the 2018 aaas/subaru sb&f prizes · pdf filereaders to view science and technology...

357 SB&F November 2017

he AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prizes for Excellence in Science Books celebrate outstanding science writing and illustration for children and young adults. The prizes are meant to encourage the writing and publishing of high-quality science books for all age groups. AAAS believes that,

through good science books, this generation, and the next, will have a better understanding and appreciation of science. The prizes began in 2005 by looking back on decades of outstanding science books and honoring five authors and one illustrator for their significant and lasting contribution to children's and young adult science literature and illustration. Beginning in 2006, the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize began honoring recently published, individual science books. AAAS and Subaru of America, Inc. co-sponsor the prizes to recognize recently published works that are scientifically sound and foster an understanding and appreciation of science in readers of all ages. The AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prizes for Excellence in Science Books will be bestowed during the 182nd AAAS Annual Meeting in Austin, TX, 15-19 February 2017.

Prizes are awarded in the following categories:

Children's Science Picture Book

Middle Grades Science Book

Young Adult Science Book

Hands-On Science Book

T

The 2018 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prizes Finalists

THE 2018 AAAS/SUBARU SB&F PRIZES FINALISTS


JUDGING CRITERIA

Children’s Science Picture Book One book will be chosen as the winner in this category, the author and illustrator will be honored.

• The book is appropriate for children in grades K-4.

• The book contains no serious errors or deficiencies in explanations of science content or processes.

• Although written for young children, the book successfully examines important scientific concepts without perpetuating stereotypes or misconceptions.

• The book has a clear purpose, is well organized, and the scientific concepts are accurately presented.

• In accordance with Project 2061’s Science for All Americans, the book must support the development in young people of positive attitudes toward learning science, mathematics, and technology.

• In accordance with Project 2061’s Nature of Science Benchmark, the book should stimulate curiosity, and engage students in taking an interest in their environment and the workings of nature.

• When fitting, the book shows that doing science engages men and women of all ages and backgrounds.

• The illustrations engage the young reader and enhance the text.

• The illustrations accurately depict the scientific concepts being examined.

• The illustrations provide an alternate way for students to examine the concepts being discussed in the text.

• The illustrations show boys and girls of different backgrounds involved in science.

Middle Grades Science Book One book will be chosen as the winner in this category, the author will be honored.

• The book is appropriate for grades 5-8.


• The book has a clear purpose, is well organized, and the scientific concepts are accurately presented.

• In accordance with Project 2061’s Nature of Science Benchmark, the book should engage early adolescents in science and encourage reflection.

• The science portrayed in the book is open to inquiry and should encourage the reader to ask questions.

• When fitting, the book shows that men and women of different ages and backgrounds are involved in science.

Hands-On Science Book One book will be chosen as the winner in this category, the author will be honored.

• The book contains fun and exciting investigations, opening the door to even more things to explore.

• The activities promote inquiry and encourage the reader to explore scientific concepts by asking good questions.

• The activities feature open-ended questions and enable the reader to develop problem-solving and research skills that enable them to become lifelong learners.


Young Adult Science Book One book will be chosen as the winner in this category, the author will be honored.

• The book has the ability to engage young adult readers in science.

• The book is judged on its ability to engage the YA audience. Both young adult and adult titles may be considered.

• The book encourages the discussion and understanding of scientific ideas.


• The book has a clear purpose and is well organized.

• In accordance with Project 2061’s Habits of Mind benchmark, the book should enable high school readers to view science and technology thoughtfully, being neither categorically antagonistic nor uncritically positive.


Children’s Science Picture Book

Beauty and the Beak: How Science, Technology, and a 3D-Printed Beak Rescued a Bald Eagle, by Deborah Lee Rose and Jane Veltkamp. Persnickety Press. 2017. Beauty and the Beak by Deborah Lee Rose and Jane Veltkamp is a triumphant story about the positive power STEM can have in our world. Humans can work with our natural environment to lend a helping hand.

If You Were the Moon, by Laura Purdie Salas (Author), Jamie Kim (Illustrator.) Millbrook Press. 2017 Astronomy is an exciting topic, but it is difficult to explain these concepts in terms that young people can understand. This book does a good job of not only conveying information but also of awakening a sense of wonder in the nighttime sky.

My Awesome Summer by P. Mantis, by Paul Meisel, (Author & Illustrator) Holiday House. 2017. This book is an entertaining, first-person narrative of the five-month life cycle of praying mantises. The narrator, P. Mantis, starts her story by emerging from the egg case with her 150 brothers and sisters and goes on to shedding her skin and avoiding predators.

