Balloons, Witches, Elephants & Cartoons: 4th Grade Sibert Awards

Fourth graders have been studying the Sibert Informational Book Award. The award is given each year by the American Library Association to the best nonfiction children's book. Students used the following criteria to judge whether a book should win the Sibert Award:

• nonfiction book that is clear and accurate with details
• supportive features (table of contents, index, glossary, etc.)
• interesting to children
• well-organized
• excellent language and illustrations/graphics

I read the same 4 books in 3 different 4th grade classes and the results were different in each. Based on comments from their tally sheets, some students thought Balloons Over Broadway should win because of the illustrations and it was interesting to children. Others students thought Elephant Scientist was the best because it had lots of details and would be interesting to children interested in animals. And still others thought that Witches should win because it was a fascinating topic, had supportive features, and had lots of details. I enjoyed doing this book award because the new Common Core Standards emphasize the need to read more complex informational texts. I have to admit that I was nervous that students would find some of the books boring. While there were a few "boring" comments on their tally sheets, most students were interested, actively engaged, and could appreciate the value of all of the informational books on our list.

Book List (taken from the 2012 winner/honor list)
Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer,
Drawing from Memory by Allen Say
Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet
Elephant Scientist by Caitlin O'Connell

Winners by class:
Patton - Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem
Moynihan - Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem
Cabral - Balloons Over Broadway:The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade