The shortlists for the annual Lane Anderson Award have been announced, with three adult and three young reader titles in contention for the $10,000 prize in each category. The award recognizes the best Canadian science books published the previous year.

In the adult category, the finalists are:

• Manitoba Butterflies: A Field Guide by Simone Hébert Allard (Turnstone Press)
• The Oil Man and the Sea: Navigating the Northern Gateway by Arno Kopecky (Douglas & McIntyre)
• The Peace-Athabasca Delta: Portrait of a Dynamic Ecosystem by Kevin P. Timoney (University of Alberta Press)

In the youth category, the finalists are:

• Before the World Was Ready by Claire Eamer; Sa Boothroyd, illus. (Annick Press)
• Chitchat: Celebrating the World’s Language by Jude Isabella; Kathy Boake, illus. (Kids Can Press)
• Pterosaur Trouble by Daniel Loxton with Jim W.W. Smith (Kids Can Press)

The winners will be announced later this month.