[CASL-L] Award winning science books

[IRENE KWIDZINSKI]

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From: Terry Young <bestman at att.net>
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Sent: Monday, November 4, 2013 7:56 PM
Subject: [aaslforum] GEN: AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize 2014 Finalists 
 


AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize 2014 Finalists     
 

   
 
The AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books celebrates outstanding science writing 
and illustration for children and young adults. The prizes, meant to 
encourage the writing and publishing of high-quality science books for 
all age groups,are awarded in four 
categories: Children’s Science Picture Books, Middle Grades Nonfiction 
Science Books, Young Adult Science Book and Hands-on Science/Activity 
Book. We are pleased to announce the Finalists for the 2014 Prize in these four categories.
From birdwatching to hunting for exoplanets, the 2014 finalists cover a 
diverse array of scientific inquiry. The exciting work of volcano 
scientists, the nature explorations of a 10-year-old girl, the fossil 
hunting exploits of a father and son, and a revealing look at the 
workings of the human digestive system are just a few of the engaging 
stories told by the gifted authors whose work represents the very best 
that science writing has to offer for young minds. 
The winners will be announced in January of 2014. Until then, we hope you take the time to sample and enjoy the finalists. 
  
Children’s Picture Book
It’s Our Garden: From Seeds to Harvest in a School Garden, by George Ancona. (Photos by George Ancona) MA: Candlewick, 2013.
Writer/photographer Ancona shares his fascination 
with a school garden near his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Over the 
course of a year he photographed the students, their friends, teachers, 
and family as they tended to the garden from seed to harvest. 
Things That Float and Things That Don’t, by David A. Adler. (Illus. by Anna Raff) NY: Holiday House, 2013.
Adler explores the concepts of density and buoyancy in this simple and delightful picture book that introduces students to 
an important key idea in STEM learning. The clear and engaging 
explanations are brought to life by Raff’s charming illustrations.
Too Hot? Too Cold? Keeping Body Temperature Just Right, by Caroline Arnold. (Illus. by Annie Patterson) MA: Charlesbridge, 2013.
In clear and concise writing, Arnold explains the 
many different adaptive strategies and behaviors humans and animals all 
over the world use to adapt to heat and cold. Patterson’s colorful and 
simple illustrations are a perfect complement to the text. 
 
Children’s Middle Grades Book
Eruption!: Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives, by Elizabeth Rusch.  (Scientists in the Field Series; photographs by Tom Uhlman)  MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
A stunning account of volcanologists Andy Lockhart, John Pallister, and their group of scientists who risk their lives, 
investigating deadly volcanoes that remain constant threats to people 
around the world.
The Skull in the Rock: How a Scientist, a Boy, and Google Earth Opened a New Window on Human Origins, by Lee R. Berger & Marc Aronson.  DC: National Geographic Children’s Books, 2012.
When nine-year-old Matthew Berger showed his 
father, paleoanthropologist Lee Berger, a fossil he found in South 
Africa, a remarkable journey of scientific discovery is launched. In this book Berger and co-author Aronson bring the story of this important discovery to young readers.
Wild Horse Scientists, by Kay Frydenborg.  (Scientists in the Field Series)   MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012.
Author Kay Frydenborg provides readers a rare 
glimpse into the wild herds of Assateague through the work of two 
scientists who have devoted their lives to studying the horses. Through 
beautiful beautiful photographs and elegant, readable prose the story of the herds and the researchers revealed. 
 
Children’s Hands-On Science Book
Beyond the Solar System: Exploring Galaxies, Black Holes, Alien Planets, and More, by Mary Kay Carson.  IL: Chicago Review Press, 2013.
21 hands-on projects reinforce the narration of the history of humankind’s pursuit of astronomical knowledge. Children will follow along as the realization that the Earth is not at the center of 
the universe leads all the way up to recent telescopic proof of planets 
orbiting stars outside the solar system. 
Ellie’s Log: Exploring the Forest Where the Great Tree Fell, by Judith L. Li. OR: Oregon State University Press, 2013.
After a huge tree crashes to the ground during a 
winter storm, ten-year-old Ellie and her new friend, Ricky, explore the 
forest where Ellie lives. Together, they learn how trees provide habitat for plants and animals high in the forest canopy, down among mossy old 
logs, and deep in the pools of a stream. The plants, insects, birds, and mammals they discover come to life in colored pen-and-ink drawings.
Look Up!: Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard, by Annette LeBlanc Cate.  MA: Candlewick, 2013.
This engaging introduction to bird-watching 
encourages kids to get outdoors with a sketchbook and really look 
around. Quirky full-color illustrations portray dozens of birds chatting about their distinctive characteristics, including color, shape, 
plumage, and beak and foot types. Interactive and enjoyable tips bring 
an age-old hobby to new life for the next generation of bird-watchers.
 
Young Adult Science Book
Frankenstein’s Cat: Cuddling Up to Biotech’s Brave New Beasts, by Emily Anthes.  NY: Scientific American/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013.
In Frankenstein’s Cat, journalist Emily 
Anthes takes readers from “petri dish to pet store” in her succinct 
summary of how humans have developed and used technology over the past 
decade to modify other animals for their own purposes. This extremely 
accessible book presents both sides of the ethical debate about the 
impact of these technologies on the animals and should leave readers 
with a clear and basic understanding of how the science works.
Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal, by Mary Roach.  NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.
With her signature combination of laugh-out-loud 
humor, meticulous research, and indomitable curiosity, Mary Roach 
unravels the secrets of the alimentary canal. Roach takes on the entire 
digestive system in all its disgusting glory; readers are not spared the gorey details. A fascinating array of characters are encountered along 
the way as Roach introduces readers to the researchers (and their 
subjects) who study the human digestive system.                 
Letters to a Young Scientist, by Edward O. Wilson.  NY: Liveright, 2013.
Pulitzer Prize–winning biologist Edward O. Wilson 
imparts the wisdom of his storied career to the next generation. Wilson 
instills a love of the innate creativity of science and a respect for 
the human being’s modest place in the planet’s ecosystem in his readers. A must for all would-be-scientists, this can also open up possibilities and spark aspirations for those young people who never imagined a life 
in science.
Mirror Earth: The Search for our Planet’s Twin, by Michael Lemonick.  NY: Walker & Company, 2012.
Michael Lemonick documents the exciting quest of 
the “exoplaneteers,” the scientists who, armed with more powerful 
technology, are racing to find a true twin of Earth. Along with a really great story, this fast-paced book also leaves readers with a clear 
understanding of the important science that frames the story.
 
The AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books is sponsored by Subaru.
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