Dear Publisher,
An appreciation of nature and science enriches the lives of children immeasurably. To encourage and reward accurate and compelling authorship of children's books about animal behavior, the Animal Behavior Society is sponsoring its 19th annual Outstanding Children's Book Award. We are interested in reviewing children’s books published in 2021 by your company that include a realistic depiction of what animals do and how they behave (i.e., how they interact with the environment and other species). We are not looking for books that simply describe an animal or where it is found. Nominated books can be either non-fiction or fiction. They should be fully illustrated and appropriate for children in grades 3-4.
Books will be reviewed by members of the Animal Behavior Society Education Committee and voted on by children at elementary schools across North America. The Committee will select up to five books as finalists based on scientific and literary quality, and then children will review these finalists and choose a winner. The winner will be awarded the “Outstanding Children’s Book Award”.
However, due to the current health concerns of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have adjusted our book award again this year. Books will still be reviewed by the Animal Behavior Society Education Committee and finalists voted on by elementary school children, but the timing and review process has changed. We are asking for books to be received by April 15th. The review committee’s chosen finalists will be announced early Summer, student voting will occur early Fall and a 2022 winner will be announced late Fall.
If your submitted book is chosen as a finalist, you will be notified by mid Summer. We will ask that you send one (1) additional copy to each of the five Committee members AND a digital file of your book. For student voting, we will be utilizing a digital format in addition to our hard-copy format. This hybrid voting process will allow both local and non-local elementary students from across North America to participate. Digital formats should include the book in its entirety; additional details on digital formats will be provided in the finalists’ instructions.
If you would like your book(s) to be considered for this year’s Outstanding Children’ Book Award, please send one copy to each of the five reviewers below. With your submission, please include your email address and surface mail address for direct contact.
