Animal Behavior Society's Outstanding Children's Book Award
Children's lives are enriched immeasurably by an appreciation of nature and science. In 2001, the Animal Behavior Society’s Education Committee established the Outstanding Children's Book Award in order to encourage and reward accurate and compelling authorship of children's books about animal behavior. Each year, the Outstanding Children’s Book Award subcommittee solicits publishers for outstanding children's books published that year. From the contributed books, members of the book award subcommittee select up to five finalists, and then coordinate review of the books by hundreds of elementary school children across the country. The students then read the finalist books and their rankings determine the recipient of that year's award.
To participate: To be considered for this annual award, please follow the general directions available here. Please contact the chair of the Children's Book Award Committee, Crista Coppola ([email protected]), if you have any questions regarding this award.
2023
WINNER The Secret Life of the Sea Otter (Astra Young Readers)
FINALISTS Beware the Burmese Pythons (Kids Can Press)
Narwhal The Arctic Unicorn (Candlewick Press)
Anglerfish the Seadevil of the Deep (Candlewick)
The Raven Mother (Highwater Press)
2022
WINNER Prehistoric Pets by Dr. Dean Lomax (Templar)
FINALISTS 13 Ways to Eat a Fly (Charlesbridge)
A Peek at Beaks (Millbrook Press)
Orangutan Hats (Candlewick)
Saving Sorya (Dial Books)
2021
WINNER Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming(Holiday House Publishing)
FINALISTS The Turtle Dove's Journey(Web of Life Books)
Running Wild(Annick Press)
Moms, Dads, and Lily Pads(RookeryBookeryCo)
If You Take Away the Otter(Candlewick)
2020
WINNER The Grizzly Mother, by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson)(HighWater Press)
FINALISTS Growing up Gorilla(Millbrook Press)
Hawks Kettle, Puffins Wheel(Kids Can Press)
Seashells, More Than a Home(Charlesbridge Press)
Wild in the Streets (Orca Books)
2019
WINNER Maggie Alaska’s Last Elephant by Curtis Jennifer Keats(Arbordale Books)
FINALISTS The Hyena Scientists(Houghton Mifflin)
The Secret Life of the Little Brown Bat(Boyds Mills Pres)
A Frog’s Life(Holiday House)
The Seal Garden (Orca Books)
2018
WINNER Wolf Island by Nicholas Read,(Orca Books)
FINALISTS Bird Brains, Moon Dance Press(Quarto)
Honey Girl, (Arbordale)
The Elephant Keeper (Kids Can Press)
2017
WINNER Build, Beaver, Build!: Life at the Longest Beaver Damby Sandra Markle (Lerner Books)
FINALISTS Fish Tricks: The Wild and Wacky World of Fishby Haude Levesque (Early Light Books)
After a While Crocodile: Alexa’s Diaryby Dr. Brady Barr and Jennifer Keats Curtis (Arbordale Publishing)
Crow Smarts: Inside the Brain of the World’s Brightest Birdby Pamela S. Turner and Andy Comins (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
2016
WINNER The Queen’s Shadow: A Story about How Animals Seeby Cybèle Young
(Kids Can Press)
FINALISTS Bite into Bloodsuckersby Kari-Lynn Winters and Ishta Mercurio (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
The Octopus Scientistsby Sy Montgomery (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
What’s the Buzz?: Keeping Bees in Flightby Merrie-Ellen Wilcox (Orca Book Publishers)
2015
WINNER Behold the Beautiful Dung Beetleby Cheryl Bardoe, Illustrated by Alan Marks
(Charlesbridge)
FINALISTS How to Speak Catby Aline Alexander Newman and Gary Weitzman (National Geographic)
Feathers, Not Just for Flying by Melissa Stewart, and illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen (Charlesbridge)
Get the Scoop on Animal Puke!, by Dawn Cusick (Charlesbridge)
2014
WINNER How to Speak Dog: A Guide to Decoding Dog Language, by Aline Alexander Newman and Gary Weitzman
(National Geographic Society)
FINALISTS Bats: BIGGEST! LITTLEST!, by Sandra Markle (Boyds Mills Press)
In Deep with the Octopus, by Norma Dixon (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd.)
