Best of
Science-Nature

2017

The Photo Ark: One Man's Quest to Document the World's Animals


Joel Sartore - 2017
    His powerful message, conveyed with humor, compassion, and art: to know these animals is to save them.Sartore intends to photograph every animal in captivity in the world. He is circling the globe, visiting zoos and wildlife rescue centers to create studio portraits of 12,000 species, with an emphasis on those facing extinction. He has photographed more than 6,000 already and now, thanks to a multi-year partnership with National Geographic, he may reach his goal. This book showcases his animal portraits: from tiny to mammoth, from the Florida grasshopper sparrow to the greater one-horned rhinoceros. Paired with the eloquent prose of veteran wildlife writer Douglas Chadwick, this book presents a thought-provoking argument for saving all the species of our planet.

#WeRateDogs: The Most Hilarious and Adorable Pups You've Ever Seen


Matt Nelson - 2017
    It is not only an exceptionally reliable source for dog greatness, it is also a one stop shop for happiness.   This book takes readers on a journey through the strict science of dog rating and the unwavering rules associated with it. Questioning the accuracy of these ratings is ill-advised. They are certainly not arbitrary and this book is absolutely not just about how cute dogs are. It truly is all about precision and ethics in dog rating.   The #WeRateDogs book will produce an audible reaction with every flip of the page—whether a groan from a terrible pupper pun or an “aww” of seeing a super floofer. If #WeRateDogs takes you away from reality and pushes you into this conglomerate of absurdity for even a second, then it has fulfilled its purpose.   “Witty, ironic captions that are cute, hilarious, and relatable all at once . . . WeRateDogs is a cultural force in its own right.” —Salon   “Next-level understanding of internet escapism . . . The real magic is the delightfully surreal captions.” —Esquire   “Such lighthearted humor . . . As WeRateDogs followers are constantly reminded, all dogs are good dogs.” —NPR

Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet: Ghosts and Monsters of the Anthropocene


Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing - 2017
    This timely anthology calls on twenty eminent humanists and scientists to revitalize curiosity, observation, and transdisciplinary conversation about life on earth.As human-induced environmental change threatens multispecies livability, Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet puts forward a bold proposal: entangled histories, situated narratives, and thick descriptions offer urgent “arts of living.” Included are essays by scholars in anthropology, ecology, science studies, art, literature, and bioinformatics who posit critical and creative tools for collaborative survival in a more-than-human Anthropocene. The essays are organized around two key figures that also serve as the publication’s two openings: Ghosts, or landscapes haunted by the violences of modernity; and Monsters, or interspecies and intraspecies sociality. Ghosts and Monsters are tentacular, windy, and arboreal arts that invite readers to encounter ants, lichen, rocks, electrons, flying foxes, salmon, chestnut trees, mud volcanoes, border zones, graves, radioactive waste—in short, the wonders and terrors of an unintended epoch.Contributors: Karen Barad, U of California, Santa Cruz; Kate Brown, U of Maryland, Baltimore; Carla Freccero, U of California, Santa Cruz; Peter Funch, Aarhus U; Scott F. Gilbert, Swarthmore College; Deborah M. Gordon, Stanford U; Donna J. Haraway, U of California, Santa Cruz; Andreas Hejnol, U of Bergen, Norway; Ursula K. Le Guin; Marianne Elisabeth Lien, U of Oslo; Andrew Mathews, U of California, Santa Cruz; Margaret McFall-Ngai, U of Hawaii, Manoa; Ingrid M. Parker, U of California, Santa Cruz; Mary Louise Pratt, NYU; Anne Pringle, U of Wisconsin, Madison; Deborah Bird Rose, U of New South Wales, Sydney; Dorion Sagan; Lesley Stern, U of California, San Diego; Jens-Christian Svenning, Aarhus U.

Animals of a Bygone Era: An Illustrated Compendium


Maja Säfström - 2017
    In this beautifully illustrated book, Swedish artist and author of The Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts, Maja Safstrom, explores the world of extinct animals. Animals of a Bygone Era features 54 extinct animals from the ancient and modern world--including well-known examples such as wooly mammoths and dodo birds, as well as lesser-known (but no less fascinating) animals like semiaquatic sea minks, marsupial Tasmanian tigers, and tiny Eurasian wild horses.

The Cause of Death: True Stories of Death and Murder From a New Zealand Pathologist


Cynric Temple-Camp - 2017
    Spontaneous combustion and exhumation, drug mules and devil worshippers, a gruesome killing beneath the Palmerston North Airport control tower, a mysterious death in a historic homestead, a first-hand dissection of the infamous Mark Lundy case...In The Cause of Death, provincial pathologist Dr Cynric Temple-Camp lifts the lid on the most unusual stories of death and murder he's encountered during his 30-year career.

The Planets: Photographs from the Archives of NASA


Nirmala Nataraj - 2017
    More than 200 breathtaking photographs from the archives of NASA are paired with extended captions detailing the science behind some of our cosmic neighborhood's most extraordinary phenomena. Images of newly discovered areas of Jupiter, fiery volcanoes on Venus, and many more reveal the astronomical marvels of space in engrossing detail. Anyone with an interest in science, astronomy, and the mysteries of the universe will delight in this awe-inspiring guide to the wonders of the solar system.

Coyote Peterson's Brave Adventures: Wild Animals in a Wild World


Coyote Peterson - 2017
    Be Brave... Stay Wild!#1 in Bookscan's Juvenile Non-fictionExciting animal stories for kids of all ages. This collection of short stories by Coyote Peterson gives you a first-person perspective into some of Coyote's most harrowing and heartwarming adventures.Animal Stories for Kids. Coyote Peterson's Brave Adventures: Wild Animals in a Wild World chronicles some of the wildest encounters Coyote Peterson has had over the course of his travels and adventures. The stories begin with his first snapping turtle catch as a kid and lead down a trail of incredible moments he and his camera crew have had while filming their Brave Wilderness shows. From a giant alligator that nearly caught Coyote in its bone crushing jaws, to an 800-pound Grizzly Bear that helped him teach the audience what to do and NOT do if you ever encounter one of these enormous predators in the wild, every tale is laced with fast paced action and daring adventure.With the presence of danger often looming for Coyote, each story reminds you that animals rule the wild places of this planet, and if we respect them from a safe distance, even the most frightening creatures are likely to be more afraid of us than we should ever be of them.If you have read other Coyote Peterson books such as Epic Encounters in the Animal Kingdom, Wildlife Adventure, The King of Sting, or The Beast of Bites, you will want to read Coyote's first book and the one that started it all, Coyote Peterson's Brave Adventures.

Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean


Jonathan White - 2017
    In the Arctic, White shimmies under the ice with an Inuit elder to hunt for mussels in the dark cavities left behind at low tide; in China, he races the Silver Dragon, a twenty-five-foot tidal bore that crashes eighty miles up the Qiantang River; in France, he interviews the monks that live in the tide-wrapped monastery of Mont Saint-Michel; in Chile and Scotland, he investigates the growth of tidal power generation; and in Panama and Venice, he delves into how the threat of sea level rise is changing human culture—the very old and very new. Tides combines lyrical prose, colorful adventure travel, and provocative scientific inquiry into the elemental, mysterious paradox that keeps our planet’s waters in constant motion. Photographs, scientific figures, line drawings, and sixteen color photos dramatically illustrate this engaging, expert tour of the tides.

