The Writer’s League of Texas has announced finalists for the Teddy Children’s Book Awards for children’s/YA writing.

Short Works: Buddy: The Story of Buddy Holly by Anne Bustard, illustrated by Kurt Cyrus (Simon & Schuster, 2005); Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers: How A First Lady Changed America by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by Joy Fisher Hein (HarperCollins, 2005); and Poles Apart: Why Penguins and Polar Bears Will Never Be Neighbors by Elaine Scott (Viking, 2004).

Long Works: Close Encounters of a Third World Kind by Jennifer J. Stewart (Holiday House, 2004); Light Years by Tammar Stein (Knopf, 2005); and Upside Down and Backwards/De Cabeza y Al Reves by Diane Gonzales Bertrand, translated by Karina Hernandez (Arte Publico, 2004).

Cynsational Links

Author Kathi Appelt and illustrator Joy Fisher Hein on Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers: How A First Lady Changed America (HarperCollins, 2005) from cynsations. March 2005. See also A First Lady Who Made A Difference: An Interview with Kathi Appelt by Alice Cary from BookPage.

Author Update: Diane Gonzales Bertrand from cynsations. September 2005. See also Diane Gonzales Bertrand from Children’s Literature.

Author Interview: Anne Bustard on Buddy: The Story of Buddy Holly (Simon & Schuster, 2005) from cynsations. February 2005.

Free Activity Guide for Poles Apart: Why Penguins and Polar Bears Will Never Be Neighbors (Viking, 2004) from the Texas Book Festival.

Light Years by Tammar Stein: a review from Teenreads.com.