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The following books are recommended by Science Books and Films (SB&F), the leading review journal for science books, films, and software for all ages. All were shortlisted for the 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 age groups.


Children's Science Picture Books

Babies in the Bayou, written and illustrated by Jim Arnosky. (Penguin Group, 2007). Purchase.

Boy, Were We Wrong about Dinosaurs by Kathleen V. Kudlinski, illustrations by S.D. Schindler. (Dutton Children's Books, 2005). Purchase.

An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Aston, illustrations by Sylvia Long. (Chronicle Books, 2006). Purchase.

Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas by Cheryl Bardo, with illustrations by Jos A. Smith. (Harry N. Abrams, 2007). Purchase.

Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor, written and illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully. (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 2006). Purchase.

Turtle Summer: A Journal for My Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe, with photographs by Barbara J. Bergwerf. (Sylvan Dell, 2007). Purchase.

Vulture View by April Pulley Sayre, with illustrations by Steve Jenkins. (Henry Holt, 2007). Purchase.

What Is Science? by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, illustrations by Sachiko. (Henry Holt & Co., 2006). Purchase.

Where in the Wild? Camouflaged Creatures Concealed and Revealed by David Schwartz and Yael Schy, with photographs by Dwight Kuhn. (Tricycle Press, 2007). Purchase.

Wings of Light: The Migration of the Yellow Butterfly by Stephen R. Swineburne, illustrations by Bruce Hiscock. (Boyds Mills Press, 2006). Purchase.


Middle Grades Science Books

Being Caribou: Five Months on Foot with a Caribou Herd by Karsten Heuer. (Walker & Co., 2007). Purchase.

Circulating Life: Blood Transfusion from Ancient Superstitions to Modern Medicine by Cherie Winner. (Twenty-First Century Books, 2007). Purchase.

A Dangerous Engine: Benjamin Franklin, from Scientist to Diplomat by Joan Dash. (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 2006). Purchase.

Dinosaur Eggs Discovered: Unscrambling the Clues! by Lowell Dingus, Luis M. Chaippe, and Rodolfo Coria. (Twenty-First Century Books, 2007). Purchase.

ER Vets: Life in an Animal Emergency Room by Donna M. Jackson. (Houghton Mifflin, 2005). Purchase.

Frog Heaven: Ecology of a Vernal Pool by Doug Wechsler. (Boyds Mills Press, 2007). Purchase.

Oh, Rats! The Story of Rats and People by Albert Marrin. (Dutton Children's Books, 2006). Purchase.

Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion by Loree Griffin Burns. (Houghton Mifflin, 2007). Purchase.

Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo II on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh. (Houghton Mifflin, 2006). Purchase.


Young Adult Science Books

Bone Detective: The Story of Forensic Anthropologist Diane France (From the Women's Adventures in Science Series) by Lorraine Jean Hopping. (Franklin Watts, 2005). Purchase.

The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science by Natalie Angier. (Houghton Mifflin, 2007). Purchase.

Cool Stuff and How It Works by Chris Woodford and Luke Collins. (DK Publishing, 2005). Purchase.

Is Pluto a Planet? A Historical Journey Through the Solar System by David A. Weintraub. (Princeton, 2006). Purchase.

Lost Mountain: A Year in the Vanishing Wilderness by Erik Reece. (Riverhead Books, 2006). Purchase.

An Ocean of Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other Mysteries of the Atmosphere by Gabrielle Walker. (Harcourt, 2007). Purchase.

Tigerland and Other Unintended Destinations by Eric Dinerstein. (Island Press, 2005). Purchase.

The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring by Richard Preston (Random House, 2007). Purchase.


Hands-on Science Books

Exploratopia by Pat Murphy, Ellen Macaulay, and the staff of the Exploratorium. (Little Brown & Company, 2007). Purchase.

Forgery: Crime-Solving Science Experiments by Kenneth G. Rainis. (Enslow, 2006). Purchase.

The Great Graph Contest by Loreen Leedy. (Holiday House, 2005). Purchase.

Lowdown on Earthworms by Norma Dixon. (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2006). Purchase.

Stellar Science Projects about Earth's Sky by Robert Gardner. (Enslow, 2007). Purchase.

Temperature (From the Measure Up! Series) by Navin Sullivan. (Marshall Cavendish, 2006). Purchase.

Thomas Edison for Kids by Laurie Carlson. (Chicago Review Press, 2006). Purchase.


If you're considering buying a copy of any of the aforementioned books, please consider using the Amzaon link provided. SB&F gets a small referral commission, it doesn't cost you any extra, and we don't gain access to any of your identifying data.

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