Robins! How They Grow Up, by Eileen Christelow, (Author & Illustrator) Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2017. Two young robins narrate this fascinating story of their first year. It reveals plenty of little-known facts that are sure to captivate young naturalists. Narrated with humor and filled with kid-pleasing details, this is a beautiful account of how robins grow up.

Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist, by Jess Keating (Author), Marta Alvarez Miguens (Illustrator). Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. 2017 This picture book biography is a tribute to Eugenie Clark, whose early childhood fascination with sharks fueled by visits to an aquarium led to her study of zoology and then a lifetime career in the field of marine biology.


Middle Grades Science Book

Animals by the Numbers: A Book of Animal Infographics, by Steve Jenkins. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2016. What proportion of each 24-hour day do different animals sleep? Which can jump farthest in relation to their body size? Which are most dangerous to humans and why? What sets this book apart most is its clever and informative infographics.

Eye of the Storm: NASA, Drones, and the Race to Crack the Hurricane Code, by Amy Cherrix. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2017. Another in the Scientists in the Field Series, this book discusses how scientists are conducting research into hurricanes using drone technology. The book’s storyline highlights the collaboration of professionals who are involved in cracking the code of hurricanes.

Inside Your Insides: A Guide to the Microbes That Call You Home, by Claire Eamer. Kids Can Press. 2016. In this book, Eamer introduces kids to their microbiomes, which are usually full of beneficial microbes and inside everyone. Eamer does a great job simplifying the topic and incorporating attention-grabbing jokes that will bring laughter to children.

To Burp or Not to Burp, by Dr. Dave Williams and Loredana Cunti. Annick Press. 2016. How do you brush your hair in space? What happens when you sweat? What does food taste like? These are some of the questions kids ask astronauts and they are answered by Dr. Dave Williams, NASA astronaut, in this colorful and humorous book.

Voyager’s Greatest Hits: The Epic Trek to Interstellar Space, by Alexandra Siy. Charlesbridge Publishing. 2017. 2017 marks the 40th anniversary of the Voyager mission as the twin space probes now journey beyond our solar system into interstellar space. This book tells the fascinating story of the scientists, how the Voyager probes work, where the probes have been and what they’ve seen, and what they carry on board.


Young Adult Science Book

Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us, by Sam Kean. Little Brown & Co. 2017. This is a fun, delightful, and informative way to learn about the chemistry of the atmospheric gasses and related materials. The title refers to the possibility that we can inhale the same atoms Caesar did and his analysis is convincing.

Darwin’s Backyard: How Small Experiments Led to a Big Theory, by James T. Costa. W.W. Norton & Co. 2017. Many Darwin biographies merely examine how and why he came to draft the Origin of Species. This book is about so much more. It is a highly recommended and required read for all those who wish to more fully understand the scientist and the origin of his ideas.

How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog): Visionary Scientists and a Siberian Tale of Jump-Started Evolution, by Lee Alan Dugatkin and Lyudmila Trut. University of Chicago Press. 2017. Imagine speeding up thousands of years of evolution into a few decades. In 1959, biologists Belyaev and Trut set out to do just that. They attempted to recreate the evolution of wolves into dogs in real time to witness the process of domestication. This is the extraordinary, untold story of this remarkable undertaking.

Quakeland: On the Road to America’s Next Devastating Earthquake, by Kathryn Miles. Penguin Random House. 2017. Quakeland is an interesting and informative look at the serious aspects of earthquakes and the potentially disastrous results of earthquakes in the United States. This journey around the United States in search of the truth about the threat of earthquakes leads to the kind of preparations that will actually help guide us through disasters.


Hands-On Science Book

Droughts, by Melissa Stewart. HarperCollins. 2017. Where do droughts happen? How do we know that we are in a drought? Why is rainfall important? Do droughts just affect people? Beginning with a definition of a drought, Stewart describes the kinds of signs readers might see if they are experiencing a drought in their community.

Magnets Push, Magnets Pull, by David A. Adler. Holiday House. 2017. This book provides extensive coverage of all aspects of magnetism. It illustrates natural magnets, simple magnets, and electromagnets. All magnets which cause push and pull, which we call the force of magnetism.

This Book Stinks! Gross Garbage, Rotten Rubbish, and the Science of Trash, by Sarah Wassner Flynn. National Geographic Children’s Books. 2017. Who would have thought it could be fun to talk trash? This book takes young readers on a journey through the world of waste from composting and recycling, to landfills and dumps, to how creative people are finding new ways to reuse rubbish

Try This! 50 Extreme Fun & Safe Experiments for the Mad Scientist in You, by Karen Romano Young. National Geographic Children’s Books. 2017. Science is fascinating. Let kids find this out for themselves with the activities in this unique book of hands-on science experiments.

the 2018 aaas/subaru sb&f prizes · pdf filereaders to view science and technology...

Documents