The Naturalist's Notebook: An Observation Guide and 5-Year Calendar-Journal for Tracking Changes in the Natural World around You


Nathaniel T. Wheelwright - 2017
    The unique five-year calendar format of The Naturalist’s Notebook helps you create a long-term record and point of comparison for memorable events, such as the first songbird you hear in spring, your first monarch butterfly sighting of summer, or the appearance of the northern lights. Biologist Nathaniel T. Wheelwright and best-selling author Bernd Heinrich teach nature lovers of all ages what to look for outdoors no matter where you live, using Heinrich’s classic illustrations as inspiration. As you jot down one observation a day, year after year, your collected field notes will serve as a valuable record of your piece of the planet. This deluxe book, with a three-piece case, gilt edges, a burgundy ribbon bookmark, and a belly band with gold foil stamping, is a perfect gift for all nature lovers.

The California Field Atlas


Obi Kaufmann - 2017
    Based on decades of exploring the backcountry of the Golden State, artist-adventurer Obi Kaufmann blends science and art to illuminate the multifaceted array of living, connected systems like no book has done before. Kaufmann depicts layer after layer of the natural world, delighting in the grand scale and details alike. The effect is staggeringly beautiful: presented alongside California divvied into its fifty-eight counties, for example, we consider California made up of dancing tectonic plates, of watersheds, of wildflower gardens. Maps are enhanced by spirited illustrations of wildlife, keys that explain natural phenomena, and a clear-sighted but reverential text. Full of character and color, a bit larger than life, The California Field Atlas is the ultimate road trip companion and love letter to a place.

Hidden in Plain Sight 8: How to Make an Atomic Bomb


Andrew H. Thomas - 2017
    It's a great way to learn about nuclear physics!

The Enigma of the Owl: An Illustrated Natural History


Mike Unwin - 2017
    . . . And Mike Unwin’s authoritative descriptions of the owl way of life are fascinating."—Dominique Browning, New York Times Book Review Perhaps no other creature has so compelling a gaze as the owl. Its unblinking stare mesmerizes; its nocturnal lifestyle suggests secrets and mystery. This lavishly illustrated book celebrates owls from every corner of the world and offers abundant details on fifty-three of the most striking and interesting species, from the tiny Elf Owl of southwestern American deserts to the formidable Blakiston’s Fish Owl, the largest of all owls.   Mike Unwin has long studied and admired these remarkable birds from cold northern forests to tropical rivers and beyond. He explains how owls evolved into the supreme feathered predators of the night, and he examines their breeding and hunting behaviors, unusual calls, and the cultural myths and superstitions that surround different species. More than two hundred dramatic color photographs in the wild, taken or selected by David Tipling, capture the wondrous beauty of each owl and the drama of life in its own home region.

The Power of a Plant: A Teacher's Odyssey to Grow Healthy Minds and Schools


Stephen Ritz - 2017
    After what can only be defined as a cosmic experience when a flower broke up a fight in his classroom, he saw a way to start tackling his school’s problems: plants. He flipped his curriculum to integrate gardening as an entry point for all learning and inadvertently created an international phenomenon. As Ritz likes to say, “Fifty thousand pounds of vegetables later, my favorite crop is organically grown citizens who are growing and eating themselves into good health and amazing opportunities.”The Power of a Plant tells the story of a green teacher from the Bronx who let one idea germinate into a movement and changed his students’ lives by learning alongside them. Since greening his curriculum, Ritz has seen near-perfect attendance and graduation rates, dramatically increased passing rates on state exams, and behavioral incidents slashed in half. In the poorest congressional district in America, he has helped create 2,200 local jobs and built farms and gardens while changing landscapes and mindsets for residents, students, and colleagues. Along the way, Ritz lost more than 100 pounds by eating the food that he and his students grow in school. The Power of a Plant is his story of hope, resilience, regeneration, and optimism.

The Robin: A Biography


Stephen Moss - 2017
    With more than six million breeding pairs, the robin is second only to the wren as Britain’s most common bird. It seems to live its life alongside us, in every month and season of the year. But how much do we really know about this bird?In The Robin Stephen Moss records a year of observing the robin both close to home and in the field to shed light on the hidden life of this apparently familiar bird. We follow its lifecycle from the time it enters the world as an egg, through its time as a nestling and juvenile, to the adult bird; via courtship, song, breeding, feeding, migration – and ultimately, death. At the same time we trace the robin's relationship with us: how did this particular bird – one of more than 300 species in its huge and diverse family - find its way so deeply and permanently into our nation’s heart and its social and cultural history?It’s a story that tells us as much about ourselves as it does about the robin itself.

A Year in the Wilderness: Bearing Witness in the Boundary Waters


Amy Freeman - 2017
    When the Freemans learned of copper nickel mining in the area's watershed, they decided to take action. They would speak on behalf of the Boundary Waters. And they would do it by spending a year in the wilderness.This book tells the story of that year in northern Minnesota. In visceral, immediate language and gorgeous photos, the Freemans show us the value of wilderness and why we must protect it. We hear loons whistling softly under a moonrise. We taste lobster mushrooms cooked over a fire. We watch a pine marten stalking a hare through winter's first snowfall. We linger, reverently, at the edges of a silent lake after other campers have gone home.With the magic--and urgent message behind it--that have brought an international audience to the Freemans' cause, A Year in the Wilderness is a rousing cry of witness activism and a stunning tribute to this special region.

Teaming with Fungi: The Organic Grower's Guide to Mycorrhizae


Jeff Lowenfels - 2017
    This natural union between plants and fungi is the foundation of our food web.” —Paul Stamets, author of Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the WorldTeaming with Fungi is an important guide to mycorrhizae and the role they play in agriculture, horticulture, and hydroponics. Almost every plant in a garden forms a relationship with fungi, and many plants would not exist without their fungal partners. By better understanding this relationship, home gardeners can take advantage of the benefits of fungi, which include an increased uptake in nutrients, resistance to drought, earlier fruiting, and more. This must-have guide will teach you how fungi interact with plants and how to best to employ them in your home garden.

How Does My Home Work?


Chris Butterworth - 2017
    The inner workings of a home are laid out for kids in fun, retro illustrations jam-packed with the technology behind everyday life.How does flipping a switch on the wall make the lights come on? Where does the clean water that flows out of the faucet come from? What is used to keep a home warm? Travel beyond the walls and under the floors of a house to find out more about the electricity, water, and natural gas that make your home work -- and find out how you can do your part to save energy and preserve these resources.

Plant Families: A Guide for Gardeners and Botanists


Ross Bayton - 2017
    In reality, there are hundreds of different plant families, each grouped logically by a unique family history and genealogy. This brings sense and order to the more than a quarter of a million different plant species covering a diverse spectrum that includes soaring sequoias (Cupressaceae), squat prickly pear (Cactaceae), and luxuriant roses (Rosaceae).Plant Families is an easy-to-use, beautifully illustrated guide to the more than one hundred core plant families every horticulturist, gardener, or budding botanist needs to know. It introduces the basics of plant genealogy and teaches readers how to identify and understand the different structures of flowers, trees, herbs, shrubs, and bulbs. It then walks through each family, explaining its origins and range, and describing characteristics such as size, flowers, and seeds. Each family is accompanied by full-color botanical illustrations and diagrams. “Uses For” boxes planted throughout the book provide practical gardening tips related to each family. We have much to gain by learning about the relationships between plant families. By understanding how botanists create these groupings, we can become more apt at spotting the unique characteristics of a plant and identify them faster and more accurately. Understanding plant families also helps us to make sense of—and better appreciate—the enormous biological diversity of the plant kingdom.

