10 Rivers That Shaped the World by
Navigate the fascinating twists and turns of rivers that have molded our history. Rivers can be extraordinarily powerful, and not just because of their fast-flowing currents. They can make civilizations rise or crumble, divide cultures or link them together, and even provide crucial clues to where we came from. Dive into these 10 surprising stories about the power of rivers through the ages, including: * How the "lucky accident" of the Nile's unique flooding patterns allowed the culture of Ancient Egypt to flourish in one of the hottest, driest places on earth; * How medieval robber barons seized--then lost--control of the Rhine; * Why the Amazon helped scientists discover how species evolve; * How Livingstone's ill-fated exploration of the Zambezi changed Africa forever; * Why you can trace just about every hit song back to the Mississippi River; * How the massive Three Gorges Dam displaced over one million Chinese in the Yangtze River Valley; * Why people in India have gathered to bathe in the Ganges for thousands of years; * The crucial roles of the Awash, the Thames, and the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in human history. Compelling storytelling, striking original art, and colorful photos take readers on a unique journey across time and place.
Baseballogy by
The most unusual baseball facts you'll ever find! Referred to as "America's National Pastime," and "The Greatest Sport on Earth," baseball has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of people. Behind the game lies a wealth of science, folklore, mathematics, psychology--and a very colorful past. Whether they are die-hard fans or casual spectators, readers will be captivated by this collection of fascinating, little-known facts. For example did you know that the yarn in a single baseball is long enough to reach from the street to the top of the Empire State Building or that in the old days playoff tickets were sold for people to stand in the outfield: fans might move to help the home team but not budge an inch for opposing players. With lots of humorous, colorful illustrations, charts, and graphs, Baseballogy explores such diverse topics as the materials used to make the balls (including fish eyes, once used for the core!), freak injuries (one player was stabbed by a bat!), and the chances of making it to "the show" (1 in about 14,000 baseball playing kids will get to the big leagues). For real baseball aficionados, there's a section on the physics of hitting the ball, a look at some long-standing records they might not have known about, and explanations of the numbers on baseball cards, play-by-plays, and even the players' shirts. A Baseball Trivia Quiz at the end of the book lets kids test their knowledge with questions like, "What does OPS mean?" and "What are the seven ways a hitter can make it to home base?" Entertaining, informative, and highly visual, Baseballogy is the perfect sports book for all kids--especially reluctant boy readers.
Boredom Busters by
Let's get crafty! You will never be bored again with the brilliant things to make and do in Boredom Busters. The book is divided into five themed chapters: Art, Craft, Science, Food, and Travel. Art Activities shows you how to create pretty pictures using homemade paint, recycled crayons, and even coffee filter paper and shaving cream! In Craft Activities, reuse milk cartons for your own bowling game, turn a baby food jar into a snow globe, and make cinnamon clay decorations. You will love the cool experiments in the Science section--from growing your own crystals to setting off plastic bottle tornados and creating "lava" in a cup. Cook up a storm with the great recipes in Food Activities: cool ice cream cone cupcakes, delicious chocolate mug cake, and colorful pizza faces. Finally, discover ways to keep yourself busy on journeys and holidays in Travel Activities, such as making a T-shirt pillow, wooden spoon puppets, and a homemade travel journal.
A Brush Full of Colour by
The true story of how a boy's passion for learning saved him from a life in England's coal mines and led him to a career as an internationally acclaimed artist and illustrator, famed for his images of Canada's north. Includes full-colour reproductions of Ted Harrison's art and a preface by the artist himself. Ted Harrison's brightly coloured and wildly imaginative paintings set in the Yukon have become synonymous with the North. His instantly-recognizable images of the land of the midnight sun hang in galleries and private collections around the world. But how did a boy who grew up in a drab mining town in northeast England become one of Canada's most beloved and decorated artists? A Brush Full of Colour is the story of a boy whose passion for learning would save him from a life in the coalmines. The books by the American writer Jack London and Canadian poet Robert Service fired his imagination with scenes of the wilderness and the Klondike Gold Rush. He wanted to become an artist and he went on to art school. A stint in the British Intelligence Service gave him the chance to travel. But Ted never stopped dreaming of the North, and when he saw an advertisement for teachers in Northern Alberta, he jumped at the chance. Margriet Ruurs and Katherine Gibson trace the life of Ted Harrison and the influences that would lead to his unique style as an artist. Filled with full-colour examples of his vivid art and with a foreword written by Ted Harrison, A Brush Full of Colour will provide inspiration for a new generation of budding artists.
