Building Green Places takes a green look at careers in planning, designing, and building energy-efficient facilities in which to live, work, and play. It also includes the development of communities built in a way that will complement and enhance Earths ecosystems.
Come inside for a fresh look at careers in green food, from planting to cultivation, and merchandising to selling. In addition to the greening of conventional methods of food production, this book examines careers in alternative energy, equipment, packaging, and delivery systems.
Metal ores are one of the Earth's most common minerals. Metals are useful in all types of industry because they last a long time, are conductors of electricity, and can be easily shaped. Since the first metal alloy was created more than 6,000 years ago during the Bronze Age, people have recognized the potential of extracting metallic elements from rock. Metals traces the history, uses, methods of extraction, and future of one of our most versatile resources. Topics include: early use of metals during the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, and the Copper Age which countries have the most deposits of metal ores, and how much metal different countries use extracting metals from ores by use of smelting, flotation, and leaching the equipment that geologists use to locate metal deposits in ore the lives of miners, including their working conditions, the equipment they use, and the dangers that they encounter working in open-pit and underground mines the role that recycling plays in saving our environment and how metals are recycled
The way we communicate with others is continuously changing as technology evolves. From telephone operators to Skype, this book examines how and why communication has progressed since the early 19th century. Critical thinking is encouraged through spread-by-spread comparisons of mail to email and everything in between.
Dramatic photographs of spewing and flowing lava will capture the attention of any child. In this fantastic book, children will be excited to learn what a volcano is and what makes it erupt. Simple explanations describe the different kinds of volcanoes, including cinder, cone-shaped, shield, and composite as well as the different kinds of lava and the land formations they create on land and under the ocean. Other topics include the reason volcanoes often erupt during earthquakes, why giant tsunami waves are sometimes created by underwater earthquakes, and how volcanoes are studied in order to predict and prepare for eruptions. Children will also enjoy making their own volcano out of household materials.
This magnificent book uses beautiful photography to help young children understand that oceans are a type of habitat or place in nature where plants and animals live. Simple text explains why some oceans are warm and some are cold, which kinds of plants and animals live in oceans, and how the bodies of ocean animals are built to help them glide through water. Other topics such as photosynthesis, tide pools, and coral reefs are briefly and simply explained. Children will be delighted by the images of seals, penguins, polar bears, dolphins, and more.
Coasts are areas of land next to oceans. Coasts can be sandy or rocky and have landforms such as cliffs, sea stacks, caves, and arches. Coasts can be next to open oceans or be sheltered in bays or coves. In this beautifully photographed book, Bobbie Kalman takes children on a tour of different coasts, where they can ride some breathtaking ocean waves or meet underwater animals that live in nearby coral reefs. Children will also be introduced to some amazing coastal cities and learn about famous coastal rock formations.
Why do people need rivers? What causes rivers to flood? These are just a few of the questions answered by this fascinating introduction to rivers by Bobbie Kalman. Topics include the paths of rivers, how rivers carve through rocks, types of rivers, waterfalls, headwaters, tributaries, estuaries, deltas, fiords, river plants and animals, people and rivers, and famous rivers.
Steamships, locomotives, and the airplanethese machines revolutionized the world. The Revolution in Industry takes a look at how these and other machines changed history. Young readers will be along for the ride on the Wright brothers first flight, and aboard some of the largest steamships to ever sail the world. Revolution in Power will infuse readers with a greater appreciation of the achievements all of us take for granted today.
In this fascinating book by Bobbie Kalman, children will learn about how mountains and islands form from volcanoes, how wind and rivers create canyons, how rivers and streams create underground caves, how ocean waves shape coasts, and how glaciers make valleys. They will enjoy looking for rock formations in the shapes of animals, trees, and even ghosts!
This fascinating book explains to young children why the land on Earth has different shapes in different places. Amazing photographs and illustrations show examples of continents, mountains, valleys, plains, and caves, as well as the forests, animals, and water that may be found on each landform. Simple text also describes what volcanoes are and how lava flows can create mountains. The role that weather, such as rain and strong wind, plays in shaping sand dunes, mesas, buttes, and canyons is also described.
