This informative book shows young readers how and why long periods of hot weather occur, where and when heat waves happen most often, and how extreme heat can be dangerous to people and animals. Readers will also learn about water shortages, droughts, and fire hazards, the equipment that meteorologists use to forecast heat waves, and techniques to stay safe during times of extreme heat.
Vibrant, full-color photographs and accessible text help introduce young readers to hurricanes. Readers will learn how warm water and wind combine to form these powerful storms, which parts of the world are most affected and when, and what steps to take to prepare for these severe weather events.
Blizzards bring blowing snow, bitter temperatures, and big snow drifts! This cool title introduces young readers to blizzard basics, including how, when, and where blizzards most often occur, how scientists predict blizzards and issue warnings, and what readers can do before, during, and after a blizzard to stay safe.
Human activity often leaves a trail of harmful carbon behind that directly impacts our planet. This informative book describes how every individual produces a “carbon footprint” by using energy made by burning fossil fuels and by creating waste from packaging that gets thrown away. Find out how to measure your own carbon footprint and see what effect you are having on Earth. Learn about new developments being made to reduce the amount of carbon we create and what steps you can take to make your own "footprint" smaller.
This inspiring book describes how people are becoming more aware of the effect of their daily activities on the planet. Find out how more and more people are eating and living "green" by buying food grown locally, eating food that is organic, and even growing their own food. Many people are also building eco-friendly homes and choosing to live “off the grid,” which means they are creating their own, sustainable forms of energy instead of getting electricity from a power station. Discover how eating and living green is becoming more and more possible, and why this way of living could help build a sustainable future for the next generation.
Fun pictograms and infographics about the oceans make learning about math topics easy and fun. In this book, readers go on a mission deep underwater and use their mathematical skills while learning about scuba diving and submarines, and exploring life in coral reefs, deep ocean waters, and underwater volcanoes. Math puzzles and exercises help children build confidence in their math skills.
From the sunlit-filled canopy to the shaded forest floor, readers will discover how a rainforest tree provides shelter, water, food, and other essential resources to meet the needs of a variety of living things.
Content-rich photographs and accessible text combine to guide readers as they discover the often overlooked ecosystems found outside their own back doors! Children will be fascinated to learn more about the animals, insects, and plants they often take for granted, including squirrels, skunks, bees, and dandelions.
Did you know that a Saguaro cactus can live for more than 200 years and grow as tall as 50 feet (15 meters)? Readers will discover how these desert giants are used for shelter by animals such as woodpeckers and owls, and provide food for animals such as bats and other small mammals. This captivating title provides a close-up look at the plants and animals that live in and around the Saguaro cactus in the Sonoran Desert.
One of the biggest adaptations made by some animals is to live and work together as a group to ensure their survival. This intriguing book shows how social animals communicate and interact with members of their own species. Elephants, dolphins and orcas, monkeys, apes, lions, and wolves, educate their young, work together to find food, and take care of their group members. Smaller animals that work together in microsocieties include termites, ants, bees, and wasps. Students will have fun comparing their own social groups to those found in nature. Fascinating photographs accompany thought-provoking questions and activities.
From croaking frogs and quacking ducks to floating lily pads and buzzing dragonflies, ponds are bursting with life. Dynamic photographs and descriptive text help budding young scientists discover the plants and animals that live in these freshwater ecosystems.
Tide pools form from water left on rocky shores when the tide withdraws. From seaweed and sea snails to shore crabs and seabirds, readers will discover some of the plants and animals that live in and around these ever-changing ecosystems.
Vibrant photographs and descriptive text guide readers on an underwater journey through coastal waters to explore coral reefs. Home to more than one million kinds of plants, fish, and other ocean life, readers will discover how living things meet their needs for shelter, food, and more in this dynamic ecosystem.
For nearly two decades, Dian Fossey immersed herself in the study of mountain gorillas in Africa. She became known as a highly respected primatologist - a scientist who studies apes and other primates - and a fiercely devoted champion of their safety and preservation. Fossey had made powerful enemies because of her opposition to the gorilla-related tourism industry and her knowledge of animal trafficking among members of the government. In 1985, she was found murdered in her cabin in Rwanda. The case remains unsolved to this day, but her intense love for this endangered species helped create a legacy that survives in the work of others to this day.
Wild animals are facing huge challenges in the natural world today. Many are endangered - some critically. This eye-opening book shows how animals are being threatened by habitat loss, climate change, non-native species taking over their habitats, pollution, over-fishing, poaching, collisions with cars and boats, and human diseases. Many recovery efforts are in progress to bring back the populations of some nearly extinct animals and to reintroduce some captive ones to their natural habitats. Readers will learn how scientists are working to save blue iguanas in the Cayman Islands, black-footed ferrets in the Canadian prairies, penguins and albatross in Patagonia, and great apes in Africa. This engaging book also encourages students to compare their life challenges to those of animals in the wild.
