Dr. Robert Mason, the current recipient of the National Science Foundation"s Young Investigator Award, has been studying a mysterious phenomenon for over fifteen years: the reemergence of tens of thousands of red-sided garter snakes — the world"s largest concentration of snakes — after a winter spent in a state of suspended animation in subterranean caverns. This gathering each spring in the forests of Manitoba, Canada, is one of the most extraordinary events of the natural world and is the subject of study for Dr. Mason, a.k.a. the Snake Scientist.
Packed with movie stills, cross-sections, and character details, this guide offers an up-close look at the world of Oakey Oaks and all of the colorful characters who live there.
Ages 4-8. In this world record book of natural history, Jenkins identifies and describes places such as the planet's deepest lake, highest mountain, most active volcano, the most extreme tides, and the places designated the hottest, the coldest, the wettest, the driest, and the windiest on Earth. Each spread features a distinctive collage of cut-and-torn papers, which vary in texture and hue. Silhouetted forms provide dramatic focal points in the compositions. Each spread includes a couple of lines of text, supplemented with more information in smaller type and inset maps and diagrams that help the reader visualize just how high, deep, or wet the subject is in comparison with others of its kind. Highly effective visual education for the classroom or for young browsers intrigued by superlatives. Carolyn Phelan --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Shrek, Donkey, Fiona, and all your favorite fairy-tale characters are back in Shrek the Third. This time, Shrek’s going on a quest to find the next ______ to the throne. Bring the hilarity home with this Mad Libs.
When Baby Bird says good-bye to his mama at school each morning, he feels sad. Mama Bird feels sad, too. Sometimes it's hard to be apart. But as Mama Bird says, the love they share is with them always, keeping them close until the best part of the day--when they are together again.
A-huff-and-a-puff-and-a-huff-and-a-puff-and-a-huff-and-a-puff" "WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Tacky the penguin wants to know. The Winter Games, that's what's happening. And Tacky and his fellow penguins Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect have to work hard to get in shape so they can represent Team Nice Icy Land in the athletic competitions. After rigorous training, they're ready - but are the games ready for Tacky? Will his antics keep Team Nice Icy Land from winning a medal? From bobsledless racing and ski jumping to speed skating, Tacky lends his unique, exuberant style to each competition. In laugh-out-loud scenes of Tacky and his fellow penguins' athletic debacles, Tacky reminds readers of the underlying joy and enthusiasm that propells athletes to greatness. So get ready to cheer for Team Nice Icy Land and let the games begin!
As if a Bill Murray movie wasn't enough, the Groundhog Day tradition gets additional play in the controlled mayhem of this picture book. Geoffrey Groundhog awakens one February 2nd and applies his mother's teachings to predict when spring will arrive. Reported in the local newspaper, his forecast proves correct, and all the animals of Mooseflats County are duly impressed. The following year, pigs, deer, and rabbits surround Geoffrey's burrow-but so many TV lights flash in Geoffrey's eyes that he can't tell whether he has seen his shadow or not. The media madness mounts-and subsides only after Geoffrey calls on his mother for expert counsel. Koscielniak (Bear and Bunny Grow Tomatoes) tones down the frenzy of activity with a subdued palette of olive greens, browns and other wintry hues. At the same time he keeps the tone light, integrating into his narrative humorous newspaper headlines ("Was There a Shadow? Weather Picture Muddled") and lacing his antic ink-and-watercolor illustrations with satisfyingly silly
Turtle and Snake are going to the beach. They're going to enter the big sand castle contes. But every time they turn around, their sand castle gets wiped out by the waves. Will they be able to build a new one in time for the contest?
