The mighty Yangtze River, the third-longest river in the world, is the birthplace of Chinese civilization. This intriguing book takes readers along this ancient transportation route, strategic natural boundary, and lifeblood of an agricultural society. The near completion of the Three Gorges Dam has displaced more than a million people and changed the river's ecosystem dramatically.
This engaging book highlights the Rhine River, a major transportation route in Western Europe. Fairytale castles and picturesque vineyards provide scenic stretches between Basel, Strasbourg, Cologne, and Rotterdam. Cooperation by Switzerland, France, Germany, and the Netherlands has helped restore the rivers health.
This amazing book reveals the facts about the Ganges, a river sacred to Hindus. Flowing through one of the most densely populated areas in the world, its banks are also the site of shrines, temples, and holy cities, including Varanasi, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
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.
Second in length only to the Nile, the Amazon River carries a greater volume of water than any other river in the world. This attractive book features the fascinating facts about this far-reaching river and the animals, plant life, and indigenous cultures that live in the surrounding rain forest.
Plants are living things that grow and change. Over time, plants have made remarkable adaptations to suit the habitats in which they live. Simple text and beautiful images highlight how plants have adapted to life in the Arctic, in aquatic environments, and in other habitats such as those in deserts and grasslands.
Changing Seasons clearly explains the fascinating changes that take place in nature every year. This vibrant book takes an in-depth look at why there are four seasons, the patterns that appear in each season, and how these changes affect both plants and animals.
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.
Young readers will be fascinated to learn about how mountains are created and change. Through breathtaking photographs, they will wonder at Earths majestic mountains and meet some of the people and animals that live in the often-harsh environment so high above the ground.
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.
Minerals are chemicals that are the building blocks of rocks. Metals, crystals, and gemstones are all minerals found in rocks. This interesting book describes how to identify minerals, where they can be found, the rock cycle process, the uses of minerals, and how they are mined.
Rock collecting is a hobby that is easy to start. This engaging book describes how to dig, where you can and can't dig (restricted in national parks), the necessary equipment, how to identify rocks and gems, and the proper recording and storage of your collection.
What is the Rock Cycle describes the natural transformation of one type of rock into others. Beginning with igneous rocks made in volcanic eruptions, rock is weathered and eroded gradually to form a sediment. This sediment is then deposited and pressed into layers making sedimentary rocks. These in turn are transformed by heat and pressure into metamorphic rocks. Heat makes these melt into magma which, together with molten rock from the core of the Earth, make new igneous rocks.
It all starts with erosion for sedimentary rock. Worn down bits of rock become pressed together under pressure into strata, or layers. The formation of rock such as sandstone, shale, limestone, and dolomite is explained in this fact-filled book. Readers will also learn that this type of rock is useful in determining the Earths geological history because its layers often hold fossils and other geological clues.
Crystals are made up of minerals hardened into distinct shapes with regular repeating patterns. This informative book takes a look at the underground process that creates crystals, from sparkling quartz to ordinary salt, as well as where they are found and how they are mined.
This fascinating book explains how plants and animals become fossils, how they are extracted from excavation sites, and how paleontologists and geologists piece together Earth's history by studying these ancient clues.
Igneous rock has a dramatic beginningit requires red-hot volcanic activity. This fact-filled book explains how granite, lava, basalt, silica, quartz and feldspar are formed after hot, molten rock cools. Readers will also learn about volcanoes and tectonic plates, the minerals that make up igneous rocks, and the crystallization of rock material.
Heat, pressure and stress can also change some igneous or sedimentary rocks into other kinds of rocks. This fact-filled book describes the process that turns limestone into marble, shale into slate, and granite into gneiss. Metamorphic rocks are often used as materials for floors, roofs, and counter tops because of their beauty.
Life in a Suburban City looks at living in cities that have spread from the center far into the countryside. Many people live and work in areas that are miles from downtown. Los Angeles, California is the featured example, and focuses on family life in a typical suburb.
Life in an Industrial Citylooks at everyday life in cities that have grown up around a particular industry. Most people in these cities work in factories, warehouses, ports, airports, or transportation. Houston, Texas, is used as an example showing how people live, work, and relax in the industrial part of the city.
Mining People mine for coal, oil, minerals, and metals. These are used for energy and as raw products to make things. In various parts of North America there are huge areas rich in one or more of these natural resources. Gillette, in Wyoming, is the coal-mining capital of the USA. Nearby is the small community of Moorcroft. The community developed from an old wild west cattle-ranching center and is now largely based on oil and coal-mining. About 900 people live in the small town.
Trees were one of the first natural resources used by man. In North American, most native and early European settlements were set up near forests from where wood was harvested for firewood, building homes and boats, and for fortifying villages. Western Canada had, and continues to have, huge coniferous forests. McKenzie in British Columbia, Canada, is a community based on timber mills, timber supply and tourism. It has a population of 5,450 people.
Few people live in the business district of big modern cities. The area where people live in a big city is usually filled with office buildings, banks, insurance companies, and stores. This book focuses on New York City, and looks at the everyday life of workers in the business district.
Life in a Residential City looks at living in the housing zone of a big modern city. City life, with lots of people, traffic, buildings, and roads, is busy and fast-paced. Toronto, Ontario, is the featured example. It looks at houses and apartments, and how people commute to work.
This revised edition of England the People features the ways of life in early England from early Roman settlements to Viking invasions, and the legacies of the Angles, Saxons, Celts, and Normans, Englands culture is rich in heritage. Learn about the daily life of the English people, and what they eat, where they learn, and what they do for fun.
