Yesterday was Valentine's Day, a widespread celebration of romance and chocolate. Less well-known, perhaps, is that fact that February 14th is also the day that the winners of the Cybils are announced each year. As I've mentioned previously, the Cybils are a series of book awards given by children's and young adult literature bloggers. The awards are given to the books that panelists feel provide the best balance of literary merit and kid-appeal. This year, there are twelve winning titles, in categories ranging from easy readers to poetry to middle grade graphic novels to young adult fiction. Here are the winners:

Cybils Awards for Children's and Middle Grade Books

Picture Book (Fiction)

All the World
by Liz Garton Scanlon; illustrated by Marla Frazee
Beach Lane Books
Nominated by: Cynthia Leitich Smith

Picture Book (Non-Fiction)

The Day-Glo Brothers
by Chris Barton; illustrated by Tony Persiani
Charlesbridge
Nominated by: Cynthia Leitich Smith

Easy Reader

Watch Me Throw the Ball! (An Elephant and Piggie Book)
by Mo Willems
Hyperion
Nominated by: Melissa

Early Chapter Book

Bad to the Bone (Down Girl and Sit)
by Lucy Nolan; illustrated by Mike Reed
Marshall Cavendish Childrens Books
Nominated by: Jennifer Wharton

Poetry

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors
by Joyce Sidman; illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Nominated by: Elizabeth Bird

Graphic Novel

The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook
by Eleanor Davis
Bloomsbury USA
Nominated by: Scope Notes

Middle Grade Fantasy and Science Fiction

Dreamdark: Silksinger (Faeries of Dreamdark)
by Laini Taylor
Putnam Juvenile
Nominated by: Melissa
My review

Middle Grade Fiction

Chains
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Simon & Schuster
Nominated by: melissa
My review

Cybils Awards For Young Adult Books

Non-Fiction

The Frog Scientist
by Pamela S. Turner; illustrated by Andy Comins
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Nominated by: Laurie Thompson

Graphic Novel

Gunnerkrigg Court: Orientation
by Tom Siddell
Archaia Press
Nominated by: Paradox

Fantasy & Science Fiction

Fire
by Kristin Cashore
Dial
Nominated by: Jenny Moss
My review

Young Adult Fiction

Cracked Up to Be
by Courtney Summers
Macmillan
Nominated by: Robin Prehn

You can find additional detail about the winners, including blurbs about each book, at the Cybils blog. You can also find a printable list of all of the shortlist titles (five to seven in each of the above categories) in the upper right-hand corner of the Cybils blog.

I hope that you'll take the opportunity to check out the Cybils winners. These are titles that are guaranteed to be well-written, kid-friendly titles, the cream of the crop from each category. You kids won't be disappointed with these books, and neither will you.