Coasts are areas of land next to oceans. Coasts can be sandy or rocky and have landforms such as cliffs, sea stacks, caves, and arches. Coasts can be next to open oceans or be sheltered in bays or coves. In this beautifully photographed book, Bobbie Kalman takes children on a tour of different coasts, where they can ride some breathtaking ocean waves or meet underwater animals that live in nearby coral reefs. Children will also be introduced to some amazing coastal cities and learn about famous coastal rock formations.
This extraordinary book shows in a simple way how the Sun's light and warmth affect Earth. Children will be amazed to learn that the Sun is actually a star, and that its position and distance from the Earth cause day and night as well as changing weather and the seasons.
Edison, Marconi, and Bell. Inventors and Inventions brings these scientists and others to life. Young readers take a front row seat as Thomas Edison invents the light bulb. They'll also listen in as Guglielmo Marconi tests his first wireless telegraph, and Alexander Graham Bell makes the first phone call. This colorful graphic history is sure to inspire young readers.
Learn how the European Renaissance came to be! See those most notably involved in this fascinating era. Take a look inside a typical Renaissance home. Follow along as great strides were made in trade, exploration, religion, architecture, and the arts.
Great Ideas of the Renaissance surveys the major advances that were made in art, architecture, sculpture, science, medicine, transportation, and culture. Merchants, monarchs, and religious leaders all promoted and encouraged creativity, and artists, scientists, and great thinkers pushed back the frontiers of philosophy, the arts, mathematics, and technology.
A time of questions and new ways of thinking marked the scientific world during the Renaissance. Follow along as the greatest minds of the time make enormous leaps and bounds toward enlightened thinking. Learn how the role of a scientist evolved. See the efforts made to increase man's understanding of the natural universe.
This incredible book provides a snapshot of the often surprising technologies developed by various ancient civilizations. Engaging illustrations, detailed timelines, and fascinating information bring back to life the ancient civilizations of Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia, Africa, China, and more. Read about iron smelting by the Celts, the construction of the Great Wall in China, how mummies were made and buried in Egypt, and sword making in Japan.
This colorful book describes the geological makeup and history of the Kalahari Desert in Africa. Covering most of Botswana, as well as portions of Namibia and South Africa, the Kalahari is not a true desert because it receives more than ten inches (250 mm) of rain each year. But the rain drains and evaporates quickly leaving no water on the surface of the red sand. Readers will learn about the variety of habitats in this vast desert system that support many different kinds of plants and animals such as springboks, giraffes, elephants, and zebras. Special sections also describe the Kalahari's natural resources, indigenous people, and the unique problems facing this region.
This intriguing book describes the geological makeup and history of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and China. Temperatures can get very cold and frost and snow are not unusual. Readers will learn about the variety of habitats in this vast desert system that support many different kinds of plants and animals such as camels, snow leopards, and bears. The Gobi Desert is also where the first dinosaur egg fossils were found. Special sections describe the desert's natural resources, such as copper and gold, and the unique problems facing this region such as the desert's alarming rate of desertification.
In 1912, German meteorologist Alfred Wegener proposed that the continents were once a single land mass but had slowly moved apart over millions of years. This fascinating book examines the scientific process behind Wegener's theory and how it challenged prevailing views of the time. Learn how years after Wegener's death his theory was embraced by scientists and is now the basis for modern earth science.
Learn how John Dalton developed his influential theory that explains the shape, structure, and behavior of atoms. This title also explores how Dalton's major breakthrough made later discoveries, such as atomic fission, possible.
This informative book follows the St. Lawrence River, once a main route of the fur and timber trades. This important commercial waterway forms part of the boundary between Canada and the United States and connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. Today, a system of canals, dams, and locks lets seagoing ships travel all the way to Lake Superior.
The Nile is the worlds longest river and the birthplace of one of the greatest civilizations of the ancient world. This book takes readers along the River in the Sand. Ancient Egyptians depended on the Niles annual floods to deposit fertile soil for farming. Today, more than 70 million people still grow crops in the rivers basin and fish in its waters.
This wonderful book takes readers along the mighty Mississippi. Often celebrated in music and literature, its exploration by explorers spurred the growth of a new nation. Today, the Mississippi not only provides transportation for agricultural and industrial goods but also supplies water for millions of people.
