Truth or Lie: Sharks!
Fly Guy and his owner, Buzz, are back! This time they’re on a field trip to the aquarium. With a bit of trepidation (which he loses along the way), Fly Guy agrees to tour the shark exhibit with Buzz acting as guide. Mixing photos of fish tanks with notebook-lined journal pages, taped pictures, and handwritten notes about the predators, Buzz introduces readers to a sampling of the more than 400 kinds of sharks.
Fly Guy Presents: Sharks
Meet the shark — the fish who ruled the deep before dinosaurs roamed the Earth! This fish has soft cartilage so he can glide, twist, and turn. He can smell a single drop of blood in 25 million drops of ocean. He can feel electricity given off by his prey. He will lose and replace more than 10,000 teeth in his lifetime. Cool photos bring kids into the shark’s world. Fun facts go deep into the science of sharks.
National Geographic Readers: Sharks!
From the first time she saw a shark in an aquarium, Eugenie was enthralled. Instead of frightening and ferocious eating machines, she saw sleek, graceful fish gliding through the water. After she became a scientist — an unexpected career path for a woman in the 1940s — she began taking research dives and training sharks, earning her the nickname “The Shark Lady.”
Swimming with Sharks: The Daring Discoveries of Eugenie Clark
As he’s done with each other season (e.g., Awesome Autumn (opens in a new window)), the author introduces recognizable features of summer. Brief information is followed by activities that seem most appropriate during warmer months such as making swirly freezer pops. Crisp photographs and limited text make this a breezy summer read.
Super Summer: All Kinds of Summer Facts and Fun
The story of one Lepidoptera as it evolved in England is a story of “change and adaptation, of survival and hope…[that] starts with a little moth.” Lyrical narration is accompanied by stunning but simple illustration in dark, dramatic hues and bold forms that chronicle the evolution of the Peppered Moth. A brief afterward discusses basic ideas of natural selection.
Moth: An Evolution Story
Just in time for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Moon landing, the author/illustrator’s spectacular, dramatic but readable look at the mission has been updated and expanded. Additional art has been added to the new portions including a look at the people who worked behind the scenes to make it happen. Additional information about Apollo’s return is also here.
Moonshot
In this striking volume, readers will encounter the Moon in both fact and fiction. Moon myths from various cultures are presented, the impact of the Moon on plant and animal behavior, a brief examination of the first Apollo landing, even a reflection on what the future of Moon exploration may do and more are presented briefly in well organized, clearly noted and stunningly illustrated sections. A glossary of people and terms are included.
The Moon
What could be more fun than going to a birthday party by rocket? Celebrating your birthday on the Moon, of course! That’s just is explored in this playfully illustrated look at the moon, bouncily contrasting it an Earth party. The views of Earth would be stunning making up for the fact that everyone would have to wear space suits. Information is presented in boxes throughout this fanciful journey.
If You Had Your Birthday Party on the Moon
A boy looking out his bedroom window into the night sky begins, “The Moon is out tonight. In the morning, three brave men will climb into a giant rocket … and fly to the Moon.” It’s the Apollo 11 mission which inspires the child for a lifetime. Dramatic, highly realistic illustrations present the narrator’s life on earth interwoven with images and information about the Apollo Moon landing and return. An author’s note reveals that he grew up to build small rockets and an airplane. Fun facts, a glossary, and additional resources are included.
Go for the Moon: A Rocket, a Boy, and the First Moon Landing
Spare, poetic text and luminous, realistic illustrations chronicle the Apollo missions. Comprehensive back matter with photographs adds depth to the presentation. The author, a trained engineer, also presented Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon (opens in a new window) illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez for readers 9 to 12. The subtitle of this memorable book is the time it took from President John F. Kennedy’s challenge to Neil Armstrong’s first step on the Moon.
Daring Dozen: The Twelve Who Walked on the Moon
Alan Bean was not the first but the fourth man to walk on the Moon. However, he was the first astronaut to create paintings inspired by what he saw on and from the Moon. The highly readable, handsomely illustrated look at the Apollo 12 astronaut includes information gleaned from interviews with him as well as back matter (biographical information, a timeline and bibliography). This is a unique look at the moon and its impact on one artist/astronaut, sure to inspire others.
