Subaru of America and the American Association for the Advancement of Science Announce the 2019 AAAS/Subaru Book Prize Winners

CAMDEN, N.J., January 21, 2019 /3BL Media/ - Subaru of America, Inc., along with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), announce the winners of the 2019 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books. The tale of a Bangladeshi boy’s sustainable science project; the world of asteroid research; the rich history of the buildings surrounding us; and the life of a world-famous inventor are the stories told by the winners of the 2019 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books.

The award program, now in its 14th year, aims to spur the creation of new, high-quality books about science for children of all ages. 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. As part of the Subaru Loves Learning initiative, Subaru and AAAS will donate the winning books to K-12 schools across the country through their local participating Subaru retailers.

“We are proud to work with the AAAS to provide the younger generations the tools they need to be inspired to explore and prepare for the many opportunities a passion for science can lead to,” said Thomas J. Doll, President and Chief Executive Officer, Subaru of America Inc. “Through the Subaru Loves Learning platform and our partnership with AAAS, Subaru continues its commitment to education and the field of science by helping recognize some of the most influential and informative works of the year.”

Judged by panels of librarians, scientists 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.

Winners will be honored at the AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. in February.

The Winners:

Children’s Science Picture Book

Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea: How a Science Project Helps One Family and the Planet, by Elizabeth Suneby, illustrated by Rebecca Green. Kids Can Press, 2018.

Iqbal, a young Bangladeshi boy, is worried about the health of his mother and baby sister. They have developed coughs from the smoky fire inside their home over which his mother cooks the family’s meals during monsoon season. With help from his teacher and his older sister, Iqbal sets out to design a smoke-free solar cooker. It is an innovation driven by concern. Yet, it just might earn him a prize in his school’s sustainability-themed science fair. The fictional tale of Iqbal is accompanied by a glossary of Bengali words used throughout the story, details about clean cookstoves and instructions for creating a solar cooker with a pizza box and aluminum foil – features to deepen young readers’ understanding of Iqbal’s innovation and spur their interest in discovery.

Middle Grades Science Book

Impact! Asteroids and the Science of Saving the World, by Elizabeth Rusch. HMH Books for Young Readers, 2017.

In this nonfiction work, author Elizabeth Rusch guides middle-grade readers into the world of asteroid research. Shadowing several different scientists, Rusch illuminates the diverse work they pursue, from understanding asteroids’ origins and tracking asteroids in space to examining the craters that meteors have left behind on Earth. Impact! also includes the gripping story of a recent meteor encounter – the Chelyabinsk meteor explosion above Russia in 2013 – and explores possible methods that future scientists might use to divert an asteroid, should one threaten our planet.

Young Adult Science Book

Built: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Structures, by Roma Agrawal. Bloomsbury USA, 2018.

Author and structural engineer Roma Agrawal takes a sweeping look at how our built environment has come to be, tracing the evolution of our structures from mud huts to modern skyscrapers – including London’s Shard building, the striking, pyramid-shaped glass tower that Agrawal helped design. In Built, Agrawal takes readers on a tour of engineering throughout time and across continents, from deadly bridge collapses to the surprising materials used in such iconic structures as the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal.

Hands-On Science Book

Alexander Graham Bell for Kids: His Life & Inventions With 21 Activities, by Mary Kay Carson. Chicago Review Press, 2018.

This exploration of the life of telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell is no ordinary biography. Mary Kay Carson highlights Bell’s contributions beyond his most famous invention. Bell’s creation of an early version of the phonograph and the metal detector, his research on airplanes and hydrofoil boats, and his work teaching deaf and hearing-impaired students, including Helen Keller, are all examined. The book includes sidebars that explain the scientific principles behind his inventions and 21 hands-on activities related to Bell’s life and work. Readers can learn how to communicate with American Sign Language, create a telegraph out of a pie tin, fly a tetrahedral kite and more.

About Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 630 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company’s vision to show love and respect to everyone, and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA has donated more than $120 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged more than 40,000 volunteer hours. As a company, Subaru believes it is important to do its part in making a positive impact in the world because it is the right thing to do.

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About AAAS
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science, as well as Science Translational Medicine; Science Signaling; a digital, open-access journal, Science Advances; Science Immunology; and Science Robotics. AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes nearly 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world. The nonprofit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement, and more. For additional information about AAAS, see www.aaas.org.

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