Inside Animal Hearts and Minds: Bears That Count, Goats That Surf, and Other True Stories of Animal Intelligence and Emotion


Belinda Recio - 2017
    Now, we know that rats laugh when tickled, magpies mourn as they cover the departed with greenery, female whales travel thousands of miles for annual reunions with their gal pals, seals navigate by the stars, bears hum when happy, and crows slide down snowy rooftops for fun.In engaging text, photographs, and infographics, Inside Animal Hearts and Minds showcases fascinating and heart-warming examples of animal emotion and cognition that will foster wonder and empathy. Learn about an orangutan who does “macramé,” monkeys that understand the concept of money, and rats that choose friendship over food. Even language, math, and logic are no longer exclusive to humans. Prairie dogs have their own complex vocabularies to describe human intruders, parrots name their chicks, sea lions appear capable of deductive thinking akin to a ten-year-old child’s, and bears, lemurs, parrots, and other animals demonstrate numerical cognition.In a world where a growing body of scientific research is closing the gap between the human and non-human, Inside Animal Hearts and Minds invites us to change the way we view animals, the world, and our place in it.

Wonderland: A Year of Britain's Wildlife, Day by Day


Brett Westwood - 2017
    Every day of the year, winter or summer, in every corner of the British Isles, there's plenty to see if you know where - and how - to look. From encounters with the curious black redstart, which winters on our rocky coasts, to the tiny green snowdrop shoots that are the first sign that spring might be round the corner. And from the blossom-time and dawn choruses of April and May into the abundant noisiness of summer, where days start with hawker dragonflies and drowsy bumblebees and end with glow-worms and ghost moths; to autumn when in the early morning mist of London's Richmond Park male red deer lock horns in competition for a mate.Nature is always full of surprises - whether it's the strange behaviour of clothes moths or the gruesome larder of the strike. Distilling two lifetimes' knowledge, expert insight and enthusiasm, award-winning authors and passionate naturalists Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss take us through the year, day by day, sharing the unexpected delights that we can experience in our skies, beaches, rivers, fields, forests and back gardens. There are all kinds of adventures waiting on your doorstep, any day of the year, all you need is Wonderland.

The Story of the Earth in 25 Rocks: Tales of Important Geological Puzzles and the People Who Solved Them


Donald R. Prothero - 2017
    In The Story of the Earth in 25 Rocks, Donald R. Prothero tells the fascinating stories behind the discoveries that shook the foundations of geology. In twenty-five chapters—each about a particular rock, outcrop, or geologic phenomenon—Prothero recounts the scientific detective work that took us from the unearthing of exemplary specimens to tectonic shifts in how we view our planet and history.Prothero follows in the footsteps of the scientists who asked—and answered—geology’s biggest questions: How do we know how old the earth is? What happened to the supercontinent Pangea? How did ocean rocks end up at the top of Mount Everest? What can we learn about our planet from meteorites and moon rocks? The Story of the Earth in 25 Rocks answers these questions through expertly chosen case studies, such as Pliny the Elder’s firsthand account of the eruption of Vesuvius; the granite outcrops that led a Scottish scientist to theorize that the landscapes he witnessed were far older than Noah’s Flood; the gypsum deposits under the Mediterranean Sea that indicate that it was once a desert; and how trying to date the age of meteorites revealed the dangers of lead poisoning. Each of these breakthroughs filled in a piece of the puzzle that is the earth, with scientific discoveries dovetailing with each other to offer increasingly solid evidence of the geologic past. Summarizing a wealth of information in an entertaining, approachable style, The Story of the Earth in 25 Rocks is essential reading for the armchair geologist, the rock hound, and all who are curious about the earth beneath their feet.

The Brain: A User's Manual: A simple guide to the world’s most complex machine


Marco Magrini - 2017
    It will provide you with years of continuous existence."So begins The Brain: A User’s Manual, Marco Magrini’s fascinating guide to the inner workings of one of nature’s most miraculous but misunderstood creations: the human brain.This user-friendly manual offers an accessible guide to the machine you use the most, deconstructing the brain into its constituent parts and showing you both how they function and how to maintain them for a longer life.Cutting through the noise of modern pop psychology, The Brain: A User’s Manual is a refreshingly factual approach to self-help. Written with a deft style and wry humour, it offers tips on everything from maximising productivity to retaining memory and boosting your mood.

The Art & Science of Ernst Haeckel (XXL)


Ernst Haeckel - 2017
    A vociferous supporter and developer of Darwin s theories of evolution, he denounced religious dogma, abandoned an early career in medicine, authored philosophical treatises, gained a doctorate in zoology, and coined scientific terms which have passed into common usage, including ecology, phylum, and stem cell. Haeckel s colossal legacy has fascinated, confounded, and polarized generations. But what was at the heart of his extraordinary life s work? Rather like his intellectual forebear, Alexander von Humboldt, Haeckel was motivated not only to discover but also to explain. To do this, he created hundreds of detailed drawings, watercolors, and sketches of his findings which he published in successive volumes during the 20th century, including several marine organism collections and the majestic Kunstformen der Natur (Art Forms in Nature), which could serve as the cornerstone of Haeckel s entire life project. Like a meticulous visual encyclopedia of living things, Haeckel s work was as remarkable for its graphic precision and meticulous shading as for its understanding of organic evolution and cellular development. From bats to the box jellyfish, lizards to lichen, and spider legs to sea anemones, he emphasized the essential symmetries and order of nature, and found biological beauty in even the most unlikely of creatures. The prints not only furthered the study of natural history but also influenced generations of 20th-century artists and architects, from the emerging proponents of Art Nouveau to architects such as Hendrik Petrus Berlage, whose Amsterdam Commodities Exchange was inspired by Haeckel s illustrations. In this book, we celebrate the scientific, artistic, and environmental importance of Haeckel s work, with a collection of prints from several of his most important tomes on marine biology, including Die Radiolarien, Monographie der Medusen, Die Kalkschwamme: eine Monographie, and Kunstformen der Natur. At a time when biodiversity is increasingly threatened by human activities, the book is at once a visual masterwork, an underwater exploration, and a vivid reminder of the precious variety of life.Text in English, French, and German.CONTRIBUTORSThe AuthorsRainer Willmann holds a chair in zoology at Göttingen University, is director of its Zoological Museum, and is cofounder of its Centre for Biodiversity and Ecology Research. A specialist in phylogenetics and evolution, he conducts research into biodiversity and its history.Julia Voss studied German literature, art history, and philosophy at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität in Freiburg, at the Humboldt-Universität in Berlin, and at Goldsmith’s College in London. Her doctoral dissertation on visual representations of Darwinian evolution theory received the Otto Hahn Medal from the Max Planck Society. She is Deputy Editor of the Feuilleton and co-Editor of the Fine Arts section for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.PRODUCT DETAILSThe Art and Science of Ernst HaeckelRainer Willmann, Julia VossHardcover, 28.5 x 39.5 cm, 704 pagesISBN 978-3-8365-2646-3Multilingual Edition: English, French, German

Super Rooster and Wonder Cat


Alma Hammond - 2017
    One day, they meet Crab, Ray, and Shark who have characteristics very different from their own. At first the two friends are frightened, but soon realize the other animals mean them no harm and have pretty special powers. In this colorful and beautifully illustrated book, children focus on identifying their own strengths, while also appreciating and respecting the strengths of others. Diversity, acceptance, friendship, and self-esteem prevail over fear! Youngsters will learn about some amazing creatures—coconut crabs, black tip reef sharks, and spotted eagles rays. They all live in and along the South Pacific Ocean, which surrounds Bora Bora in French Polynesia (a Society island along with Tahiti). Children will also be amazed to discover all of the animals’ awesome superpowers are actually true! More fun facts about these creatures are included after the story and provide additional educational value.

