Katherine Johnson has her own Barbie!

The Katherine Johnson doll will be available in May.

Mattel is releasing a new collection of dolls featuring inspiring women. You can get your own Katherine Johnson doll beginning in May. Of course you will need Counting on Katherine.  to go along with it. 

When I first began working on the book, Johnson was relatively unknown. But then came the smash hit movie, Hidden Figures. And now - a Barbie! I'm so excited to see her finally getting the attention she deserves.

Counting on Katherine tells much more of her story than is shown in Hidden Figures. It details her role in saving the doomed and crippled Apollo 13 and bringing the drifting spacecraft safely back to Earth. The illustrations, by the talented Dow Phumiruk, are stunning!

Good news for Counting on Katherine!

Counting on Katherine (Christy Ottaviano Books, June) has been selected by the Junior Library Guild. So pleased!

Updated cover!

Coming in June - but you can preorder now!

Silver Birch shortlists announced!

So pleased to have Monster Science nominated for the Silver Birch Award!

Lane Anderson Award for Science Writing Shortlists Announced!

The finalists for the 2016 Lane Anderson Awards, honouring Canada’s best science writing with $10,000 in each of two age categories, have been revealed. And woohoo! Monster Science is on it!

Congrats to all the nominees. Here's thecomplete list: 

Young Readers

• Helaine Becker and Phil McAndrew, ill., Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World? (Kids Can Press)
• Anne Innis Dagg, 5 Giraffes (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
• Claire Eamer and Marie-Ève Tremblay, ill., Inside Your Insides: A Guide to the Microbes That Call You Home (Kids Can Press)

Adult Readers

• Caroline Fox, At Sea With the Marine Birds of the Raincoast (Rocky Mountain Books)
• Robert William Sandford, North America in the Anthropocene: An RMB Manifesto (RMB)
• Tim Falconer, Bad Singer: The Surprising Science of Tone Deafness and How We Hear Music (House of Anansi Press)
• Stephen Le, 100 Million Years of Food: What Our Ancestors Ate and Why It Matters Today (HarperCollins)

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in September.

What's New in Science Trade Books for Kids - Join Me at OLA!

If you'll be in Toronto, next Wednesday, please join Gillian O'Reilly and Jan Thornhill  and me bright and early as we present an informative and fun session (There will be giveaways!) at the OLA Superconference. 

Here are the deets:  

When: Wednesday, Jan 27 | 9:00 am - 10:30 am

Location: MTCC 206C

Days: Wednesday. Event Types: Session. Sectors: School Libraries. Subjects: Children's Resources and STEM.

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Description:

Nonfiction for children, that under-appreciated workhorse of the literary world, is currently undergoing a Renaissance. Print resources, especially in STEM fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, are more innovative – and useful – than ever. Did you know, for example, that breaking news in science frequently appears first in children’s books? Canadian authors are at the leading edge of the trend, producing ground-breaking, award-winning books that turn fact-finding into an adventure, and stimulate critical thinking skills with first-rate scholarship. In this session, we will shine white-hot laser beams on contemporary trends, explore how to evaluate science-related children’s books and determine how to highlight them in your collection. You’ll also receive a hot-off-the-press annotated list of science-related books by Canadian authors, keyed to curricular topics. This session will be led by the bloggers at http://sci-why.blogspot.ca/  where you can find the latest news related to science issues for children in Canada. PLUS: FREE BOOK DRAW!

Learning Outcomes
Learn about game-changing contemporary trends in children’s nonfiction, especially in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics STEM
Learn techniques for evaluating the new style of print nonfiction for children, especially in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics STEM
Receive a detailed, comprehensive list of Canadian science books for children, keyed by curricular topic, and links to on-line resources to make selecting science resources for children faster, easier, and more reliable.

Hope to see you there!

What's New for Fall..Part 2

Get ready to blast off into space to explore planets, stars, and beyond! This fun book will pull you in like gravity, full of fun facts, reports from explorers, maps and infographics, and more than 100 pictures.

The National Geographic Kids Everything series breathes new life into the fun reference category with a fresh and dynamic presentation of the nonfiction subjects kids are most passionate about. Packed with facts and tantalizing anecdotes from real experts and bursting with photographs, these lively books give kids a fun way to absorb everything they want to know about a subject, whether they are driven by passion or curiosity.

