Would you like to know the difference between cirrus and cumulus clouds? How much does our atmosphere weigh? W is for Wind: A Weather Alphabet is a swirl of information that answers these questions and many more. Readers will learn that yes, our atmosphere has weight! And if it's sunny, chances are it's heavy. When the atmosphere is lighter, grab your galoshes! W is for Wind is one well-informed children's book from the Sleeping Bear Press family that puts the emphasis on fun and function. It lets children learn all about the weather in a relaxed engaging manner.
One spring evening an old bear finds a young bird, still learning to fly, has fallen to the ground. When the bear lifts the bird to safety, a friendship begins. Bear and Bird soon become constant companions, spending their days together, searching out berries and watching out for one another. They are only separated during the winter months when Bear hibernates and Bird flies south. As the years pass, their friendship grows stronger. Then one spring day, when Bird returns from his winter trip, Bear is not there to greet him. Days and then weeks pass and still no Bear. When Bird finally learns why his dear friend is absent, memories of their time together bring comfort and acceptance. In this tale of an unlikely but loving friendship, the cycle of life, including its joys and its sorrows, is gently explored.
Its the first day of winter vacation and Stella Mae Culpepper is bored. As she looks out from the window of her second-floor apartment, she can see all of the usual happenings on Linden Square, her city neighborhood. There are her neighbors. She knows them all by nameor by the names shes given them, depending on their activities and what Stella Mae can see from her window. Stella Mae thinks she knows her neighbors but she doesnt really. Everyone in the neighborhood is too busy minding their own business to pay much attention to anyone else. But now its the first day of winter vacation and a storm is coming. Not just any storm but a big, wonderful winter storm. Its a blizzard! And when the snow finally stops and Stella Mae ventures outside to play, something quite marvelous happens on Linden Square.
Cosmo loves the moon, and the moon loves Cosmo. They both come to realize though that lots of things depend on the moon - the ocean tides, morning glories, and the dogs, who can't stop howling. A magical book about the power of friendship and the nature of responsibility, Cosmo's moon will charm everyone who's ever been bewitched by the beauty of the moon.
Patience is a South African penguin. She is small at roughly 6 pounds and approximately 20 inches tall; but at 24 years old, she is the "penguin in charge" of the penguin exhibit at New Orleans's Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hits, devastating the city and surrounding areas with its catastrophic winds and flooding. The aquarium is severely damaged. With no electricity or relief in sight, the temperature in the aquarium reaches dangerously high degrees, putting the penguins in peril. Patience, and the 18 other penguins, along with some of the other zoo animals, must leave their home and their favorite human, Tom, the penguin keeper. Tom drives his penguins to Baton Rouge where an airplane transfers them to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. Here the penguins will recuperate and live until they can return home to New Orleans. After nine long months away from Tom and their home, the aquarium is finally restored. And Patience, who has been patient, and her penguins return to New Orleans to a cheering homecoming.
"He came into the world in the middle of the thicket, in one of those little, hidden forest glades which seem to be entirely open but are really screened in on all sides." So begins one of the most beloved nature stories. Felix Salten wrote Bambi: A Life in the Woods in 1923. It was translated into English in 1928, becoming a Book-of-the-Month Club hit. Though not originally written for children, the film rights were sold to the Walt Disney studios and the animated movie was released in 1942. Taken directly from the first chapter of Salten's original tale, Bambi's First Day depicts the early moments of the fawn's life in the safety of a forest glen and the shelter of his mother's embrace. Lush oil paintings by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen showcase the beauty of the natural world and tenderly bring to life the heartfelt devotion and love of a mother for her child.Felix Salten is the pen name for Austrian writer Siegmund Salzmann who wrote short stories, plays, novels, and essay collections. Artist Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen has illustrated more than 20 books with Sleeping Bear Press, including the bestselling The Legend of Sleeping Bear; Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot; Friend on Freedom River; and his popular Hazel Ridge Farm stories. Gijsbert lives in Bath, Michigan, with his wife, Robbyn. They both travel to schools in the Great Lakes area.
