Stories exploring life and death in nature, a guide to the science of your digestion, a celebration of fungi, and a look at what happened after the asteroid hit Earth have earned the 2023 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books.

The winners exemplify outstanding and engaging science writing and illustration for young readers. Sponsored by Subaru of America, Inc., the award program, which is now celebrating its 17th year, is intended to encourage the creation of science books that can help readers of all age groups better understand and appreciate science. Awards are given in four categories: children’s science picture book, middle grades science book, young adult science book and hands-on science book. The prizes are presented to the authors, except in the case of the picture book award, which is given to both the author and the illustrator.

Judged by panels of librarians, scientists, literacy experts, and educators, the winning works feature accurate science and cannot perpetuate misconceptions or stereotypes. The criteria also require that each book be age-appropriate: For the youngest readers, a winning picture book should pique their curiosity about the natural world around them; for older readers, books should encourage the discussion and understanding of scientific ideas. Hands-on science books for any age must include inquiry-based activities that encourage problem-solving skills.

This year’s winners receive a cash prize, a commemorative plaque, and will be celebrated at the AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.

The Winners:

Children’s Science Picture Book:

Fox: A Circle of Life Story, by Isabel Thomas. (Illustrated by Daniel Egnéus.) Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2021.

In the frost-covered forest of early spring, fox is on a mission to find food for her three cubs. As they grow, she teaches them how to survive in the wild. Until one day, fox dies. Her body goes back to earth and grass and air, nourishing the world around her and bringing the forest to life. Death is not just an end, it’s also a beginning.

With gorgeous illustrations and lyrical, kid-friendly text, Fox: A Circle of Life Story answers the big scientific question: What happens when animals die?

Isabel Thomas studied human sciences at the University of Oxford. She is a science writer and children’s author who has been shortlisted for the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, the ASE Book of the Year, and the Blue Peter Book Awards. She is also a primary school governor and STEM ambassador. Her previous books include Moth: An Evolution Story, which was also illustrated by Daniel Egnéus. She lives in the UK.

Daniel Egnéus collaborated with Neil Gaiman on an illustrated edition of American Gods and also illustrated Moth: An Evolution Story, The Raven Child and the Snow Witch, and The Thing. He is a well-regarded fashion artist, too, regularly illustrating for the likes of Chanel, H&M, Nike, and many more. He was born in Sweden and now makes his home in Greece.

Middle Grades Science Book:

It Takes Guts: How Your Body Turns Food Into Fuel (and Poop), by Dr. Jennifer Gardy. (Illustrated by Belle Wuthrich.) Greystone Kids, 2021.

Everybody eats, and everybody poops. Pretty ordinary stuff, right? But what happens in between is far from ordinary! That’s where your digestive system—also known as your gut—works its magic. It Takes Guts is an excellent, science-based resource for classroom learning and home-schooling for kids age 9 to 13, with information about:

• The surprising role that food and digestion play in your mood and immune system.

• The amazing tools your body uses to break down food including acids, which do their thing without burning a hole in your stomach!

• The incredible truth that not all bacteria is bad! Billions of “helpful bacteria” belong in your gut.

Dr. Jennifer Gardy is a scientist who has worked at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and is now part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Malaria team. She appears frequently on television programs such as CBC’s The Nature of Things and the Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet. She lives in Chicago.

Hands-on Science Book:

Funky Fungi: 30 Activities for Exploring Molds, Mushrooms, Lichens, and More, by Alisha Gabriel and Sue Heavenrich. Chicago Review Press, 2022.

Fungi are everywhere!

They live in the coldest corner of Antarctica and on hot, sandy desert dunes. They’re in the air you breathe and the food you eat. But fungi are more than pizza toppings. They form partnerships with plants and help us clean up our planet through bioremediation. Some fungi eat our crops; others protect them. Some fungi cause diseases; others cure them. Some are bigger than you; others are so tiny you need a microscope to see them.

And now, people are finding ways to use fungi to make furniture, building materials, and even sneakers. So grab your gear and let’s go find some Funky Fungi.

Alisha Gabriel is an elementary music teacher by day, and somehow finds the time to write fiction and nonfiction for children. She loves visiting schools and libraries to connect with her readers.

Sue Heavenrich writes about science and environmental issues and is passionate about insects. She began writing about our backyard science explorations for Home Education Magazine. Sue has followed ants in the Arizona desert, tagged bumblebees in the Rocky Mountains, and tallied insects on Cocos Island, Costa Rica. 

Young Adult Science Book:

The Last Days of the Dinosaurs: An Asteroid, Extinction, and the Beginning of Our World, by Riley Black. St. Martin's Press, 2022.

In The Last Days of the Dinosaurs, Riley Black walks readers through what happened in the days, the years, the centuries, and the million years after the impact, tracking the sweeping disruptions that overtook this one spot, and imagining what might have been happening elsewhere on the globe. Life’s losses were sharp and deeply-felt, but the hope carried by the beings that survived sets the stage for the world as we know it now.

Picture yourself in the Cretaceous period. It’s a sunny afternoon in the Hell Creek of ancient Montana 66 million years ago. A Triceratops horridus ambles along the edge of the forest. In a matter of hours, everything here will be wiped away. Lush verdure will be replaced with fire. Tyrannosaurus rex will be toppled from their throne, along with every other species of non-avian dinosaur no matter their size, diet, or disposition. They just don’t know it yet.

The cause of this disaster was identified decades ago. An asteroid some seven miles across slammed into the Earth, leaving a geologic wound over 50 miles in diameter. In the terrible mass extinction that followed, more than half of known species vanished seemingly overnight. But this worst single day in the history of life on Earth was as critical for us as it was for the dinosaurs, as it allowed for evolutionary opportunities that were closed for the previous 100 million years.

Riley Black has been heralded as “one of our premier gifted young science writers” and is the critically-acclaimed author of Skeleton Keys, My Beloved Brontosaurus, Written in Stone, and When Dinosaurs Ruled. An online columnist for Scientific American, Riley has become a widely-recognized expert on paleontology and has appeared on programs such as Science Friday, HuffingtonPost Live, and All Things Considered. Riley has also written on nerdy pop culture.

Learn more about the 2023 winners from AAAS here. Nominations for the 2024 awards will open this spring.