Outstanding Science Trade Books 2008

The NSTA list of Outstanding Science Trade Books for K-12 Students is out. The introduction to the list includes this excerpt about the books selected.

Each of these outstanding selections defies the traditional image of a child “curling up with a good book.” Yes, they can be a source of great personal reading, encouraging students of all ages to stretch their skills and their imagination as they interact with the printed page. But these journeys of the scientific imagination seldom end with the final chapter. They have the capacity to draw the reader out from that cozy seat and into the natural world—to observe, investigate, and continue the process of discovery that has characterized scientists from Aristotle to Hawking. The adventures begin here.

The list of books is below. Each title was assigned a reading level by the reviewers. These suggested levels are intended as guidelines and are not meant to limit the potential use of titles. Reading levels include: P = Primary (K–2); E = Elementary (3–5); I = Intermediate (6–8); A = Advanced (9–12). Finally, titles marked with a * are books that individual reviewers responded to with particular enthusiasm.

Archaeology, Anthropology, and Paleontology

• Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages. Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. (I, A)
• Dinosaur Eggs Discovered! Unscrambling the Clues. Lowell Dingus, Luis M. Chiappe, and Rodolfo Coria. (I)
• The Discovery and Mystery of a Dinosaur Named Jane. Judith Williams. (I)
• Giant Sea Reptiles of the Dinosaur Age. Caroline Arnold. (I)
• SuperCroc: Paul Sereno’s Dinosaur Eater. Paul Sereno and Natalie Lunis. (E)

Biography

• Isaac Newton: The Scientist Who Changed Everything. Philip Steele. (I)
• Giants of Science: Marie Curie. Kathleen Krull. (I)
• Tycho Brahe: Pioneer of Astronomy. Don Nardo. (I)

Earth and Space Science

• *The Story of Science: Einstein Adds a New Dimension. Joy Hakim. (A)
• *Close to the Wind: The Beaufort Scale. Written and illustrated by Peter Malone. (P)
• Map: Satellite. DK Publishing. (I, A)

Environment and Ecology

• *Over the Mountains: An Aerial View of Geology. Michael Collier. (I,A)

Health and Science

• Belly-Busting Worm Invasions! Parasites That Love Your Insides! Thomasine E. Lewis Tilden. (I)
• The Breast Cancer Update. Alvin Silverstein, Virginia Silverstein, and Laura Silverstein Nunn. (I)
• Circulating Life: Blood Transfusion From Ancient Superstition to Modern Medicine. Cherie Winner. (A)
• Gut-Eating Bugs: Maggots Reveal the Time of Death! Danielle Denega. (E, I)

Life Science

• Adaptation. Alvin Silverstein, Virginia Silverstein, and Laura Silverstein Nunn. (I)
• *Being Caribou: Five Months on Foot With a Caribou Herd. Karsten Heuer. (E)
• *Box Turtles. Lynn M. Stone. (I)
• Face to Face With Caterpillars. Darlyne A. Murawski. (E)
• *Guess What Is Growing Inside This Egg. Written and illustrated by Mia Posada. (P)
• Here Is the Wetland. Madeleine Dunphy. (P)
• It’s a Butterfly’s Life. Written and illustrated by Irene Kelly. (E)
• Nic Bishop Spiders. Written and illustrated by Nic Bishop. (A)
• Octopuses. Sandra Markle. (E, I)
• *Sneeze! Alexandra Siy. (P, E)
• Superbugs Strike Back: When Antibiotics Fail. Connie Goldsmith. (A)
• Tracks of a Panda. Nick Dowson. (P)
• Where in the Wild? Camouflaged Creatures Concealed…and Revealed. David M. Schwartz and Yael Schy. (E)

Physical Science

• Rockets. Ron Miller. (I, A)

Technology and Engineering

• Great Inventions: Microscopes and Telescopes. Rebecca Stefoff. (A)
• The Ultimate Weapon: The Race to Develop the Atomic Bomb. Edward T. Sullivan. (I)

Back in January I created my own list of outstanding science books published in 2007, and even used some of the NSTA categories. A few of my selections made this list. You should also recognize some of these titles as Cybils nominees and finalists.