The Mystery of Darwin’s Frog, by Marty Crump (Boyds Mills Press)
2013
WINNER Ribbon's Way, by Sarah Turner (Sono Nis Press)
FINALISTS Get the Scoop on Animal Poop, by Dawn Cusick (Charlesbridge Publishing)
Puffling Patrol, by Ted Lewin and Betsy Lewin (Lee & Low Books)
2012
WINNER Animal Eggs: An Amazing Clutch of Mysteries and Marvels!, by Dawn Cusick and Joanne O'Sullivan
(EarlyLight Books)
FINALISTS Leaps and Creeps, by Robin Koontz (Marshall Cavendish Benchmark)
Seabird in the Forest, by Joan Dunning (Boyds Mills Press)
Bug Shots: The Good, the Bad, and the Bugly, by Alexandra Sly and Dennis Kunkel (Holiday House)
2011
WINNER How Animals Work, by David Durnie (DK Publishing)
FINALISTS Animal Snoops, by Peter Christie (Annick Press)
Tricky Behavior, by Kimerly Jane Pryor (Marshall Cavendish Benchmark)
What in the Wild, by David Schwartz and Yael Schy (Random House Children's Books)
2010
WINNER Bug Butts, by Dawn Cusick (EarlyLight books)
FINALISTS Bubble Homes and Fish Farts, by Fiona Bayrock (Charlesbridge)
The Strange Life of the Land Hermit Crab, by Wendy Pfeffer (Mondo Publishing)
Animal Aha!, by Diane Swanson (Annick Press)
2009
WINNER Animals at Play, by Marc Bekoff (Temple University Press)
FINALISTS Ookpik: The Travels of a Snowy Owl, by Bruce Hiscock (Boyds Mills Press)
Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator, by Sarah Campbell (Marshall Cavendish Benchmark)
The Puzzle of the Platypus: And Other Explorations of Science in Action, by Jack Myers (Boyds Mills Press)
2008
WINNER Where in the Wild? Camouflaged Creatures Concealed and Revealed, by David Schwartz and Yael Schy (Tricycle Press)
FINALISTS Survival Secrets of of Sea Animals, by Mary Jo Rhodes and David Hall (Children's Press)
Octopuses, by Sandra Markle (Lerner Publications Company)
2007
WINNER Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses?, by Stanley Coren (Kids Can Press)
FINALISTS Hey There, Stink Bug, by Leslie Bulion (Charlesbridge Publishing)
Little Lost Bat, by Sandra Markle (Charlesbridge Publishing)
Well-Schooled Fish and Feathered Bandits, by Peter Christie (Annick Press)
2005
WINNER Lupe: a wolf pup's first year, by Rebecca L. Grambo (Whitecap Books Ltd.)
FINALISTS Animal groups: how animals live together, by Etta Kaner (Kids Can Press)
Baby Ground Squirrel, by Aubrey Lang (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
Rain, Rain, Rainforest, by Brenda Guiberson (Henry Holt and Co.)
2004
WINNER Amazing Things Animals Do, by Marilyn Baillie (Maple Tree Press)
FINALISTS A Little Lemur Named Mew, by Joyce A. Powzyk (Millbrook Press)
Borealis: A Polar Bear Cub's First Year, by Rebecca L. Grambo (Whitecap Books Ltd.)
It's a Hummingbird's Life, by Irene Kelly (Holiday House)
2003
WINNER Animal Talk: How Animals Communicate through Sight, Sound and Smell,by Etta Kaner and Greg Douglas
(Kids Can Press)
FINALISTS Where Does a Tiger-Heron Spend the Night, by Margaret Carney and Melanie Watt (Kids Can Press)
Giant Pandas, by Gail Gibbons (Holiday House)
Look Closer, by Gay Holland (Millbrook Press)
2002
WINNER A Pair of Wings, by Marilyn Singer (Holiday House)
FINALISTS Headgear that Hides and Plays, by Diane Swanson (Douglas & McIntyre)
Will You Sting Me? Will You Bite?, by Kimerly Jane Pryor (Stemmer House Pub Audio)
Slap, Squeak, and Scatter: How Animals Communicate, by Steve Jenkins (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children)
