The awards event was a luncheon at the excellent Border Grill, in Downtown LA.  Prior to the event, students participated in essay contests, the winners received a personalized copy of Redwoods.  I also sat with them at the luncheon and we talked about writing, illustrating and our favorite books.  Following lunch, I gave a short presentation and accepted the award — a beautiful puppet of the main character from Redwoods!  There are two copies of the puppet — one for me and another that will reside permanently in the LA Public Library; how cool is that?   It was an honor to receive the award and I am especially thankful to FOCAL for arranging for my trip, and each of the school visits.

“…this book [is] one that you will want to read over and over again. The adventure is beautifully depicted by illustrations that will leave readers in awe…”

and

“The book’s content, graphics, and unique presentation earned it a place as one of the NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Books for 2010″

It’s great to get such a strong endorsement from the experts!  You can read the full review on the NSTA website:

http://www.nsta.org/recommends/ViewProduct.aspx?ProductID=19803

Each year a committee of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) identifies the best of the best in children’s books. According to the Notables Criteria, “notable” is defined as: Worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children’s books, notable should be thought to include books of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry and pictures for all age levels (birth through age 14) that reflect and encourage children’s interests in exemplary ways.

In Jason Chin’s Redwoods, a straightforward and informative text about coastal redwoods captions pictures that tell not exactly a different story, but one whose metafictional cheek will draw readers in — just as the book’s hero is drawn, by his imagination, high into the redwood canopy. Science and story are seamlessly pulled together in neatly crafted paintings. (6–9 years)

See the full list on the Horn Book website.

The 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.

Published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), SB&F is an online global critical review journal devoted exclusively to print and nonprint materials in all of the sciences for all age groups (K-college, teaching and general audience). Since 1965, SB&F has been the authoritative guide to science resources, bringing librarians and other educators expert information they need to make the best decisions when choosing science materials for their libraries, classrooms, or institutions.

For more information see:

http://www.sbfonline.com/Subaru/Pages/PrizesHome.aspx

http://www.aaas.org/