The Songs of Trees: Stories from Nature's Great Connectors


David George Haskell - 2017
    Now, Haskell brings his powers of observation to the biological networks that surround all species, including humans. Haskell repeatedly visits a dozen trees around the world, exploring the trees connections with webs of fungi, bacterial communities, cooperative and destructive animals, and other plants. An Amazonian ceibo tree reveals the rich ecological turmoil of the tropical forest, along with threats from expanding oil fields. Thousands of miles away, the roots of a balsam fir in Canada survive in poor soil only with the help of fungal partners. These links are nearly two billion years old: the fir s roots cling to rocks containing fossils of the first networked cells. By unearthing charcoal left by Ice Age humans and petrified redwoods in the Rocky Mountains, Haskell shows how the Earth s climate has emerged from exchanges among trees, soil communities, and the atmosphere. Now humans have transformed these networks, powering our societies with wood, tending some forests, but destroying others. Haskell also attends to trees in places where humans seem to have subdued nature a pear tree on a Manhattan sidewalk, an olive tree in Jerusalem, a Japanese bonsai demonstrating that wildness permeates every location. Every living being is not only sustained by biological connections, but is made from these relationships. Haskell shows that this networked view of life enriches our understanding of biology, human nature, and ethics. When we listen to trees, nature s great connectors, we learn how to inhabit the relationships that give life its source, substance, and beauty."

A World Full of Animal Stories: 50 folk tales and legends


Angela McAllister - 2017
     Prepare for a story time like no other as you delve into this beautifully-illustrated collection of classic stories featuring tales about your favorite animals from every corner of the globe. This anthology of animal stories brings together the most loved animal-themed fables, myths, and legends including The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Why the Swallow's Tail is Forked, and the story of Ananse and the Python. Lively retellings from best-selling author Angela McAllister are brought to life with sumptuous illustrations from Romanian-born illustrator, Aitch, in this treasury to treasure for a lifetime. For story lovers young and old this is the perfect anthology for all the family and animal lovers everywhere.The World Full of… series is a collection of beautiful hardcover story treasuries. Discover folktales from all around the world or be introduced to some of the world’s best-loved writers with these stunning gift books, the perfection addition to any child’s library.Also available from the series: A Year Full of Stories, A Stage Full of Shakespeare Stories, A World Full of Dickens Stories, A World Full of Spooky Stories, A Year Full of Celebrations and Festivals, and A Bedtime Full of Stories.

Confessions of an Accidental Zoo Curator


Annette Libeskind Berkovits - 2017
    Berkovits masterfully regales readers with stories that give the inside scoop on what went on behind the scenes at one of the world's most famous zoos with facts that read like fiction! Her tales will surprise and enlighten. A must read for all animal lovers and those interested in the future of wildlife. “…a remarkable story, fascinating and unique…with a deft blend of personal insight and eloquent story-telling, Berkovits takes us from a remote village in Kyrgyzstan to the Bronx Zoo… from neophyte to international leader in her field.” —William Conway, former President of the Wildlife Conservation Society and Director of the Bronx Zoo “…a story that goes far beyond its title. Berkovits goes from a difficult childhood devoid of any real animal connections, to become one of the world’s foremost leaders in wildlife conservation education… fascinating and inspiring.” — Alan Rabinowitz PhD, Zoologist, Author, CEO Panthera ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Annette Libeskind Berkovits was born in Kyrgyzstan and grew up in postwar Poland before coming to America at age sixteen. In her three-decade career with the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York, she spearheaded the institution’s nationwide and worldwide science education programs. Annette’s works have appeared in Silk Road Review: a Literary Crossroads; Persimmon Tree and other publications. Her memoir, In the Unlikeliest of Places received critical acclaim.

Mycorrhizal Planet: How Symbiotic Fungi Work with Roots to Support Plant Health and Build Soil Fertility


Michael Phillips - 2017
    These microscopic organisms partner with the root systems of approximately 95 percent of the plants on Earth, and they sequester carbon in much more meaningful ways than human "carbon offsets" will ever achieve. Pick up a handful of old-growth forest soil and you are holding 26 miles of threadlike fungal mycelia, if it could be stretched it out in a straight line. Most of these soil fungi are mycorrhizal, supporting plant health in elegant and sophisticated ways. The boost to green immune function in plants and community-wide networking turns out to be the true basis of ecosystem resiliency. A profound intelligence exists in the underground nutrient exchange between fungi and plant roots, which in turn determines the nutrient density of the foods we grow and eat.Exploring the science of symbiotic fungi in layman's terms, holistic farmer Michael Phillips (author of The Holistic Orchard and The Apple Grower) sets the stage for practical applications across the landscape. The real impetus behind no-till farming, gardening with mulches, cover cropping, digging with broadforks, shallow cultivation, forest-edge orcharding, and everything related to permaculture is to help the plants and fungi to prosper . . . which means we prosper as well.Building soil structure and fertility that lasts for ages results only once we comprehend the nondisturbance principle. As the author says, "What a grower understands, a grower will do." Mycorrhizal Planet abounds with insights into "fungal consciousness" and offers practical, regenerative techniques that are pertinent to gardeners, landscapers, orchardists, foresters, and farmers. Michael's fungal acumen will resonate with everyone who is fascinated with the unseen workings of nature and concerned about maintaining and restoring the health of our soils, our climate, and the quality of life on Earth for generations to come.

Leaves: An Autumn Pop-Up Book


Janet Lawler - 2017
    This book, which can be considered a seasonal companion with Jumping Jack Press' all-time best seller and award winning, Snowflakes, includes amazing pop-ups, educational information, and delightful interactive elements that offer change and surprise on every page in this lyrical look at Autumn.

Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance, and the Future of Evolution


Jonathan B. Losos - 2017
    But evolutionary biologists also point out many examples of contingency, cases where the tiniest change--a random mutation or an ancient butterfly sneeze--caused evolution to take a completely different course. What role does each force really play in the constantly changing natural world? Are the plants and animals that exist today, and we humans ourselves, inevitabilities or evolutionary freaks? And what does that say about life on other planets?Jonathan Losos reveals what the latest breakthroughs in evolutionary biology can tell us about one of the greatest ongoing debates in science. He takes us around the globe to meet the researchers who are solving the deepest mysteries of life on Earth through their work in experimental evolutionary science. Losos himself is one of the leaders in this exciting new field, and he illustrates how experiments with guppies, fruit flies, bacteria, foxes, and field mice, along with his own work with anole lizards on Caribbean islands, are rewinding the tape of life to reveal just how rapid and predictable evolution can be.Improbable Destinies will change the way we think and talk about evolution. Losos's insights into natural selection and evolutionary change have far-reaching applications for protecting ecosystems, securing our food supply, and fighting off harmful viruses and bacteria. This compelling narrative offers a new understanding of ourselves and our role in the natural world and the cosmos.