The little piggies in Geisert's (Oink Oink) latest porcine paean try to go to market, but are temporarily derailed in this clever caper of a picture book. French emigrants Jambo and Marva Jambonneau and their 12 piglets run a successful tree nursery in Ames, Iowa (an area famous for its nurseries), where they show off their talents as gifted topiarists and raise giant pumpkins. Each autumn, the pigs and their neighbors work overtime to meet local demand for trees trimmed into the shape of turkeys. But after the Jambonneaus put the finishing touches on their first batch of turkey trees, their masterpieces mysteriously disappear during the night. Family teamwork, Marva's quick thinking and the oversize squashes all play a part in discovering the thief just in time for a fine fall harvest sale. Geisert combines history, unique Midwestern color and fun in his simple yet snappy text. His intricate, evocative hand-colored etchings incorporate bits of bright and clunky salvage strewn about the nursery, adding charac
Poor Otis can't get any of his duck lessons down. During swimming classes, he spends more time below the water than above it. And though he learned to fly, he somehow forgot how to land. When a particularly messy landing embarrasses him in front of Violet, the most lovely duck on the lake, Otis runs away and reinvents himself as Jack Quack, Renegade Drake, Prince of the Forest, King of the Lake. But will it be enough to win Violet's love?
Here in lyrical prose is the story of the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words that became the national anthem of the United States. This flag, which came to be known as the Star-Spangled Banner, also inspired author Susan Campbell Bartoletti, who, upon seeing it at the Smithsonian Institution, became curious about the hands that had sewn it. Here is her story of the early days of this flag as seen through the eyes of young Caroline Pickersgill, the daughter of an important flag maker, Mary Pickersgill, and the granddaughter of a flag maker for General George Washington’s Continental Army. It is also a story about how a symbol motivates action and emotion, brings people together, and inspires courage and hope.
In simple, straightforward text and marvelously expressive pictures, the author and photographer have captured the thoughts and feelings of one small boy. Whether he is proud or scared, lonely or excited, his face mirrors his emotion with the wonderful directness of childhood.
Kindergarten-Grade 3. It would be difficult to imagine a less poetic theme than that of a bat accidentally trapped in the posh dining room of a summer resort. However, Dragonwagon has woven an evocative, lyrical prose poem in this tale of one frantic flying mammal and one quiet young girl who really cares what happens to it. While the excited, well-heeled patrons escape to the lobby, and the tuxedo-garbed staff run for brooms and other weapons, Melissa remains alone in the dining room. Unhurriedly, and with calm resolve, she lures the bat to an emergency door, where it flies into the starry night to freedom. The spare text combines internal rhyme and interesting word juxtapositions to create the appropriate mood. The contrast of uproar and quiet, agitation and calm combine to build a story from one brief incident. Schindler's beautiful illustrations, a combination of colored pencil and watercolor on pastel paper, become a harmonious complement to the text. The artist has juxtaposed the luminous views of
From "Who sits where in an orchestra?" to "Why do flutes have holes?" I Wonder Why Mice Are Musical and Other Questions About Music answers all sorts of questions that children love to ask about composers, instruments, singing, and dancing.
This entry in the popular Let's learn series includes an activity to help little ones learn the entire alphabet. Using fun animal illustrations, the book teaches how to count and read.
Angelina nominates Miss Lilly for Teacher of the Year—and she wins! But Angelina isn’t happy when Miss Lilly suddenly doesn’t have time for her mouselings anymore. Can Miss Lilly fulfill all her duties as Teacher of the Year and still find time for Angelina?
Gr. 1^-2. Lulu is a princess who's a royal pain. Since she has no friends, her parents decide to send her to camp. Lulu is not a happy camper: no servants, no phone, and no fun. But when her crown falls in the lake, and she makes another camper giggle, Lulu gets the first inkling of what it's like to have a friend. A happy summer ensues in this story, which has a fresh premise and is funny enough to keep new readers going. The watercolor-and-pen illustrations are well executed, capturing the humor of Lulu's transformation. Ilene Cooper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Tells the story of how women throughout the ages have responded to situations confronting them in daily life by inventing such items as correction fluid, space helmets, and disposable diapers.
Slaughtering elephants for their ivory; shooting bears for their gall bladders; capturing sea turtles for soup. In the name of vanity, fashion, and greed, man stalks and kills wild animals -- and gets away with it, even when it is clearly against the law. But now scientists have a way to catch and convict poachers. In a laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, they analyze clues to link suspects to crimes. In words and pictures, this book tells a poignant story and reveals how science can indeed save the day.
