OUAS 4 Educators

Ad the award goes to…The Children’s Book Council has unveiled the finalists for its second-annual Children’s Choice Book Awards based on votes from kids from around the country who nominated their favorite book, author, and illustrator.

Some 15,000 children cast their ballots for best books in six categories—four based on age group, as well as favorite author and illustrator of the year.

For the second consecutive year, the winners will be announced at the Children’s Choice Book Awards Gala on May 12, during Children’s Book Week.

Award-winning author Jon Scieszka, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, will host the gala again, during which the second annual Impact Award will be given—this year to actress/comedian Whoopi Goldberg.

Get your students back to the ballot box. They can vote from March 16 through May 3, for their favorite books, authors, and illustrator at their schools, libraries and bookstores, as well as at BookWeekOnline.com.

And the finalists are:

Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year
The Donut Chef (Random) by Bob Staake
Katie Loves the Kittens (Holt) by John Himmelman
The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! (Hyperion) by Mo Willems
Sort It Out! (Sylvan Dell) by Barbara Mariconda, illus. by Sherry Rogers
Those Darn Squirrels! (Clarion) by Adam Rubin, illus. by Daniel Salmieri

Third Grade to Fourth Grade Book of the Year
Babymouse: Puppy Love (Random) by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (Random House)
One Million Things: A Visual Encyclopedia (DK) by Peter Chrisp
Underwear: What We Wear Under There (Holiday House) by Ruth Freeman Swain, illus. by John O’Brien
Willow by Denise Brennan-Nelson and Rosemarie Brennan, illus. (Sleeping Bear) by Cyd Moore
Spooky Cemeteries (Bearport) by Dinah Williams

Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade Book of the Year
100 Most Dangerous Things On the Planet (Scholastic Reference) by Anna Claybourne
Amulet, Book One: The Stonekeeper (Scholastic/Graphix) by Kazu Kibuishi
The Big Field (Philomel) by Mike Lupica
Swords: An Artist’s Devotion (Candlewick) by Ben Boos
Thirteen (Dutton) by Lauren Myracle

Teen Choice Book Award
Airhead (Scholastic/Point) by Meg Cabot
Breaking Dawn (Little, Brown) by Stephenie Meyer
The Hunger Games (Scholastic) by Suzanne Collins
Lock and Key (Viking) by Sarah Dessen
Paper Towns (Dutton) by John Green

Author of the Year
Stephenie Meyer, Breaking Dawn (Little, Brown)
Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (Abrams/Amulet)
Christopher Paolini, Brisingr (Knopf)
James Patterson, Maximum Ride: The Final Warning (Little, Brown)
Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth (Disney-Hyperion)

Illustrator of the Year
Laura Cornell, Big Words for Little People by Jamie Lee Curtis (HarperCollins/Cotler)
Robin Preiss Glasser, Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly! by Jane O’Connor (HarperCollins)
Mo Willems, The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! (Hyperion)
David Shannon, Loren Long and David Gordon, Smash! Crash! by Jon Scieszka (S & S)
Jon J Muth, Zen Ties (Scholastic)