The Cosmic Machine: The Science That Runs Our Universe and the Story Behind It


Scott Bembenek - 2017
    But how do they govern the world we live in? What was the difficult path to their discovery? Who were the key players that struggled to shape our current understanding? The Cosmic Machine​ takes you from the earliest scientific inquiries in human history on an exciting journey in search of the answers to these questions. In telling this fascinating story of science, the reader is masterfully guided through the wonderment of how scientific discoveries (and the key players of those discoveries) shaped the world as we know it today. With its unique blend of science, history, and biographies, The Cosmic Machine​ provides an easily accessible account without sacrificing the actual science itself. Not only will this book engage, enlighten, and entertain you, it will inspire your passion and curiosity for the world around us.

The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin's Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World—And Us


Richard O. Prum - 2017
    In the great halls of science, dogma holds that Darwin's theory of natural selection explains every branch on the tree of life: which species thrive, which wither away to extinction, and what features each evolves. But can adaptation by natural selection really account for everything we see in nature? Yale University ornithologist Richard Prum--reviving Darwin's own views--thinks not. Deep in tropical jungles around the world are birds with a dizzying array of appearances and mating displays: Club-winged Manakins who sing with their wings, Great Argus Pheasants who dazzle prospective mates with a four-foot-wide cone of feathers covered in golden 3D spheres, Red-capped Manakins who moonwalk. In thirty years of fieldwork, Prum has seen numerous display traits that seem disconnected from, if not outright contrary to, selection for individual survival. To explain this, he dusts off Darwin's long-neglected theory of sexual selection in which the act of choosing a mate for purely aesthetic reasons--for the mere pleasure of it--is an independent engine of evolutionary change. Mate choice can drive ornamental traits from the constraints of adaptive evolution, allowing them to grow ever more elaborate. It also sets the stakes for sexual conflict, in which the sexual autonomy of the female evolves in response to male sexual control. Most crucially, this framework provides important insights into the evolution of human sexuality, particularly the ways in which female preferences have changed male bodies, and even maleness itself, through evolutionary time. The Evolution of Beauty presents a unique scientific vision for how nature's splendor contributes to a more complete understanding of evolution and of ourselves.

Secrets of the Sea


Kate Baker - 2017
    From the rock pools along the shoreline to the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean, breathtaking illustrations reveal the sea's creatures--from the microscopic and the bizarre to the fragile and the deadly--in all their startling beauty. Welcome to the secrets of the sea.

Raptors: Portraits of Birds of Prey


Traer Scott - 2017
    Seventy spectacular color photos present twenty-five different species, from the familiar to the exotic and endangered: hawks, owls, falcons, a bald eagle, kestrels, a Mississippi Kite, a turkey vulture, and more. Joining their elders are a fluffy baby vulture and adorable baby and juvenile great horned owls. The birds in this remarkable collection emerge as personalities, not just types: wise and quizzical, graceful and enigmatic, serene and fiercely self-possessed. A personal introduction describes Scott's process and connection to the birds, and captions detail the characteristics and habits of these incredible winged creatures.

The Otters’ Tale


Simon Cooper - 2017
    They are the most secretive yet also the most popular mammals – they are found in every county but are so rarely seen that they have been raised to mythical status.When Simon Cooper bought an abandoned water mill that straddles a small chalkstream in southern England, little did he know that he would come to share the mill with a family of wild otters. Yet move in they did, allowing him to begin to observe them, soon immersing himself in their daily routines and movements. He developed an extraordinary close relationship with the family, which in turn gave him a unique insight into the life of these fascinating creatures.Cooper interweaves the personal story of the female otter, Kuschta, with the natural history of the otter in the British Isles, only recently brought back from the brink of extinction through tireless conservation efforts. Following in the footsteps of Henry Williamson’s classic 1920s tale Tarka the Otter, readers are taken on a journey through the calendar year, learning the most intimate detail of this most beautiful of British mammals. Cooper brings these beloved animals to life in all their wondrous complexity, revealing the previously hidden secrets of their lives in this beautifully told tale of the otter.

Why, Fly Guy?: Answers to Kids' BIG Questions (Fly Guy Presents): Answers to Kids' BIG Questions


Tedd Arnold - 2017
    Fly Guy tackles kids' most popular "why?" questions in a new paper-over-board book filled with full-bleed photographs, easy-to-read text, and humorous comic strips!Come along with Fly Guy as he asks (and answers!) over fifty "why?" questions! Why do I have to brush my teeth? Why do cats climb trees if they can't get down? Why do elephants have trunks? And more! There are also science projects and fun activities -- so kids can use what they've learned in a hands-on way! With engaging full-color photographs on every page, content appropriate for a young audience, humorous artwork, and colorful comic strips starring their favorite character Fly Guy, this book is perfect for kids in Pre-K and Kindergarten! *This 128-page paper-over-board book even has eye-catching holographic foil on the front cover and spine!*

Hidden In Plain Sight 7: The Fine-Tuned Universe


Andrew H. Thomas - 2017
    The answers to the big questions: Are the laws of physics fine-tuned for life? Are we alone in the universe? Why is gravity so weak? How can I predict the winner of every horse race?

The Secret Life of Flies


Erica McAlister - 2017
    It dispels common misconceptions about flies and reveals how truly extraordinary, exotic and important are these misunderstood creatures.There are ten chapters:1. The immature ones - Squirmy wormy larvae can be just a bit unnerving, especially when they're in large numbers.2. The pollinators - Those annoying No See Ums, or midge flies, are the only pollinator of the chocolate-producing cacao tree, a status held by many of the pollinators.3. The detritivores - These garbage eaters are often fluffy and thus water-repellent, good for a life spent in a sewer.4. The vegetarians - Entomological spelunkers, many of these flies prefer plant roots forsaking the leaves to other creatures.5. The fungivores - The mushroom eaters include the dark-winged fungus gnats whose wing patterns are one of the author's favorites.6. The predators - Here are the most devious and imaginative methods of luring, capturing and eating prey.7. The parasites - Their methods of survival are often disgusting but the evolutionary genius is admirable.8. The sanguivores - McAlister responds to the perpetual question, exactly why do we have blood-sucking disease-spreading mosquitos?9. The coprophages - The champions of dung, detritus and other unpleasant things.10. The necrophages - The body eaters without which we would be in a most disagreeable situation.In clear language, McAlister explains Diptera taxonomy and forensic entomology, and describes the potential of flies to transform their relationship with humans from one of disease vector to partner in environmental preservation. She has a wonderful knack for storytelling, deftly transforming what could be dry descriptions of biology, reproduction and morphology into entertainment. She takes readers to piles of poo in Ethiopia by way of underground caves, latrines and backyard gardens, and opens the drawers at the Natural History Museum to rhapsodize over her favorite flies.The Secret Life of Flies is full of stories and tongue-in-check descriptions, but the science is rigorous, authoritative and will be enjoyed by dipterists, lepidopterists, insect enthusiasts, naturalists, and general readers.

The Amazing Animal Atlas


Nick Crumpton - 2017
    Written by zoologist Dr. Nick Crumpton and fully illustrated throughout, this fascinating fact-filled book will be treasured for generations.

