Announcing the 2018 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize Finalists

AAAS and Subaru are proud to announce the finalists for the 2018 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books. The Prize celebrates outstanding science writing and illustration for children and young adults and is meant to encourage the writing and publishing of high-quality science books for all ages. The 2018 winners will be selected from among the following finalists in four categories. Winners will be announced in January and awarded at the 2018 AAAS Annual Meeting in Austin.

To read more about the Prize and this year's finalists download the full article from SB&F.  For information about purchasing the books, click on the book titles, which will take you to the SB&F Amazon Online Store.

The prize 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. Educators can see a list of past winners and find resources for helping to use them in the classroom at the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books collection page on Science NetLinks.

Science NetLinks will also create lesson plans and other resources around the 2018 Finalists, and once again the books will be offered to schools across the country as part of the Subaru Loves Learning initiative. Through this partnership between AAAS and Subaru, over 76,000 books were donated in 2017.

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. 9781943978281
A triumphant story about the positive power STEM can have in our world. 

If You Were the Moon, by Laura Purdie Salas (Author), Jamie Kim (Illustrator.) Millbrook Press, 2017. 9781467780094
This book conveys information while awakening a sense of wonder in the nighttime sky. 

My Awesome Summer by P. Mantis, by Paul Meisel, (Author & Illustrator.) Holiday House, 2017. 9780823436712
This book is an entertaining, first-person narrative of the five-month life cycle of praying mantises. 

Robins! How They Grow Up, by Eileen Christelow, (Author & Illustrator) Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. 9780544442894.
Two young robins narrate this fascinating story of their first year. 

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. 9781492642046
This picture book biography is a tribute to the great science populizer, Eugenie Clark.

Middle Grades Science Book

Animals by the Numbers: A Book of Animal Infographics, by Steve Jenkins. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016. 9780544630925
This book uses clever and informative infographics to convey interesting information about various animals.

Eye of the Storm: NASA, Drones, and the Race to Crack the Hurricane Code, by Amy Cherrix. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. 9780544411654
Another in the Scientists in the Field Series, this book discusses how scientists are conducting research into hurricanes using drone technology.

Inside Your Insides: A Guide to the Microbes That Call You Home, by Claire Eamer. Kids Can Press, 2016. 9781771383325
In this book, Eamer introduces kids to their microbiomes, which are usually full of beneficial microbes and inside everyone.

To Burp or Not to Burp: A Guide to Your Body in Space (Dr. Dave — Astronaut), by Dr. Dave Williams and Loredana Cunti. Annick Press, 2016. 9781554518531
Answers to some of the questions kids ask astronauts are provided in this colorful and humorous book.

Voyager’s Greatest Hits: The Epic Trek to Interstellar Space, by Alexandra Siy. Charlesbridge Publishing, 2017. 9781580897280
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. 9780316381642
This is a fun, delightful, and informative way to learn about the chemistry of the atmospheric gasses and related materials. 

Darwin’s Backyard: How Small Experiments Led to a Big Theory, by James T. Costa. W.W. Norton & Co., 2017. 9780393239898
This book is 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. 9780226444185
This is the extraordinary, untold story of a remarkable undertaking to recreate the evolution of wolves into dogs in real time.

Quakeland: On the Road to America’s Next Devastating Earthquake, by Kathryn Miles. Penguin Random House, 2017. 9780525955184
Quakeland is an interesting and informative look at the serious aspects of earthquakes and the potentially disastrous results of earthquakes in the United States.

Hands-On Science Book

Droughts, by Melissa Stewart. HarperCollins, 2017. 9780062386656
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. 9780823436699
This book provides extensive coverage of all aspects of magnetism.

This Book Stinks! Gross Garbage, Rotten Rubbish, and the Science of Trash, by Sarah Wassner Flynn. National Geographic Children’s Books, 2017. 9781426327308
This book takes young readers on a journey through the world of waste.

Try This! 50 Extreme Fun & Safe Experiments for the Mad Scientist in You, by Karen Romano Young. National Geographic Children’s Books, 2017. 9781426328633
This unique book of hands-on science experiments will help kids discover how fascinating science is.