This fascinating book, illustrated with colorful photographs, makes the topic of symbiosis easy and fun. It looks at the positive, negative, and neutral effects that result when different kinds of animals interact with each other. Symbiotic relationships highlighted include birds and fish that clean parasites off other animals, bacteria that help keep animals and people healthy, mosquitoes that pass diseases such as malaria, predators that hunt prey, and scavengers that help clean the earth. Other examples of symbiotic relationships include several kinds of animals. Students are asked to illustrate symbiosis in human relationships that are similar to those found in nature.
Foxes, rabbits, mongooses, rats, starlings, turtles, Burmese pythons, and Asian carp are just a few of the invasive animals introduced by people into countries and ecosystems to which they do not belong. This important book describes how these animals are destroying habitats and endangering the lives of native animals, some of which have been brought close to extinction. Students will learn how some arrived accidentally on boats, while others were brought in by people, to be used either as a form of pest control on farms, for hunting or hobbies, or as pets that sometimes get abandoned in the wild by owners. Many native animals, such as raccoons, squirrels, and coyotes have also become invaders in cities, back yards, and homes. Students can research invasive species in their areas and help find ways to stop these wild invaders from taking over the natural habitat.
Students will love learning about the way of life of polar bears and the challenges they face as babies and adults. An exciting narrative format supported by fun facts, questions, and activities, tells the story of two polar bear cubs born in a den dug by their mother deep under the winter snow of the Arctic. The cubs snuggle up to their mother to drink her milk and keep warm. In spring, the mother and cubs emerge from the den and face the challenges of moving onto sea ice, where the hungry mother hunts for seals to eat. The cubs are given hunting lessons and have their first taste of seal. They ride on their mother’s back in the ocean, wrestle and play, and explore their cold habitat. Readers will love these majestic animals and learn to write their own stories about them.
Students will love learning about the way of life of raccoons and the challenges they face as babies and adults. An exciting narrative format supported by fun facts, questions, and activities, tells the story of one of the most adaptable animals on Earth. Raccoons eat almost anything, live in many kinds of habitats, including cities, can climb buildings as well as trees, and are able to change to overcome many challenges. This story follows a raccoon family’s nightly adventures in a forest near a suburban community, as they look for food in both their natural habitat and people’s back yards. What other animals will they meet? Readers will be asked to write about their own experiences with these cute but often challenging animals.
Students will love learning about the way of life of foxes and the challenges they face as babies and adults. There are gray foxes, arctic foxes, fennec foxes, cape foxes, swift foxes, kit foxes, and red foxes. An exciting narrative format supported by fun facts, questions, and activities, tells the story of a red fox family. Found all over the planet, red fox families start with the birth of four to six kits. Born in a den, the baby foxes leave the den with their mothers after two to three weeks and start to play, pounce, and hunt. What adventures will they have? Will they meet some other animals along the way? Readers will love these adorable animals and learn to write their own stories about them.
Students will love learning about the way of life of wolves and the challenges they face as babies and adults. An exciting narrative format supported by fun facts, questions, and activities, tells the story of gray wolves who live in highly structured social units called packs. A pack has one breeding pair and their offspring, and may include older siblings or wolves from other packs. This delightful adventure story starts with the excitement created by the birth of newborn cubs and how the other members of the pack bond with them. The cubs are taught vocal and physical communication and soon learn to hunt with the pack. This exciting story will enrich students' understanding of the importance of gray wolves to ecosystems in North America. Young readers will be amazed by how much the lives of wolves mimic their own lives!
From trees and plants to bugs and birds, every living thing on Earth is a form of energy. And all living organisms create energy, too, in the form of their waste. The energy of living things is called biomass, and it can be used to power the things that we need in our everyday lives, from washing machines, cars, and computers to the heating and lighting used in our buildings. Find out more about biomass, how it is sourced and used, and why this form of energy could help us find a more sustainable way to power our lives in the future.
How are many people in different places around the world learning to live in a green and sustainable way? Find out how human activities such as driving cars and wasting energy are threatening our environment and putting the future of our planet at risk. Discover how people everywhere are choosing to live more sustainably by recycling, using green sources of energy, car-sharing, and reducing air travel.
We live in an energy-rich age, in which we can turn on a light with the flick of a switch or drive anywhere by turning a key. But, our vehicles, factories, and power stations, which create the electricity needed to light and heat our buildings, pump carbon dioxide into Earth’s atmosphere. Carbon dioxide overload from these human activities is making our planet hotter and hotter - and is causing the Earth's climate to change. Find out what scientists are doing to find sustainable new forms of energy that will secure our planet’s future.
Earth has a limited supply of fossil fuels, and in the near future this supply will come to an end. However, more people live on the planet than ever in its history - and they all need energy. One of the ways in which we can meet this increasing demand for energy is through nuclear power. Nuclear power stations do not drain our planet of its resources, and they can supply a seemingly limitless source of energy. Discover more about nuclear energy, how it is created and harnessed, and the controversies and challenges that surround it.