Power Tools for Health: How pulsed magnetic fields (PEMFs) help you


William Pawluk - 2017
    Now they will revolutionize your health. Power Tools for Health will teach you to how to apply PEMFs to your life. Including: - How to treat new or chronic health conditions like pain, anxiety, insomnia, and diabetes - How you can avoid annoying or potentially harmful side effects from pharmaceuticals or other treatments - What PEMFs do to enhance and accelerate recovery from surgery. Research shows PEMFs accelerate the healing of almost any cell, tissue, organ, or condition. Unlike much of modern medicine, which mostly focuses on symptom management, PEMF therapy improves your body’s basic functions, allowing it to both prevent and treat a wide range of health problems. With dozens of easily accessible and effective PEMF systems on the market, this is the next major leap forward in improving health to help you live long and live well. Power Tools for Health is the most comprehensive, objective, and authoritative book on PEMF therapy. Here you will learn: - how the technology works, including an overview of common terminology - what it does in the body, from circulation to stem cell stimulation and everything in between - what it can do to treat more than 50 specific health problems, each with clinical study results FDA-approved to treat conditions from bone healing to depression, PEMF therapy has been available to the medical community for years, though few doctors are familiar with the technology outside of MRI. Power Tools for Health fills this gap in knowledge by dissecting hundreds of double-blind studies and real-life case studies. Power Tools for Health has no focus or emphasis on any specific commercial device. Instead, Dr. Pawluk brings his extensive experience to report on many of the leading PEMF systems available today, including how to use them effectively, what to look for when you consider getting a system for yourself, and how to combine PEMF therapy with other health care tools.

Space is Cool as Fuck


Kate Howells - 2017
    With a brief history of the whole universe, you’ll be left scratching your head and gazing up in absolute wonder.Everything you thought you could never understand about the universe is explained in plain-old filthy English. Giving you a little taste of the glorious reality you inhabit by providing an introduction to some of the incredible stuff out there.Over 50 chapters on subjects including:What actually happened during the big bangblack holestime travelthe degenerate astronomer who drank all night and died from holding his bladder… and also lost his nose in a duel the things you take for granted until you really think about them; like matter – what the fuck is all this shit that we are?Space is Cool as Fuck features more than 100 wild artworks, photographs and illustrations from 40 international young artists curated by brilliant designer Cynthia Larenas. From hand-picked unknowns like Kate Kurucz and Adrian du P.B. through up-and-comers like Aida Azin, Waiton Fong and Cal Sinadinovic, to the more established Kareena Zerefos, Chrissie Abbot, Uno Moralez, Regan Tanamui (Ha Ha) and Marina Zumi, each artist brings their own aesthetic to the majesty and wonder of space giving the book its exquisitely eclectic style.For more information on Lost the Plot, visit ltpbooks.com

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Humane Heroes, Volume II


American Humane - 2017
     Chicken Soup for the Soul: Humane Heroes, Volume II is full of real-life stories that are appropriate for 7th graders and up to read on their own.  While teaching the value of humane conservation, children are introduced to some amazing animals – two orphaned bear cubs; a lost and blind sea lion; elephants who help doctors fight cancer, among others. Not only will children learn how these animals share and enrich our planet, they will also learn of the critically important work being done by humane heroes around the world that helps them survive.

New Carbon Architecture: Building to Cool the Planet


Bruce King - 2017
    The New Carbon Architecture explores how biomimicry-inspired innovations in architecture and construction – from cities made of wood to insulation grown from straw and mycelium – will pull carbon from the atmosphere, heal the climate, and produce safer, healthier, and more beautiful buildings.

Thoreau and the Language of Trees


Richard Higgins - 2017
    His portraits of them were so perfect, it was as if he could see the sap flowing beneath their bark. When Thoreau wrote that the poet loves the pine tree as his own shadow in the air, he was speaking about himself. In short, he spoke their language. In this original book, Richard Higgins explores Thoreau’s deep connections to trees: his keen perception of them, the joy they gave him, the poetry he saw in them, his philosophical view of them, and how they fed his soul. His lively essays show that trees were a thread connecting all parts of Thoreau’s being—heart, mind, and spirit. Included are one hundred excerpts from Thoreau’s writings about trees, paired with over sixty of the author’s photographs. Thoreau’s words are as vivid now as they were in 1890, when an English naturalist wrote that he was unusually able to “to preserve the flashing forest colors in unfading light.” Thoreau and the Language of Trees shows that Thoreau, with uncanny foresight, believed trees were essential to the preservation of the world.

Squid Empire: The Rise and Fall of the Cephalopods


Danna Staaf - 2017
    And before there were fish in the sea, there were cephalopods - the ancestors of modern squid and Earth’s first truly substantial animals. Cephalopods became the first creatures to rise from the seafloor, essentially inventing the act of swimming. With dozens of tentacles and formidable shells, they presided over an undersea empire for millions of years. But when fish evolved jaws, the ocean’s former top predator became its most delicious snack. Cephalopods had to step up their game. Many species streamlined their shells and added defensive spines, but these enhancements only provided a brief advantage. Some cephalopods then abandoned the shell entirely, which opened the gates to a flood of evolutionary innovations: masterful camouflage, fin-supplemented jet propulsion, perhaps even dolphin-like intelligence. Squid Empire is an epic adventure spanning hundreds of millions of years, from the marine life of the primordial ocean to the calamari on tonight’s menu. Anyone who enjoys the undersea world—along with all those obsessed with things prehistoric—will be interested in the sometimes enormous, often bizarre creatures that ruled the seas long before the first dinosaurs.

Mariposas Nocturnas: Moths of Central and South America, a Study in Beauty and Diversity


Emmet Gowin - 2017
    1941) is best known for his portraits of his wife, Edith, and their family, as well as for his images documenting the impact of human activity upon landscapes around the world. For the past fifteen years, he has been engaged in an equally profound project on a different scale, capturing the exquisite beauty of more than one thousand species of nocturnal moths in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, and Panama.These stunning color portraits present the insects--many of which may never have been photographed as living specimens before, and some of which may not be seen again--arrayed in typologies of twenty-five per sheet. The moths are photographed alive, in natural positions and postures, and set against a variety of backgrounds taken from the natural world and images from art history.Throughout Gowin's distinguished career, his work has addressed urgent concerns. The arresting images of Mariposas Nocturnas extend this reach, as Gowin fosters awareness for a part of nature that is generally left unobserved and calls for a greater awareness of the biodiversity and value of the tropics as a universally shared natural treasure. An essay by Gowin provides a fascinating personal history of his work with biologists and introduces both the photographic and philosophical processes behind this extraordinary project.Essential reading for audiences both in photography and natural history, this lavishly illustrated volume reminds readers that, as Terry Tempest Williams writes in her foreword, "The world is saturated with loveliness, inhabited by others far more adept at living with uncertainty than we are."

Miracle Cure: The Creation of Antibiotics and the Birth of Modern Medicine


William Rosen - 2017
    That all changed in less than a generation with the discovery and development of a new category of medicine known as antibiotics. By 1955, the age-old evolutionary relationship between humans and microbes had been transformed, trivializing once-deadly infections. William Rosen captures this revolution with all its false starts, lucky surprises, and eccentric characters. He explains why, given the complex nature of bacteria—and their ability to rapidly evolve into new forms—the only way to locate and test potential antibiotic strains is by large-scale, systematic, trial-and-error experimentation. Organizing that research needs large, well-funded organizations and businesses, and so our entire scientific-industrial complex, built around the pharmaceutical company, was born. Timely, engrossing, and eye-opening, Miracle Cure is a must-read science narrative—a drama of enormous range, combining science, technology, politics, and economics to illuminate the reasons behind one of the most dramatic changes in humanity’s relationship with nature since the invention of agriculture ten thousand years ago.

