! Can hardly wait to see the PB shortlist!!
Happy New Year, J and E!
Oops. My fellow Simpsons Nerd of a husband says that it was Moe who said that — not Chief Wiggum. Sorry, Moe.
Happy Happy New Year to the both of you!!
So, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but hell itself is paved with broken resolutions? Interesting.
Can’t wait for the worldwide reaction to the CYBILS lists tomorrow. In the meantime, Happy New Year to you and Eisha!
Happy new year, Jules and Eisha!
-Susan
Happy New Year, Jules and Eisha. May you have lots of figgy pudding (or a reasonable facsimile).
Happy new year!
Happy New Year!