It was particularly fun for me to work on this book, since - a first! -  I co-wrote it with my son, Michael Szasz. 

Silver Birch Honour Award

I'm thrilled to announce that Zoobots was named a Silver Birch Honour Book at the Forest of Reading Awards ceremony last week. The program reached over 250,000 young people in schools, public libraries and at home, making it one of the largest, if not the largest, children's choice award programs in the world!

You can find the complete list of winners, as well as more information about this wonderful program here.

And the Shortlists are Out!

One of the highlights of the Canadian kidlit scene is the announcement of the OLA's Forest of Reading Awards shortlists. That was today. And it's sweeter than ever this year because Zoobots has made the Silver Birch Nonfiction Shortlist! Woo hoo Zoo!!!!!

It's an honour to be selected, and to be in such great company with such wonderful friends and colleagues like Frieda Wishinsky, Liz MacLeod, Tanya Lloyd Kyi, Hugh Brewster and Deborah Ellis, among others! I'm also holding up the fist bump for all the great folks - and stellar books -  nominated in all the other categories.

I am so looking forward to meeting kid-fans at the extra school visits the award will generate, and to meeting everyone at all the great Forest of Trees festivities throughout the year! I know how much fun it all is, since I've had the great good fortune to be nominated several times before. (Psst: I've even won a few times! Boredom Blasters and Secret Agent Y.O.U. won in 2006 and 2008; What's the Big Idea? won an Honour Award in 2011.)

Zoobots Has Arrived!

They're here....the Zoobots. These very creepy, very awesome animal-inspired robots are the subject of my latest nonfiction book from Kids Can Press.

The book has been selected by the Junior Library Guild, and is now available from your fave bookseller! If the incredible pics by Alex Ries don't give you nightmares...the fact that all of these critters are under development right now should!

You'll find that Zoobots is a great pick for:
> reluctant readers
> Common Core applications
>life science
>physical science
>technology
>recreational reading - it has the WOW! factor kids love
>critical thinking and problem solving

I'm Wild about this Junior Library Guild Selection!

What a way to start the new year. My latest science nonfiction project, Zoobots, from KCP,  has been picked as a Junior Library Guild selection!  Alas, you'll have to wait to read it - it won't be pubbing 'til Spring.

Lane Anderson Science Writing Awards Announced!

Can you be just a little over the moon? No. Which is why I'm a LOT over the moon to have been named the winner of the 2012 Lane Anderson Award for Science Writing, in the Children's Books category for The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea.

The winner in the Adult category is Neil Turok for The Universe Within.

Congrats to Neil and to everyone who participated in this great event! And a huge thanks to the Fitzhenry Family for endowing this award and highlighting the central role of science in our lives.

Here are the deets from the official announcement:

$10,000 Lane Anderson Award Winners

Celebrating the Best Science Writing in Canada

Toronto. 26^th September, 2013:  The Fitzhenry Family Foundation announced the winners of the 2012 Lane Anderson Award. Finalists and winners were feted at an intimate dinner in Toronto.

The annual Lane Anderson Award, now in its fourth year, honours excellence in Canadian science writing, by highlighting two jury-selected books – one addressed to adult readers, the other written for children and/or middle grade readers.  Authors of the winning books each receive $10,000. 

There were a total of 20 submissions for this year’s award.

“We established this award because we believe passionately that science writing, and science reporting is vitally important for every Canadian today.  Science writing, research, and knowledge impacts the ways in which we live now, the ways our children will live in future, and the ways in which our children’s children will live their lives. As Canadians, we do not pay enough attention to science. We take it for granted.  The Lane Anderson Award is dedicated towards removing that indifference, two books at a time. We thank all of the authors and publishers and judges who are helping us pass along this message. It needs to be heard and heeded.”

- Hollister Doll & Sharon Fitzhenry Directors, Fitzhenry Family Foundation  

The annual Lane Anderson Award honours two jury-selected books, in the categories of adult and young reader, published in the field of science, and written by a Canadian. The winner in each category receives $10,000.

The 2012 Lane Anderson Prize Winners are:

The Universe Within by Neil Turok (Anansi)

The most anticipated nonfiction book of the season, this year's Massey Lectures is a visionary look at the way the human mind can shape the future.  Neil Turok is one of the world’s top physicists and founder of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS). He is currently the Director of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.

Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea by Helaine Becker (Kids Can Press)

Based on the idea that knowledge is power, The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea shows how the ocean works and why this immense ecosystem needs our protection. Experiments using everyday materials help explain the scientific concepts. Helaine Becker is a bestselling writer of children’s fiction, nonfiction and verse.

The two juries meet annually to consider all the submissions to the Lane Anderson Award and comprise editors, librarians, and previous Lane Anderson winners.

The Lane Anderson designation honours the maiden names of Robert Fitzhenry’s mother, Margaret Lane, and his wife, Hilda Anderson Fitzhenry.  The Fitzhenry Family Foundation is a privately directed Canadian foundation established in 1987 by Canadian publisher Robert I. Fitzhenry (1918-2008).  The Lane Anderson Award is administered by Christopher Alam, a partner at the law firm of Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP.

www.laneanderson.ca

Debby de Groot

647.295.2970

Lane Anderson Science Writing Awards Shortlist Announced!

Thrilled to learn today that The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea has been shortlisted for the Lane Anderson Award! A previous book of mine, The Insecto-Files, won the award two years ago. I'm so excited to be back on the list again!

You can read the press release here. Congrats to the other nominees - looking forward to meeting you all at the awards dinner!

Red Cedar Book Award 2013-14 Shortlist Announced

The Red Cedar Award List is out! And I'm thrilled to announce The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea is on the Information Book Shortlist!

Here's the complete list of nominees. You can find more information on the wonder Red Cedar program here.


2013/2014 Red Cedar Information Book Nominees:



Bodyguards! From Gladiators to the Secret Service written by Ed Butts, illustrated by Scott Plumbe


The World in Your Lunchbox: The Wacky History and Weird Science Of Everyday Foods by Claire Eamer. Illustrated by Sa Boothroyd

Earth-friendly Buildings, Bridges and More: The Eco-Journal Of Corry Lapont by Etta Kaner, illustrated by Stephen MacEachern

The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Willow Dawson

Mimi’s Village and How Basic Health Care Transformed It by Katie Smith Milway, illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes

Cryptic Canada: Unsolved Mysteries From Coast To Coast by Natalie Hyde, illustrated by Matt Hammill

Secret Life Of Money: A Kid’s Guide To Cash by Kira Vermond, illustrated by Clayton Hanmer


City Critters: Wildlife In The Urban Jungle by Nicholas Read

Rescuing The Children: The Story of the Kindertransport by Deborah Hodge

Willie O’Ree: The Story of the First Black Player in the NHL by Nicole Mortillaro





2013/2014 Red Cedar Fiction Nominees:



My Name is Paravana by Deborah Ellis



Mr & Mrs Bunny, Detectives Extraordinaire! by Polly Horvath



Summer in the City by Marie-Louise Gay and David Homel



Torn Apart: The Internment Diary of Mary Kobayashi (Dear Canada) by Susan M. Aihoshi



Ungifted by Gordon Korman



Encyclopedia of Me by Karen Rivers



Grave Robber’s Apprentice by Allan Stratton



Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis



Cat’s Cradle Book 1: The Golden Twine by Jo Rioux



Redwing by Holly Bennett



Gargoyle at the Gates by Philippa Dowding



Mimi Power and the I-Don’t-Know-What by Victoria Miles

The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea Wins the Outstanding Youth Award!

I'm so thrilled that my book about the ocean won this fabulous award from the Canadian Science Writers Association so close to Earth Day.


Here's the Press Release. Congrats to Jay Ingram, who won the Adult Book award, and to all the others on the shortlist. I was told it was a very tough call, as all of the books are terrific. I must say I agree, so feel very lucky indeed.

The Canadian Science Writers’ Association offers two $1000 annual book awards to honour outstanding contributions to science writing 1) intended for and available to children/middle grades ages 8-12 years, and 2) intended for and available to the general public for books that were published in Canada during the 2012 calendar year.


The general audience book winner is Fatal Flaws by Jay Ingram. The youth book winner is The Big Green Book about the Big Blue Sea by Helaine Becker. Entries were judged on the basis of initiative, originality, scientific accuracy, clarity of interpretation and value in promoting a better understanding of science by the public.

The judges appreciated the way Jay Ingram brought excellent plain language story telling to an exceedingly complex topic in Fatal Flaws.

“The structure drove me forward as a reader. Good use of verbal imagery.”