Kay Kay lives in the village of Bungoma in the country of Kenya. One day as he is passing by the Star of Hope School, the schoolchildren call out to him. They want to show off their brand-new classroom. When Kay Kay looks at the room with its white walls, he realizes it could use a little artwork.He promises the children that he will paint pictures of animals, from A to Z. That will help the children learn their alphabet. But first he needs to think about this project. So Kay Kay walks through the beautiful Kenyan countryside, looking for inspiration for his animal artwork. As he walks about, he is warmly greeted by many creatures. From the tiny Ant to the huge Hippo to the striped Zebra, everyone wants Kay Kay to stop and visit. But he tells them he is far too busy thinking about his art project to stop. It's only when Kay Kay reaches the end of his walk that he realizes his inspirations are all around him!
While pulling weeds and planting seeds with her dad on Hazel Ridge Farm's prairie, Heather discovers a wood duckling alone in the grass. Worried for the duckling's safety, Heather asks her dad if she can care for him. "You have to keep him safe and warm and fed. You have to teach him how to be a duck--to swim, to hunt for bugs, and how to fly." Aptly named Mr. Peet for his chirping sound, the ducking accompanies Heather as she feeds the chickens, rabbits, and horses. They spend the summer swimming together in the pond, and Mr. Peet eventually masters how to fly. Heather becomes concerned when she hasn't seen Mr. Peet in 10 days. Her dad reassures her that the wood duck may have found his own place in nature. Heather is proud of her work and she knows Mr. Peet will be ok, because she loved him just enough.
As a young girl growing up on Hazel Ridge Farm, Kelly is aware of how special the place she calls home is. After all, it's not everyday that your backyard lets you view white-tailed deer and sand-hill cranes, swim in ponds populated by snapping turtles or hear the hoot of an owl named Jackson as he keeps watch as you sleep each night. Committed to maintaining a natural wilderness, Kelly's parents have created a wildlife sanctuary where both the land and its animal residents can be nurtured
When Finn and her dog Skeeter set out on a hike to cure their restless feet, they literally take a step into nature. A big gooey step...right into scat (also known as poop). And just like the animal it comes from, scat comes in all shapes and sizes. Scat, along with foot or paw tracks, can tell a lot about the creature who produced it. As Finn's hike takes her further into the woods, she happens along some scat and tracks from a variety of woodland creatures. Pairing punchy rhyme with science writing, Lisa Morlock has created the perfect nature guide, providing detailed descriptions of the prints, diets, and behaviors of the animals that Finn and Skeeter encounter along their hike. Watch your step!
A squirrel buries an acorn. A dolphin pushes a coconut into an ocean current. A camel chewing a date spits out the seed. What do they all have in common? Each one, in its own way, has helped to plant a tree. In myriad ways and diverse environments, Mother Nature is given a hand in dispersing seeds that eventually grow into trees. From the apple seeds falling off the sticky fur of a black bear to the pine seed carried by an army of ants marching to their anthill, creatures great and creatures small participate in nature's cyclical dance in the planting of a tree.
Holly's family lives a simple life in northern Michigan, enjoying the bounty of the earth and very much in step with the rhythm of the changing seasons. But times are hard and a cold winter is coming. Without a warm coat, Holly might not be able to start school. Readers will delight in Mama's solution to Holly's predicament.
Why do onions make us cry? What popular nut really isn't a nut at all? And what makes a forest a rainforest? The answers to these questions and many other fascinating facts can be found in V is for Venus Flytrap: A Plant Alphabet. Mankind's dependence upon the plant kingdom goes far beyond the food on our table and the air that we breathe. Plants have also provided shelter and led to important advances in medicine and science. Using the alphabet, horticulturalist Eugene Gagliano covers a wide range of topics including exotic species and their locations; plants' role in a healthy lifestyle; food crops and the world economy; and the importance of conservation and environmental stewardship in our world today. After reading V is for Venus Flytrap, young readers will be eager to get their hands dirty and their thumbs green!