Still Water Bending


Wendy Mitman Clarke - 2017
    For generations, this trinity has sustained a community of proud, independent people. But their way of life is dying. Third-generation waterman Jines Arley Evans clings to what little is left. The fisheries are depleted. His wife and son are long dead, his estranged daughter, Lily Rae, bitter at her father’s emotional abandonment, far away. The family land and silent house, the workboat Jenny Rae, and the water, its rhythms, mysteries, and seasons are all that remain for him. A stroke while fishing threatens to take even that. But when a stroke Jines suffers threatens to take even those fragments of what’s left of his world, Lily Rae must leave her life as a journalist in Portland, Maine and return home to care for him. Thrown uncomfortably together, they must come to terms with each other and with their isolation from others. Maybe they can find common ground in an unlikely place, Jines’s boat shed, where they once again try to build a traditional deadrise skiff together. As Jines’s powerful life contracts, Lily’s expands. She begins to see the place and people she had left behind through new eyes, including Jamie Cockrell, her once best friend. Now divorced with a beautiful young daughter, Jamie yearns for what few other young men of Ophelia still want—a chance, like Jines, to run his own boat and work on the water. Lily is falling in love, not only with Jamie and his daughter but with her home. Yet in the end, she has to make the hardest decision she has ever faced.

Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics, Vol. 1: The Physical World


Dalai Lama XIV - 2017
    It is the Dalai Lama’s view that the explorations by the great masters of northern India in the first millennium CE still have much that is of interest today, whether we are Buddhist or not. Volume 1, The Physical World, explores the nature of our material world—from the macroscopic to the microscopic. It begins with an overview of the many frameworks, such as the so-called five aggregates, that Buddhist thinkers have used to examine the nature and scope of reality. Topics include sources of knowledge, the scope of reason, the nature and constituents of the material world, theories of the atom, the nature of time, the formation of the universe, and the evolution of life, including a detailed explanation of the early Buddhist theories on fetal development. The volume even contains a brief presentation on early theories about the structure and function of the brain and the role of microorganisms inside the human body. The book weaves together passages from the works of great Buddhist thinkers such as Asanga, Vasubandhu, Nagarjuna, Dignaga, and Dharmakirti. Each of the major topics is introduced by Thupten Jinpa, the Dalai Lama’s principal English-language translator and founder of the Institute of Tibetan Classics.

Granite, Fire, and Fog: The Natural and Cultural History of Acadia


Tom Wessels - 2017
    From the road, visitors can experience magnificent vistas of summit and sea, but on a more intimate scale, equally compelling views abound along Acadia’s hiking trails. Tom Wessels, an ecologist, naturalist, and avid hiker, attributes the park’s popularity—and its unusual beauty—to the unique way in which earth, air, fire, and water—in the form of glacially scoured granite, winter winds, fire, and ocean fog—have converged to create a landscape that can be found nowhere else. In this beautifully illustrated book, Wessels invites readers to investigate the remarkable natural history of Mount Desert Island, along with the unique cultural story it gave rise to. This account of nature, terrain, and human interaction with the landscape will delight those who like to hike these bald summits, ride along the carriage roads, or explore the island’s rugged shoreline. Wessels concludes with a guided tour of one of his favorite hikes, a ten-mile loop that will acquaint the reader with the diverse ecosystems described throughout his book.

Living In The Anthropocene: Earth in the Age of Humans


W. John Kress - 2017
    Even now, the basic requirements for human life--air, water, shelter, food, nature, and culture--are rapidly transforming the planet as billions of people compete for resources. These changes have become so noticeable on a global scale that scientists believe we are living in a new chapter in Earth's story: the Anthropocene, or Age of Humans. Living in the Anthropocene: Earth in the Age of Humans is a vital look at this era. The book contextualizes the Anthropocene by presenting paleontological, historical, and contemporary views of various human effects on Earth. It discusses environmental and biological systems that have been changed and affected; the causes of the Anthropocene, such as agricultural spread, pollution, and urbanization; how societies are responding and adapting to these changes; how these changes have been represented in art, film, television, and literature; and finally, offers a look toward the future of our environment and our own lives.

Apex Predators: The World's Deadliest Hunters, Past and Present


Steve Jenkins - 2017
    Using his signature art style, Jenkins illustrates how these animals dominate their different ecosystems using speed, strength, and even cooperation and cunning. Take a trip through history and discover apex predators both past and present, from the earliest sea creatures to the modern African lion and giant freshwater ray, which can grow to over fifteen feet.

The Complete Periodic Table: More Elements with Style


Simon Basher - 2017
    From unassuming oxygen to devious manganese, the incredible elements show you the periodic table as you've never seen it before. Basher Science: The Periodic Table gives a face, voice and personality to the chemical elements, making learning chemistry easy and a whole lot more fun. This new expanded edition reflects the latest discoveries, and now each of the 115 elements has not just a picture but an information-packed page all to itself.Basher's highly original books make difficult concepts tangible, understandable and even lovable. With his stylish, contemporary characters he communicates science brilliantly.

Therefore Choose Life: The Found Massey Lectures


George Wald - 2017
    Then, as now, the world is facing major political and social upheaval, from overpopulation to nuclear warfare to environmental degradation and the uses and abuses of technology. Using scientific fact as metaphor, Nobel Prize–winning scientist George Wald meditates on our place, and role, on Earth and in the universe. He urges us to therefore choose life — to invest in our capabilities as human beings, to heed the warnings of our own self-destruction, and above all to honour our humanity.

Engineered!: Engineering Design at Work


Shannon Hunt - 2017
    Each was solved using a different field of engineering --- from aerospace and mechanical to the new field of geomatics. A helpful seven-step flowchart of the engineering design process is also featured: define the problem, investigate the requirements, develop solutions, design a prototype, test it, improve it and share the idea. These steps are highlighted in each chapter with icons that refer back to the flowchart. Sidebars, biographies of the engineers and detailed illustrations by James Gulliver Hancock help flesh out the stories and bring them to life.

Darwin's Backyard: How Small Experiments Led to a Big Theory


James T. Costa - 2017
    Costa takes readers on a journey from Darwin’s childhood through his voyage on the HMS Beagle, where his ideas on evolution began, and on to Down House, his bustling home of forty years. Using his garden and greenhouse, the surrounding meadows and woodlands, and even the cellar and hallways of his home-turned-field-station, Darwin tested ideas of his landmark theory of evolution through an astonishing array of experiments without using specialized equipment. From those results, he plumbed the laws of nature and drew evidence for the revolutionary arguments of On the Origin of Species and other watershed works.This unique perspective introduces us to an enthusiastic correspondent, collaborator, and, especially, an incorrigible observer and experimenter. And it includes eighteen experiments for home, school, or garden.

How to Start a Flower Farm: the complete step-by-step guide


Sarah Funk - 2017
    Create a flower farm that works for you: -what to grow and how to grow it -where to sell your flowers -how to define exactly what your purpose is

Science Year by Year: A Visual History, from Stone Tools to Space Travel


Clive Gifford - 2017
    With more than 1,200 images, in-depth explanations of key inventors and innovations, quotes from groundbreaking scientists like Marie Curie, and stunning "moment in time" images of key events such as the first human landing on the moon, kids are sure to be amazed on every page. Young readers can learn about the early understanding of gravity, the discovery of dinosaur fossils, the first open heart surgery in human history, and much more.Created in association with the Smithsonian Institution, "Science Year by Year" will fascinate kids as they go on an amazing journey through time, tracing key moments in the history of science and technology along the way.

