Japan is a nation made up of many islands in the western Pacific Ocean. Over 100 million people live in this small nation of islands. Many live in the countryside, but millions live in crowded cities like Tokyo. Students will learn about the physical features of the landscape and surrounding waters as well as the cultural aspects of the Japanese from old traditions to modern everyday life. Blastoff! Series
China, with over one billion people, is the most populated country in the world. China's most famous tourist attraction is the Great Wall, which runs across about 5,000 miles of northern China. Rich with Chinese culture, this title explores Chinese food, holidays, and daily life. Eager readers will also get to challenge their tongues with a few common words from one of the many Chinese languages! Blastoff! Series
What may look like a leaning mailbox or a poorly fitted window sill may actually be a warning of danger below! In this engaging title, young readers will learn all they need to know about these surprise disasters. Special features such as a map, a profile, a severity chart, and a formation graphic offer even more information about these surprise disasters!
It takes just three simple ingredients to create a flaming wildfire that spreads across the land and impacts life hundreds of miles away! This fascinating title uses leveled text and vivid photos to introduce readers to powerful wildfires. Special features offer readers even more about these natural disasters. They include a map, a formation graphic, a famous wildfire profile, and more!
The peninsula nation of South Korea is stamped by urban centers and technological advances. Towering buildings stretch into the sky while high-speed trains whiz South Koreans and travelers wherever they need to go. Open the cover of this informative read to discover engaging text and vivid photos alongside labeled maps, a language feature, a recipe, a historical timeline, and more!
When conditions are right, there is no stopping the power of ice storms! They leave roads slick and cause trees and power lines to snap. The engaging text and vivid images in this book are sure to interest readers in disastrous ice storms. Special features such as a map, a formation graphic, a profile, and a severity chart add even more information to this fact-filled title.
From flash floods to storm surges to rivers overflowing their banks, floods can devastate an area in a matter of moments! These waters can damage structures and strand survivors. This title introduces readers to different types of floods, how they form, and how to stay safe. Features such as a map, a flood profile, and a severity chart prove the power of these natural disasters!
History has proven that droughts can bring doom as they leave land barren. These disasters are difficult to predict, but can they be avoided? Between the covers of this early reader, find out how droughts form, how they are predicted, and how to stay safe when the world dries up! Special features include a map, a severity chart, and a profile of a famous drought.
El Salvador may be the smallest country in Central America, but it is filled with rich life and beauty! The hidden pyramid of Tazumel attracts many adventurers, while the sounds of cumbia music delight locals in the streets. Readers will dive into this and more as each chapter highlights different elements of El Salvador. Special features such as maps, fun facts, a recipe, an activity, and a timeline provide a deeper look into this nation in the tropics!
Reaching speeds of more than 80 miles per hour, avalanches plow down mountain slopes and flatten everything in their paths! Discover major avalanche danger zones, how these disasters form, how they are rated, and a profile of a devastating past disaster in this title covering catastrophic avalanches!
Stretching long and thin along South America’s southwestern coast is the diverse nation of Chile. Its landscape features the jagged Andes, the dry Atacama Desert, varied forests, and chilling glaciers. The people and cultures provide as much contrast as the land! Readers will explore Chile’s uniqueness through engaging text, labeled maps, a language feature, a traditional recipe, a historical timeline, and much more!
Boasting cultural riches, Belgium is where readers dreaming of travel can experience castle-filled towns, visual and musical arts, and buzzing urban hubs. Each bright page of this title provides engaging text and photos, while labeled maps, a traditional recipe, a language feature, a timeline, and more give readers a chance to experience the nation from afar!
Signs of life are everywhere in the Roman city of Pompeii. Graffiti decorates the walls. Ancient homes and restaurants still stand. Colorful frescoes and mosaics are still visible. But this city is a graveyard. More than 2,000 years ago, Mount Vesuvius rained fire and ash onto the city. Many who died there were perfectly preserved in ash, only to be discovered centuries later. This high-interest title uses maps, graphs, and profiles of important discoveries to explore the fascinating history of the doomed city of Pompeii.
Most people know the Titanic from television or movies. But there are a few things that Hollywood left out. This high-interest title takes readers on a journey across the ocean to explore the Titanic’s history, from when it was built to its resting place on the ocean floor. Maps, graphs, profiles of recent discoveries, and other features provide a look into what went wrong on this ill-fated ship.
The oldest paintings in the Cave of Altamira are more than 20,000 years old! Created by early humans, the paintings now give scientists a glimpse into the lives of people long ago. This high-interest title dives into the story of the cave, from its early inhabitants to its modern visitors. Maps, graphs, and profiles of new discoveries help paint a clear picture of the ancient cave and its many secrets.
Thousands of years ago, royals gathered in the luxurious Palace of Knossos. Today, the palace is in ruins. Though bright frescoes still decorate its walls, the walls themselves are crumbling. What happened here? This high-interest title explores just that! Engaging text, colorful photos, maps, graphs, and other features combine to tell the gripping story of the Palace of Knossos and its fall to ruin.
China’s famous terra-cotta army has at least 8,000 soldiers! More than 2,000 years ago, this army was created to protect the tomb of the ancient Chinese emperor Qin Shihuang. Today, the army has immense value to archaeologists and historians around the world! This high-interest text uses maps, graphs, profiles of recent discoveries, and other features to introduce readers to the army’s thrilling history.
A group of tourists crowds into a dusty room with brightly painted walls. They have entered King Tut’s tomb! Priceless artifacts once filled every chamber of the tomb. Now they are in museums across the world, carrying on King Tut’s legacy thousands of years after his death! This high-interest title uses vivid photographs, timelines, graphs, and profiles of important discoveries to introduce readers to the fascinating world of this ancient Egyptian ruler.
A few vents open, then suddenly, a blast shoots from the Earth! Lava races from the vents and ash covers the sky. There is no way to stop a supervolcano! In this high-interest title, find out what the world may look like if a supervolcano erupts. Young readers can discover the likelihood of it happening in the future and learn about the most active volcanic spots around the world. A historical sidebar takes a look back at a past eruption, and a visual feature follows the possible chain of events in this explosive title about supervolcano eruptions!
Although its the second smallest continent on Earth, Europe has the third largest population. Rich in history, literature, and art, European culture has been a far-reaching influence all over the globe. Give students the opportunity to discover how Europe stands out in this fascinating title!
The word Croatoan carved onto a post and the letters “CRO” scratched onto a tree. What do these two clues reveal about Roanoke’s missing English colonists? Interested students can sort through possible answers in this read that begins as a history lesson and ends as an unsolved mystery.
Most people in Pripyat never expected the day to come when they’d have to flee for their lives. The Soviet Union boasted about the safety of the nuclear city. But in 1986, one of the town’s nuclear reactors exploded and released deadly radiation. This title explains the Chernobyl accident for curious readers.
The wild reputation of Bodie was unmatched in the Old West. The California gold-mining town attracted a rough crowd. Bodie had gamblers, drinkers, gunslingers, and robbers all after riches. This high-interest children’s title includes a wealth of information about the gold rush that once made Bodie a “get rich” destination.
The city in the clouds, Machu Picchu, has an air of mystery surrounding it. Historians know the site belonged to the Inca Empire, but they do not know much else. In this book, reluctant readers will explore possible reasons why Machu Picchu was first built and, in time, abandoned.
Craco’s historical happenings hint at a curse. The town faced a plague, then war, then earthquakes and landslides. In the end, the natural disasters dealt the final blow, causing Craco to physically collapse. In this book, young readers will discover a medieval town that eventually lost its uphill battle for survival.
