Underwater earthquakes, volcanoes, and mudslides can cause tsunami waves that reach land and wreak havoc. Children will learn how tsunamis develop, how they are detected, and their devastating impact on communities. Blastoff! Series
Hurricane winds spin around a central point called an eye. A hurricane's eye usually has calm weather and clear skies. Eager readers will discover how hurricanes form, move, and damage tropical areas. Blastoff! Series
Part airplane and part helicopter, the V-22 Osprey hovers in the air as U.S. Marines jump behind enemy lines. Kids will learn about the V-22 Osprey's vertical take-off and landing, defensive weapons, and the dangerous missions this unique machine performs.
Not a sports bike and not a touring motorcycle, standard motorcycles fit the needs of riders who just want to get around town. Students will learn about these cheap, reliable, and easily customizable motorcycles.
Tennis is a popular recreational sport played by many people, but it is also played professionally in tournaments all over the world. Young readers will learn the basic rules of tennis, the equipment required to play, and the worldwide tournaments where professionals leave it all on the court. Blastoff! Series
Predator drones use cameras and sensors to help the United States Air Force gain valuable information about the enemy. They can also be used for strategic strikes. Readers will find out how predator drones work, what kinds of missions they are sent out to perform, and how a pilot thousands of miles away can safely control one.
Scooters have become a very popular way to get around town over the last fifty years. Students will learn where scooters came from and what kinds of scooters are around today.
Most motorcycles can go pretty fast. However, some are designed to reach incredibly fast speeds! Kids will read about the history of motorcycles, the technology behind the fastest bikes, and what the future holds for the world's fastest motorcycles.
Bullet trains originated in Japan. They are the fastest trains on Earth. Young readers will learn about the history of bullet trains, the technology that makes their high speeds possible, and what bullet trains may be like in the future!
Off-road motorcycles have features that make them safe to ride off the pavement. Students will learn about the variety of off-road motorcycles, the parts that allow them to tackle the tough terrain, and the sporting competitions that use off-road motorcycles.
Pocket bikes are a specialized form of mini bike built for racing. Readers will learn how riders control these small motorcycles and the challenges they find in competition.
Loaded with guns, torpedoes, and guided missiles, Arleigh Burke Destroyers are always ready to protect U.S. Navy warships. Young readers will learn how these destroyers use the latest technology to defend the fleet and carry out attack missions.
Can a swan survive without winter migration? Marcel, a young tundra swan, is tired from the first half of a winter migration. One thousand miles is a long way to fly--too long for Marcel, so he hides in the rushes to stay behind while his parents and the flock continue south. But with the lake nearly frozen over, he soon realizes that he is not cut out for life on ice. Other animals offer advice about how to survive the winter, but their ways of living aren't right for the swan. Hungry and scared, he falls asleep - only to be awakened by a big surprise! The "For Creative Minds" educational section includes "Tundra Swan Fun Facts" and a "Tundra Swan Life Cycle Sequencing Activity."
This delightful adaptation of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, shares zoo keeper and animal preparations for the upcoming "Zoo Day." But things aren't going according to plan . . . The llamas won't quit spitting, the giraffes are drooling, and the zebras aren't happy at all with their stripes. Meanwhile, the zoo keepers are scurrying this way and that, cleaning up poop, ringing mealtime bells, and trying to get the animals bathed. Will "Zoo Day" go off without a hitch? The "For Creative Minds" educational section includes "Creative Sparks: imagine you're a zoo keeper," and "An Animal Adaptation Matching Activity."
You can celebrate the huge difference caring people make for endangered animals while you practice subtraction skills. In this sequel to her popular addition title, What's New at the Zoo?, Slade presents a new subtraction problem in each clever rhyming verse. The colorful watercolors include realistic animals set in lush spreads by illustrator, Joan Waites. So join in the celebration of our world's precious animals with this exciting title, and have fun practicing math skills along the way! The "For Creative Minds" educational section includes: Endangered Animal Vocabulary, Food Chains and Webs, Missing Links in Food Chains, Endangered Animals, and Fact Families.
This is a companion book to Mary Alice Monroe's novel, Swimming Lessons, the sequel to The Beach House. In the novel, the readers witness a young mother, Toy, writing a journal for her daughter, Little Lovie. This is the journal Toy is writing. Using original photographs, this scrapbook journal explains the nesting cycle of sea turtles and the natural life along the Southeastern coast, including local shore birds, shells, and the sea turtle hospital. Adults and children will enjoy the images, information and the journal with or without the novel. The "For Creative Minds" educational section includes turtle nesting facts, a shell identification activity, and a make-your-own nature journal.