The Astronaut Who Painted the Moon: The True Story of Alan Bean
Tornadoes are complex weather phenomena that can be highly destructive. Follow scientist and storm-chaser, Robin Tanamachi, as she researches the genesis of tornadoes and tornadic behavior. Dramatic photographs show not only storm clouds but the aftermath. Charts and other graphics help explain more technical aspects of tornadoes.
The Tornado Scientist: Seeing Inside Severe Storms
When things come to an end by various means (natural or induced such as roadkill), they decompose. Young readers may just revel in the gleeful grossness in well researched narrative and lighthearted illustrations. A glossary and bibliography conclude this enlightening but entertaining informational book.
Rotten! Vultures, Beetles, Slime and Nature’s Other
Join two curious polar bear cubs as they prepare to live and thrive in an extremely harsh environment, presented as a comic book. Fact and fiction combine in this informative but engaging and entertaining look at climate change and the impact on these animals. Back matter includes a glossary, bibliography, and source notes.
Polar Bears Survival on the Ice
Readers may have to change their opinion of spotted hyenas after meeting them as they are studied in the wild. Fluid prose and stunning photographs combine insight into the field scientists and information about the animals they study. While they remain formidable carnivores, hyenas are surprisingly brave and social animals and appealing in appearance. Thoroughly resourced and documented, this is narrative nonfiction at its best.
The Hyena Scientist
Join Ada Osprey, Senior Librarian of the Eagle-Eyed Explorer Club as she dashes out, inviting readers to explore plants with her. From plant origins to those modified by humans, plants are examined in understandable language enhanced by clearly labeled, highly detailed illustrations. A long, meticulous timeline folds out to summarize and complete this unique exploration.
Explorer: Plants!
Emily Warren was a bright girl who grew into a determined, intelligent, self-taught woman. After her husband, Washington Roebling, fell ill while building the Brooklyn Bridge, it was Emily who interpreted Washington’s drawings and carried out the plans over ten years. This is a fascinating examination of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and the people and engineering behind it, revealed in spritely illustration and accessible language.
Secret Engineer: How Emily Roebling Build the Brooklyn Bridge
Millions of refrigerators, TVs, schools and stoplights can be powered by the energy held in one person’s pinky finger. So why can’t you power your toys? “… because your body needs all the energy it’s got.” This unique look at the human body’s systems and the energy required to run them is presented in accessible language and darkly hued, strong illustrations.
Power Up
If you travel to the sea, consider the varied animals and sea creatures that live in the world’s oceans. Glimpse some of them on the oversized pages of this informative, beautifully illustrated emporium — a diverse undersea world teaming with life. If you take that trip to the sea, you might come across seashells. Have you ever wondered why there are so many different shapes? Explore this and find out who the shells’ residents may be in Seashells: More than a Home (opens in a new window) by Melissa Stewart, realistically illustrated by Sarah Brannen.
Ocean Emporium: A Compilation of Creatures
Short, readable entries each with a date, chronicle the first year of a bluebird as told by the newly hatched narrator. Information about bluebirds’ range appears on front endpapers while a glossary is placed on back endpapers. Dramatic illustrations show the dangers faced by the young bluebirds until the following June when A. Bluebird shows off the “my beautiful chicks!”
My Happy Year
A girl gazes out a window, staring at the nighttime sky. From early times, people like Lucretius, Teng Mu, Giordano Bruno and Christiaan Huygens believed that other worlds exist. When the young girl and her family visit a museum, she too wonders, and later continues to look out at the nighttime sky. Realistic illustrations effectively combine with the accessible, informative text.
Just Right: Searching for the Goldilocks Planet
There are forests all over the world including many National Parks in the United States. There are kelp forests, rainforests, and forests of mangrove. Each is home to unique animals, sometimes people, and occasionally forest mythology. Explore these and more as each page uncovers what may be seen when the canopy is pulled back. Concrete suggestions on protecting and preserving these environments conclude this lushly illustrated volume
In Focus: Forests
There are approximately 5000 species found world over (with the exception of Antarctica), in different sizes, many shapes and in various colors. Open the pages of this lushly illustrated book to meet some of the frogs from around the world, many of which are now threatened. Handsomely crafted and presented, dip in or read cover-to-cover, these frogs will remain with readers long after the covers are closed.