Another judge said, “This book is well written and does not require a scientific background. The flow is good. The book provides a great overview of the status of prion diseases and does not fall into sensationalism.”

Clarity and the ability to engage the audience with a complex topic were also important factors when the judges considered The Big Green Book about the Big Blue Sea by Helaine Becker.

One judge commented that it is, “Clearly written with lots of information and discuses topics about the ocean and what happens in oceans. Well thought out, activities are good and relate well to the content being presented. Great use of experiments and observation. A good book for younger kids.”

The younger judges from grades 4 and 6 agreed, “I liked this book because it had many interesting experiments. I even did one myself.” “I really liked the experiments and it was very informative.”

The winners will be presented with their awards during the CSWA annual conference in Montreal at the gala and awards banquet on June 7.

Information Book Award Shortlist includes the Big Blue Sea...

The Vancouver Children's Roundtable released their longlist for Information Book Awards for 2013.

The link is http://vclr.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/2013-Info-Book-Award-Preliminary-List.pdf

I'm delighted to announce my own book, The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea has made the first cut!

Royal Style - Science Books for Kids

The Shortlist for the Royal Society Young People's Book Prize is out! Here in Canada we adore all things British, so what's not to love on this list of superb science-y reads for kids?

The complete list and more about the prize can be found at http://royalsociety.org/awards/young-people/shortlist/

Don't Judge This Book by Its Cover Revised Repost

In honor of Nonfiction Monday, I'm reposting my June post about book covers.

I'd love your feedback on how much a book's cover influences your decision  to read or not read, especially in an age of Good Reads reviews et al...

I recently received a lovely letter from Cheryl Chambers, a Teacher-Librarian in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The letter said, in part,


"I recently read and reviewed (as part of the CANLIT reviews for schools in Halifax) your book "The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea."

I thought it was fabulous and gave it a 5/5 for its content. I recommended that every elementary school have at least one copy of the book.

There is however, one problem: the cover. None of the students I showed the book to would even take the time to open the book because they were put off by the cover....You have done such a fantastic job making all of the difficult concepts you bring up accessible. I think that "The Big Green Book" is an invaluable resource for educating students about the real problems facing our oceans today. But as you know, people can't help but judge a book by its cover. I would love to see this book republished with a new bright, interesting cover, so that more people will turn to "The Big Green Book" and hopefully learn from it and try to help improve the fate of our oceans...I think my favourite experiment in "The Big Green Book" was the one on over fishing, students should be able to easily understand the crisis facing the world's fish population after performing that simple experiment."

Letters like this are both thrilling (she liked it!) and disheartening for an author. We work hard on a book, as part of a team, and trust the other members of the team to do a great job all around. And they do. But sometimes, well, maybe there's a misstep.

I don't know if that's the case with The Big Green Book. Is Cheryl's opinion of the cover what's blowing in the prevailing wind? Is it a Slam Dunk, or an SOS? What do you think?

I hope, either way, that people will read the book and discover what's inside.

"Hopefully," Cheryl added, "my glowing review to the school librarians in Halifax will encourage others to purchase your book. " Me too.

Q and the Tips Take the Mad Greenie Stage

You can now watch a mini episode of Dr.Greenie's Mad Lab on line. Right here! This is the submission to the upcoming MIP Junior Kids Jury Competition, for which it is a Finalist. Enjoy!

CSWA Best Science Books for 2011 Announced

The CSWA has announced the winners of this year's book awards. The general audience book winner is Cascadia’s Fault by Jerry Thompson. The youth book winner is 50 Poisonous Questions by Tanya Lloyd Kyi.






Entries were judged on the basis of initiative, originality, scientific accuracy, clarity of interpretation and value in promoting a better understanding of science by the public.





Both of this year’s books appealed to the judges because they created a sense of mystery and discovery. Commenting on Cascadia’s Fault one judge said, “The writing was masterful and it read almost like a novel. I never felt bogged down in details, and yet the science about earthquakes was all there along with the controversies, descriptions of the sources, and stories about the people.”





The youth judges were equally enthusiastic about 50 Poisonous Questions, “There were very interesting facts that I didn’t know about and the explanations were easy to understand.” “It was a book I didn’t want to put down until I finished the whole book.” “It was a really fun book.”





The book awards will be presented at the CSWA annual conference in Windsor, Ontario on June 2, 2012.