Imaginations will soar from the forest floor, up through the canopy and back down again, following the circle of life in this clever adaptation of the song "The Green Grass Grew All Around." The jungle comes alive as children learn about a wide variety of the animals (jaguars, emerald tree boas, leafcutter ants, sloths, poison dart frogs, toucans, and bats) and plants (kapok trees, liana vines, and bromeliads) living in the lush Amazon rainforest. Delve even deeper into the jungle using sidebars and the three-page "For Creative Minds" educational section.
What if you found a baby owl in your backyard? Would you know what to do? Where would you go to find help? Join young Maddie and Max as they learn a valuable lesson from a little lost owl in Baby Owl's Rescue by Jennifer Keats Curtis. The brother and sister pair just wanted to play baseball one day. They never expected to come face-to-face with a wild animal! Lush illustrations by Laura Jacques accompany this story and demonstrate the proper treatment of wildlife. This story reminds all of us that we live in a world surrounded by wild animals, and those wild animals deserve our caution and our respect!
On May 12, 2008, XiXi, a giant panda, escaped from the destroyed Wolong Panda Reserve when a 7.9 earthquake rocked Northern China. After the quake, mother and cub run from the wreckage. Confused and afraid, they get lost! How will they survive outside their reserve? Will they find food? Will they find shelter? And will they safely endure the earthquake after-shocks? The "For Creative Minds" education section includes: Endangered Giant Pandas; Life Cycle Activity; Panda Fun Facts; Shake, Rattle & Roll; The Richter Scale and Magnitude Ranges; and an Earthquake Chart & Map.
What if Jack and Jill had been playing on a nice soft sand dune instead of that treacherous hill? And suppose Mary's pet wasn't really a lamb. What if Mary had a little . . . clam? Those questions -- and more -- are gleefully answered in Mother Osprey: Nursery Rhymes for Buoys & Gulls. This collection retells Mother Goose rhymes and celebrates America's coastlines and waterways -- from sea to shining sea. The "For Creative Minds" educational section includes: Poem related fun facts and a Map activity.
Seasons change in the ocean much as they do on land. Spring brings new plants and baby animals, summer oceans glow with sparkly plankton lights, and autumn winds blow across the open water. In winter the humpback whales migrate to warmer waters, just as some land animals move to warmer climates. The cycle begins again as they return to the northern waters in the spring. In fun, fanciful form, Ocean Seasons introduces plants and animals that are joined through the mix of seasons, food webs, and habitats beneath the waves. While set in the Pacific, similar changes occur in the Atlantic also. The "For Creative Minds" learning sections features and "Ocean Food Web Card Game."
It isn't always easy being a moose but this young moose has a special, joke-telling friend to keep him company and to help him find his way. Join Moose, Magpie and some of their other animal friends as they frolic through a year of changes. Learn what the Liberty Bell and moose have in common or why moose cross the road. Laugh along with Moose and Magpie, and learn something while you are at it. The "For Creative Minds" educational section includes: Is it for real?, Moose and birds, What do moose eat?, Match the moose body part to its adaptation, Moose life cycle, Moose antlers, and Moose fun facts.
When a boy and his mother take their dog Miles on a peaceful canoe ride, they find themselves frantically racing to save a mother loon and her family! Join them and watch the surprising outcome of Miles' encounter with the loons. Then witness the boy's moment of wonder when he meets the loon. The "For Creative Minds" section includes loon fun facts, information about loons in Native American Culture, a "Maker a Loon Mask" craft, and a "Map It," "Math It," "Measure It" section. Encourages children to care for animals.
Enjoy a day in one of the most dynamic habitats on earth: the salt marsh. Fun-to-read, rhyming verse introduces readers to hourly changes in the marsh as the tide comes and goes. Watch the animals that have adapted to this ever-changing environment as they hunt for food or play in the sun, and learn how the marsh grass survives even when it is covered by saltwater twice a day. An activity on adaptations is included in the "For Creative Minds" section.
Red bats can hibernate or migrate to warmer regions during the winter. Should this solitary little bat stay or should she go? That's the question the little red bat ponders as the leaves fall and the nights get colder! The squirrel tells her to stay. But what about the dangerous creatures that hunt red bats in winter? The sparrow urges her to go. But where? Carole Gerber takes young readers on an educational journey through one bat's seasonal dilemma in Little Red Bat. The For Creative Minds educational section includes: Match the Bat Adaptation, Bat Fun Facts, How Animals Deal with Seasonal Changes, Red Bats and Seasonal Change, and Bat Life Cycle Sequencing Activity.