Did you know Americans generate nearly 250 million tons of trash each year? Or that it takes hundreds of years for a polystyrene cup to decompose? Mankind's negative impact on Mother Earth is tremendous and daily bad news can make it feel overwhelming. But all is not lost! S is for Save the Planet: A How-to-Be-Green Alphabet details the many environmental issues we face and then suggests easy-to-take actions that anyone can do. From the particulars of vermicomposting and xeriscaping, to the three R's of responsible waste management, young readers learn how they can be a force of nature in protecting the earth for generations to come.
How much of Earth's surface is covered by water? How do the northern lights get their colors? Planet Earth has been home to mankind for hundreds of thousands of years and while scientists have learned a lot about it, they're still unraveling many of its mysteries. B is for Blue Planet: An Earth Science Alphabet explains what we do know about our planet and what more we have to learn. Examine Earth's diverse ecosystems (deserts), discover geological wonders (karst caves), learn about weather phenomena (hurricanes), and much more.
From the mythological underwater city of Atlantis to the amount of water that covers Earth's surface, the oceanic world has challenged and intrigued man since recorded time. And it seems that as much as we do know already, there is so much more to learn. In W is for Waves: An Ocean Alphabet water enthusiasts and budding scientists are given an A to Z tour of the ocean's depths and the creatures that inhabit them. Did you know that jellyfish can range in size from one inch to 200 feet long? And what about the mysterious Scandinavian sea monster called the kraken? Was it a myth or did it really exist? Learn about thermohaline currents, dolphin intelligence, and the largest living structure in the world (Australia's Great Barrier Reef). In W is for Waves young readers can explore the mysteries of the deep without getting their feet wet.Marie and Roland Smith grew up in Oregon and live on a small farm south of Portland. Roland is the author of many animal and adventure books for children. They also coauthored B is for Beaver: An Oregon Alphabet and Z is for Zookeeper: A Zoo Alphabet.
At one time rainforests covered about 14% of the earth's surface; now they're reduced to just 6%. As home to some of the most diverse plant and animal species ever known, this decline has grave implications for both man and animal kingdoms. A is for Anaconda: A Rainforest Alphabet explores the world's rainforests as it explains their important role and showcases their wonders.
Illustrator Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen and wife Robbyn team up again for another wildlife tale drawn from their encounters with the animal kingdom. Told in journal form and rendered in beautifully detailed artwork, the van Frankenhuyzens give a "day in the life" view as the fox Samantha begins her journey from injured kit to independent adult living on her own.
D is for Desert: A World Deserts Alphabet uses the alphabet to explore desert regions around the world, explaining the science behind what determines a desert and showcasing fascinating features and desert inhabitants. Budding scientists will traverse the rocky deserts of Mongolia astride the Bactrian camel, spy on the poisonous Gila monster and other lizards in the Sonoran Desert, discover geological wonders in Bryce Canyon National Park, and learn about desert weather phenomena such as dust storms and flash floods, and much more. A glossary of key desert-science terms and concepts is included.
Intriguing collage illustrations frame this timeless story of a young child who questions the significance of color. Speaking in verse, the child wonders if the natural world believes any particular color to be more important than another. Does the rain think I'm a color when it falls on my head? I wonder if the clouds think I'm a color... maybe they think I'm green or blue or red. The child comes to see the importance of a world filled with and accepting of all colors. Do I have to choose one color? I want to be them all - black, blue, purple, brown, pink, orange, yellow, red, white, and green. The whole world is full of colors - just like me.
Fact: At one time prairies covered about 40% of the United States but today only about 1% of North American prairies exist. P is for Prairie Dog: A Prairie Alphabet explores North American prairies as it explains their important role and showcases their wonders. Science writer Anthony Fredericks gives an A-Z tour of the many facets and fascinating facts of the prairie ecosystem. Inhabitants including the bison, the quail, and, of course, the prairie dog are highlighted along with descriptions of insect and plant life. Former schoolteacher Tony Fredericks is an award-winning author of many nature and animal books for children. A frequent presenter at schools and conferences across the country, Tony teaches education courses at York College in York, Pennsylvania. Doug Bowles has been a freelance illustrator for more than twenty years. His books for Sleeping Bear include One Kansas Farmer: A Kansas Number Book and S is for Sunflower: A Kansas Alphabet. Doug lives in Leawood, Kansas.
