Cybils 2019 Poetry Finalists

It's a new year and time to celebrate lists of best books, favorite books, and just-plain-awesome books for young people. I love participating in the Cybils award, in particular, because they focus on POETRY specifically and because it gives me an opportunity to dialogue about poetry with other bloggers and lovers of poetry! This year, I served as a judge for the poetry finalists and we were charged with winnowing the wonderful field of poetry for young people published last year down to SEVEN books. Not easy, but fun to read, reread, and discuss. You can see the list of ALL the nominated poetry titles here. But here are the SEVEN finalists we chose collectively. The final ONE winner will be announced on Feb. 14. Stay tuned. 

Cybils Poetry Finalists

Dreams from Many Rivers: A Hispanic History of the United States Told in Poems
by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Beatriz Gutierrez Hernandez

Henry Holt

Ink Knows No Borders: Poems of the Immigrant and Refugee Experience 

Edited by Patrice Vecchione and Alyssa Raymond

Triangle Square

Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir 

by Nikki Grimes

Wordsong

Other Words for Home
by Jasmine Warga

Balzer + Bray

SHOUT
by Laurie Halse Anderson

Viking Books for Young Readers

Soccerverse: Poems about Soccer
by Elizabeth Steinglass, illustrated by Edson Ike

Wordsong

The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog and Other How-To Poems 

by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Richard Jones
Candlewick Press

My fantastic fellow judges for the Cybils Poetry Finalists:

Anastasia Suen, #kidlit Book of the Day

Ellen Zschunke, On the Shelf 4 Kids

Tricia Stohr-Hunt, The Miss Rumphius Effect

Matt Esenwine, Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme

Margaret Simon, Reflections on the Teche

And don't miss ALL the wonderful poetry published in 2019! There were so many other fantastic works to read and share. Revisit my 2019 list of poetry here.

Now head on over to Carol's Corner for more Poetry Friday love!

Happy new year, y'all. My "sneak peek" list of forthcoming 2020 poetry titles should be up next week!