Tumor


Anna Leahy - 2017
    With the likelihood that one in two men and one in three women will develop invasive cancer, tumors have the power to redefine our identities and change how we live and interact with each other and the world around us. With poetic verve and acuity, Leahy explores why and how tumors happen, how we think and talk about them, and how we try to rid ourselves of them.Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.

The Adventures of Your Brain


Dan Green - 2017
    . . entertainingly explained! Filled with flaps, pull-tabs, wheels, and pop-ups, this colorful interactive book introduces children to the wonders of our brain. How does the brain work? What does it do, and what do we understand about it? The Adventures of Your Brain allows kids to explore this amazing and amazingly complex part of our body. Each page offers loads of fun features to play with, so kids will love learning all the fascinating facts!

National Geographic Kids Ultimate Space Atlas


Carolyn Decristofano - 2017
    This out-of-this-world atlas takes readers through maps of the solar system, the Milky Way, and deep space, giving them a close look at and locations of planets, supernovas, and other universes Sky maps will help kids spot these objects in the night sky and maps of planets and our solar system give the kind of incredible detail that National Geographic is known for. It's the perfect book for space fans and budding astronauts.

The Trees of North America: Michaux and Redouté's American Masterpiece


David Allen Sibley - 2017
    From 1841 to 1849 Thomas Nuttall (1786–1859), an English botanist and one of the greatest plant explorers of North America, prepared supplementary volumes to Michaux’s landmark work, The North American Sylva.Full-color reproductions of all of the more than 270 plates are now included in a single volume for the first time. Mirroring Abbeville’s best-selling National Audubon Society Birds of America, the book includes capsule summaries of every tree species featured, written by New York Botanical Garden staff, along with reference illustrations by David Allen Sibley.Garden President Gregory Long looks at the book in the context of the New York Botanical Garden; NYBG Library Director Susan M. Fraser examines this landmark of American botanical history; award-winning garden writer Marta McDowell recounts the two botanist-explorers uncovering the continent’s arboreal riches; and best-selling ornithologist and natural history artist David Allen Sibley offers an aesthetic appreciation.Beautifully illustrated and extensively researched, The Trees of North America will entice gardeners, art connoisseurs, and nature lovers alike.

The Evolution Underground: Burrows, Bunkers, and the Marvelous Subterranean World Beneath our Feet


Anthony J. Martin - 2017
    But our burrowing roots go back to the very beginnings of animal life on earth. Without burrowing, the planet would be very different today. Many animal lineages alive now—including our own—only survived a cataclysmic meteorite strike 65 million years ago because they went underground.On a grander scale, the chemistry of the planet itself had already been transformed many millions of years earlier by the first animal burrows, which altered whole ecosystems. Every day we walk on an earth filled with an under-ground wilderness teeming with life. Most of this life stays hidden, yet these animals and their subterranean homes are ubiquitous, ranging from the deep sea to mountains, from the equator to the poles.Burrows are a refuge from predators, a safe home for raising young, or a tool to ambush prey. Burrows also protect animals against all types of natural disasters: fires, droughts, storms, meteorites, global warmings—and coolings. In a book filled with spectacularly diverse fauna, acclaimed paleontologist and ichnologist Anthony Martin reveals this fascinating, hidden world that will continue to influence and transform life on this planet.

Engineer This!: 10 Amazing Projects for Young Mechanical Engineers


Carol J. McBride - 2017
    Using recycled and easy-to-find materials, engineer your own motorcar, catapult, glider, and other completely functional machines. Explore amazing scientific concepts, such as potential, kinetic, and electrical energy; principles of flight; weights and balances; pulleys and levers; laws of motion; and more. Each project includes step-by-step instructions, full-color photos, exciting facts, safety tips, and extended engineering and science activities for further discovery.

We Rise: The Earth Guardians Guide to Building a Movement that Restores the Planet


Xiuhtezcatl Martinez - 2017
    He and his group the Earth Guardians believe that today’s youth will play an important role in shaping our future. They know that the choices made right now will have a lasting impact on the world of tomorrow, and people—young and old—are asking themselves what they can do to ensure a positive, just, and sustainable future. We Rise tells these stories and addresses the solutions.Beginning with the empowering story of the Earth Guardians and how Xiuhtezcatl has become a voice for his generation, We Rise explores many aspects of effective activism and provides step-by-step information on how to start and join solution-oriented movements. With conversations between Xiuhtezcatl and well-known activists, revolutionaries, and celebrities, practical advice for living a more sustainable lifestyle, and ideas and tools for building resilient communities, We Rise is an action guide on how to face the biggest problems of today, including climate change, fossil fuel extraction, and industrial agriculture.If you are interested in creating real and tangible change, We Rise will give you the inspiration and information you need to do your part in making the world a better place and leave you asking, what kind of legacy do I want to leave?

Spoiler Alert: Everyone Dies™


David Consiglio Jr. - 2017
    ponders and logically answers these insane scenarios using well-established scientific methods and reasoning! Spoiler Alert–Everyone Dies™.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Humane Heroes Volume I


American Humane - 2017
     Chicken Soup for the Soul: Humane Heroes, Volume I is full of real-life stories that are appropriate for 4th graders and up to read on their own. While teaching the value of humane conservation, children are introduced to some amazing animals – a puppy and a cheetah who become friends; an adopted gorilla; and some not-so-scary sharks, among others. Not only will children learn how these animals share and enrich our planet, they will also learn of the critically important work being done by humane heroes around the world that helps them survive.

Atlas of Dinosaur Adventures: Step Into a Prehistoric World


Emily Hawkins - 2017
    Travel back in time to lock horns with a triceratops, stalk prey with a T. rex, and learn to fly with a baby pteranodon. With hundreds of things to spot and facts to learn, this is the biggest  adventure yet! Discover the reptiles that ruled the world in the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, alongside deep-sea monsters and other incredible flora and fauna.Each section begins with an infographic map of the region it explores, followed by richly detailed two-page spreads featuring the dinosaurs whose fossils were discovered there. Come face-to-face with the shark-hunting Mosasaurus, the enormous Argentinosaurus and the ferocious Spinosaurus, and learn all about their appearance, behaviour and habitat.Lucy Letherland’s stunning artwork puts you in the picture with these prehistoric marvels, as true-to-life detail gives a rich snapshot of life millions of years ago.Interesting facts and figures pepper the scenes. Did you know that an Apatosaurus was bigger than two London buses parked end-to-end? Or that Triceratops' mouth was strong enough to slice through tree trunks? Or that pterosaurs kept warm with a layer of feathery fur? A 'Can you find?' page at the back challenges you to explore the pages even deeper by locating the pictured scenes and scene-stealers. Children and adults alike will be amazed by the prehistoric adventures awaiting in this book, an essential addition to any dino-lover's shelf.

The Variety of Life


Nicola Davies - 2017
      Our planet is full of life, from the mountaintops to the ocean’s depths. This appealing nonfiction compendium pays tribute to that biodiversity with each spread showcasing a different species of fauna or flora. They include dolphins, snakes, bats, penguins, bees, slugs, trees, and mushrooms, and along with a general introduction to each type, individual profiles offer fascinating facts and the scientific names of every creature.   Beautifully illustrated and with accessible text, The Variety of Life will help science-loving kids learn more about different animals, and animal-loving kids will learn more about science!