Colossal Canada: 100 Epic Facts and Feats by
Silver Birch non-fiction award nominee 2016.
Forest of Reading 2016 nominee.
Glow in the Dark Creatures by
Glow-in-the-dark creatures possess one of the most amazing abilities in our world. Using only chemicals in their bodies, they can create bioluminescence, or "living light." The lights they produce come in an astonishing variety of colors and patterns. Glow-in-the-dark creatures use their light displays to hide from enemies, to cry for help, to warn of danger or to find a mate. It is a beautiful silent language. From fireflies and glowworms to flashlight fish and velvet belly lantern sharks, the diversity and number of creatures who are bioluminescent have surprised scientists. They have found bioluminescent creatures who flit across the night sky, creep along the shadowy ground, float in moonless oceans and swim in the deepest, darkest parts of the sea. Find out which land and sea creatures make light. Discover why bioluminescence is so important in nature. Examine the chemical process that occurs to make creatures glow. Learn why different creatures create different colors. Discover how scientists are harnessing the powers of bioluminescence for human uses. Make glow-in-the-dark slime, create a firefly-squid necklace and learn how to catch fireflies. 2016 Silver Birch Non-Fiction Award nominee
Haunted Canada 5 : Terrifying True Stories by
Forest of Reading 2016 nominee.
Silver Birch non-fiction winner 2016.
Saving Turtles by
A behind-the-scenes look at a hospital for severely injured turtles. Turtles have been around for 220 million years -- longer than dinosaurs. But now their time might be running out. Of the roughly 300 species worldwide, more than half are threatened with extinction. Freshwater, marine and land turtles are all affected. And their biggest threat is us! As the human race grows and expands on the planet, turtles are losing their homes, suffering the effects of pollution, the pet and food trade, killed by cars as they try to cross roads, and snared in fishing nets or by fish hooks meant to catch other species. Fortunately, a community of scientists, environmentalists and volunteers around the world are helping to protect and save turtles. The author, Sue Carstairs, is a veterinarian at a turtle rescue and rehabilitation center. She reveals how she repairs shattered shells, broken jaws, and injured skulls, and nurses severely injured turtles back to health for release into the wild. Carstairs also explains how turtle eggs are harvested from injured mothers, incubated, raised in tanks and released into the wild. Organizations around the world performing similar work with land and sea turtles are also profiled. What can readers do to help the worldwide effort to save and protect turtles? Two examples from the many offered in the book: participate in World Turtle Day, on May 23rd every year, sponsored by American Tortoise Rescue, and lobby for "turtle crossing" signs in nesting areas.
Trash Talk by
Humans have always generated garbage, whether it's a chewed-on bone or a broken cell phone. Our landfills are overflowing, but with some creative thinking, stuff we once threw away can become a collection of valuable resources just waiting to be harvested. Trash Talkdigs deep into the history of garbage, from Minoan trash pits to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and uncovers some of the many innovative ways people all over the world are dealing with waste.
When the Worst Happens by
People overcome impossible odds where others surrendered and failed. What would you do if you were stranded or trapped in a situation where you had to fight for your life? When the Worst Happens is a collection of intense, true stories set in distant corners of the earth. * After a fierce storm, the crew of the Polaris was stranded on an ice floe in the Arctic Ocean. * A massive cave-in traps 19-year-old Jimmy Sanchez and 32 other Chilean miners deep below the earth. * Twelve-year-old Bala and his two sisters must survive on a tiny island off the Australian coast after their boat capsizes. * When her plane crashes in the Peruvian jungle, 17-year-old Juliane struggles to find help. In extreme situations such as these, people can pull together, show almost super-human skill, and survive. But sometimes they face madness, greed or mutiny. These action-packed accounts reveal the critical decisions that determined the fate of each victim. In an attempt to answer the question why people react the way they do in extreme circumstances, When the Worst Happens also looks at modern psychological studies, interesting historical details and settings, as well as seemingly unrelated events, to discover what draws the line between success and tragedy. Graphic icons point readers to successful or poor decisions as each story unfolds, and outstanding illustrations capture the real-time developments in each riveting story.
Haunted Canada 5 : Terrifying True Stories by
Forest of Reading 2016 nominee.
Silver Birch non-fiction winner 2016.