Planetarium: Welcome to the Museum by astrophysicist Raman Prinja and artist Chris Wormell has been chosen by children as the winning book for the 2019 Royal Society’s Young People’s Book Prize. The prize was awarded at a ceremony hosted by CBBC’s Lindsey Russell at the National Science and Media Museum, Bradford on November 13.

Planetarium (published by Big Picture Press) was selected by a record-breaking number of young judges. Over 10,600 young people drawn from 471 schools and youth groups from across the UK cast their votes for their favorite science book from a shortlist of six titles, chosen by a panel of adult judges, including author Michael Rosen and Royal Society Fellow Professor Sheila Rowan.

The Royal Society’s Young People’s Book Prize champions the best science books for under-14s. The winning authors receive an award of £10,000 and the shortlisted authors each receive £2,500.

Planetarium is a beautifully illustrated, eye-catching large-format tour of our solar system and beyond – a must for any budding young astronomer. From planets and moons to far-flung exoplanets, all are depicted with stylistic flourish by Wormell, who also illustrated Phillip Pullman’s best-selling La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume One. Alongside each illustration, Professor Raman Prinja, Professor of Astrophysics at the University College London, delves into the science and history with text on the array of celestial subjects.

Prinja has written several successful books on the subject, including Night Sky Watcher which was shortlisted for the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize in 2015.

Wormell is a self-taught engraver and celebrated printmaker. He creates his timeless illustrations using wood engraving and linocut, as well as digital engraving working with tablet and computer.

[Based on a press release.]