Most of our energy has come from oil, gas, and coal. Find out how we can heat and light our buildings, travel, and power our computers and devices without harming the planet in this resourceful title. Extracting resources damages the environment, and burning them contributes to global warming, harms our health, and pollutes the air and water. Case studies show how scientists are investigating renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, how to make homes and buildings more energy efficient, and how we can use less energy by changing our own behavior.
More than half the world’s population live in cities, and that number is rising. Find out how we can create buildings and cities without harming the environment in this informative title. The growth of cities can lead to overcrowding, pollution from transportation and factories, and the release of greenhouse gases from buildings. Case studies show how scientists, architects, and planners are investigating how to build more energy-efficient houses and more sustainable cities.
We cannot prevent volcanic eruptions, but we can try to minimize their impact on humans. This interesting book examines what scientists know about eruptions, whether we can predict them, and how we learn from each one. By studying the destruction they cause, scientists and engineers continue to come up with new and improved technologies to predict volcanic eruptions and make cities, buildings, and people safer. Case studies and brief bios of key scientists and organizations highlight the information.
We cannot always prevent landslides and avalanches, but we can learn how to minimize their impact on humans. This informative book examines what scientists know about the sudden movement of earth or snow, whether we can predict these slides, and how we learn from each event. By studying the harm they cause, scientists and engineers continue to come up with new and improved technologies to predict landslides and avalanches and make cities, buildings, and people safer. Case studies and brief bios of key scientists and organizations highlight the information.
We cannot prevent heat waves or droughts, but we can try to minimize their impact on humans. This important book examines what scientists know about extreme heat events, whether we can predict them, and how we learn from each one. By studying the harm they cause, scientists and engineers continue to come up with new and improved technologies to predict extreme weather and make cities, buildings, and people safer. Case studies and brief bios of key scientists and organizations highlight the information.
We cannot prevent blizzards and ice storms, but we can learn how to minimize their impact on humans. This informative book examines what scientists know about extreme ice and snowfalls, whether we can predict them, and how we learn from each event. By studying the destruction they cause, scientists and engineers continue to come up with new and improved technologies to predict winter storms and make cities, buildings, and people safer. Case studies and brief bios of key scientists and organizations highlight the information.
Develop your STEAM skills as you design and build your very own transportation hub. This book contains step-by-step projects that give you clear instructions to make every element a model transportation hub needs, including a helicopter, cable cars, and roadways.
Develop your STEAM skills as you design and build your very own theater and movie set. This book contains step-by-step projects that give you clear instructions to make every element a model theater and movie set needs, including sets, trap doors, and special effects.
Develop your STEAM skills as you design and build your very own space center! This book contains step-by-step projects that give you clear instructions to make every element a model space center needs, including a rocket and launch pad, Mars rover, and satellite.
Develop your STEAM skills as you design and build your very own castle! This book contains step-by-step projects that give you clear instructions on how to make every element a model castle needs, including battlements, jousting grounds, and secret rooms, which are fun to build.
Develop your STEAM skills as you design and build your very own amusement park! This book contains step-by-step projects that give you clear instructions on how to make every element a model amusement park needs, including a merry-go-round, ferris wheel, and roller coaster.
Develop your STEAM skills as you design and build your very own biosphere and mini garden. This book contains step-by-step projects that give you clear instructions to make every element a model biosphere and mini garden needs, including a dome, water fountain, and pathways.
We use it every day in products as varied as prescription drugs, toys, and toothbrushes. In less than a century, plastics have become integral to our daily lives. But plastic waste also clogs Earth’s oceans and other water bodies. Research has shown that microplastics have even accumulated in our bodies. This timely book investigates our increasingly problematic use of plastics in all areas of our lives and how our attempts to curb use and mitigate the harm of plastics are not working fast enough.
Can you imagine a mammal that lives without ever drinking water, or a frog that freezes solid but can still thaw out and hop away? This book reveals the extraordinary ways certain animals are able to survive in some of the harshest environments on our planet!
Have you ever heard of a see-through frog, a cartwheeling spider, or a jellyfish that never dies? This entertaining book highlights examples of animals with unusual bodies and surprising behaviors that make them stand out in the animal world.
Animals build structures to shelter their young, catch prey, and even communicate. Some animals even change their environment to suit their needs. This awesome book reveals the amazing ways that certain animals engineer structures and ecosystems in order to survive.
Why would an animal need a disguise? This intriguing book features the fascinating ways some animals use camouflage or mimicry to conceal themselves for protection from predators, or as a way to attract prey or a mate.
What makes an animal famous? Some do important jobs that help humans, and some have super skills or do entertaining tricks. Some become celebrities on the Internet just for being cute—or grumpy! This book offers examples of animals who have accomplished amazing feats, made predictions, and won hearts worldwide.
Did you know that a cheetah can accelerate faster than a sports car or that an impala can jump over three times its height? This fascinating book highlights examples of animals with incredible athletic abilities and skills that make them the record-breakers of the animal kingdom.
Once thought to be extinct in the wild, the southern white rhino is now classified as near threatened and lives mostly on protected reserves. Over 100 years of conservation efforts have made it the only rhino of the five rhino species not listed as endangered. This engaging book explores how habitat loss and relentless poaching for their horns nearly brought this species to extinction. Readers will discover how this species was saved from extinction and whether similar strategies may help other rhino species in peril.
Less than two decades ago, four Island Fox subspecies faced extinction. Human activities, including pollution and the introduction of invasive species, threw the Channel Islands’ ecosystem out of balance. Thanks to the concerted efforts of wildlife biologists, government officials, and others, the island fox has made the fastest recovery of any mammal in the history of the Endangered Species Act. This fascinating book traces the events that nearly caused the island fox’s demise, and the collaborative efforts that led to recovery of this “comeback kit.”
The California Condor is one of North America’s largest birds. These mighty scavengers were nearly wiped out by habitat loss, poaching, and lead poisoning. In 1982, only 22 California Condors remained in the wild! In this engaging book, readers will learn about the captive breeding programs, public education, and other conservation efforts that have led to a small but increasing population of California Condors in the wild.
The Grand Cayman blue iguana is named after the small island in the Caribbean Sea on which it lives. The largest reptile on the island, it had few predators until people arrived. Habitat loss and invasive species quickly diminished the blue iguana population to fewer than 25 by 2005. This captivating book traces the iguana’s remarkable journey back from the brink of extinction and highlights the continued efforts to protect the species.
Our thoughts have a habit of wandering when we should be focusing on what we are doing. Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to what is happening around you right now in the present. This helpful book offers mindfulness techniques to help young readers train themselves to be aware of their thoughts with an attitude of kindness and curiosity, not stress. With an emphasis on being more positive and less negative, children will be better able to handle difficult emotions. Activities in this book include breathing with awareness to feelings within the body, meditating, self-compassion talk, positive thinking, acts of kindness, keeping journals, art activities, observing nature, and ways to show gratitude.
Would you be surprised to see a coyote wandering down a suburban street? Once considered a native of open grasslands and plains, coyotes have become “adaptors” to the human territory of paved streets and houses. An examination reveals the ways in which animals such as coywolves, white-tailed deer, red foxes, red-tailed hawks, and alligators live on the periphery of developed areas. Special sections address encroachment and how humans can learn to adapt to wild animals in their backyards.
