Alex the Parrot: No Ordinary Bird: A True Story


Stephanie Spinner - 2010
    Because she was going to study him, she decided to call him Alex--short for Avian Learning EXperiment. At that time, most scientists thought that the bigger the brain, the smarter the creature; they studied great apes and dolphins. African greys, with their walnut-sized "birdbrains," were pretty much ignored--until Alex. His intelligence surprised everyone, including Irene. He learned to count, add, and subtract; to recognize shapes, sizes, and colors; and to speak, and understand, hundreds of words. These were things no other animal could do. Alex wasn't supposed to have the brainpower to do them, either. But he did them anyway.Accompanied by Meilo So's stunning illustrations, Alex and Irene's story is one of groundbreaking discoveries about animal intelligence, hard work, and the loving bonds of a unique friendship.

Insectlopedia


Douglas Florian - 1998
    The windows are open and bugs are everywhere! Children will delight in this collection of twenty-one buggy poems - just don't forget the calamine lotion.

Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion


Loree Griffin Burns - 2007
    Curtis Ebbesmeyer tracks trash in the name of science. From sneakers to hockey gloves, Curt monitors the watery fate of human-made cargo that has spilled into the ocean. The information he collects is much more than casual news; it is important scientific data. And with careful analysis, Curt, along with a community of scientists, friends, and beachcombers alike, is using his data to understand and protect our ocean. In engaging text and unforgettable images, readers meet the woman who started it all (Curt’s mother!), the computer program that makes sense of his data (nicknamed OSCURS), and several scientists, both on land and on the sea, who are using Curt’s discoveries to preserve delicate marine habitats and protect the creatures who live in them. A Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book for Nonfiction.

On Beyond Bugs


Tish Rabe - 1999
    Just wait… and you’ll soon see an insect go by!” With these words Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat sets out to take young readers on a fascinating tour of the insect world – a world teeming with six legged critters from moths to fleas and fireflies. This title forms part of a series of books that takes an off-beat look at natural history through a fun combination of Seussian rhymes and zany illustrations. Aimed at early readers – from four to seven year olds – the books are designed to bridge the gap between concept books written for preschoolers and more formal non fiction titles that require fluent reading skills. By presenting the facts in a lively and rhythmic manner, they provide the critical foundation upon which complex facts and ideas can eventually be built.

Stranger Things: Worlds Turned Upside Down: The Official Behind-the-Scenes Companion


Gina McIntyre - 2018
    The marks, scuffs, and tears on the cover and pages are an intentional design element.Stranger things have happened. . . .When the first season of Stranger Things debuted on Netflix in the summer of 2016, the show struck a nerve with millions of viewers worldwide and received broad critical acclaim. The series has gone on to win six Emmy Awards, but its success was driven more than anything by word of mouth, resonating across generations. Viewers feel personal connections to the characters. Now fans can immerse themselves in the world—or worlds—of Hawkins, Indiana, like never before. Inside you’ll find• original commentary and a foreword from creators Matt and Ross Duffer• exclusive interviews with the stars of the show, including Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, and David Harbour• the show’s earliest drafts, pitches to Netflix, and casting calls• insights into the Duffers’ creative process from the entire crew—from costume and set designers to composers and visual-effects specialists• deep dives into the cultural artifacts and references that inspired the look and feel of the show• a map of everyday Hawkins—with clues charting the network of the Upside Down• the Morse code disk Eleven uses, so you can decipher secret messages embedded throughout the text• a look into the future of the series—including a sneak preview of season three!Adding whole new layers to enrich the viewing experience, this keepsake is essential reading for anyone and everyone who loves Stranger Things.

The Blue Whale


Jenni Desmond - 2015
    Here, readers are given the actual size of an eye right on the page, and we are informed how understand this whale's body size in relation to trucks, cars, milk bottles, and hippos! With an accurate and engaging text, fully vetted by a blue whale expert, and lyrically lovely illustrations, The Blue Whale is a book that invites children in and holds their attention. Its tempo is like a pleasing melody, which means that the information never becomes too weighty or exhausting―a key thing when it comes to young readers and their enjoyment of a book!

Tree of Wonder: The Many Marvelous Lives of a Rainforest Tree


Kate Messner - 2015
    Who makes their homes here?2 great green macaws,4 keel-billed toucans,8 howler monkeys,16 fruit bats,32 fer-de-lance vipers,64 agoutis,128 blue morpho butterflies,256 poison dart frogs,512 rusty wandering spiders,1,024 leafcutter ants.Count each and every one as life multiplies again and again in this lush and fascinating book about the rainforest.

The Great American Dust Bowl


Don Brown - 2013
    In fact, five of them could fit into the period at the end of this sentence.On a clear, warm Sunday, April 14, 1935, a wild wind whipped up millions upon millions of these specks of dust to form a duster—a savage storm—on America's high southern plains.The sky turned black, sand-filled winds scoured the paint off houses and cars, trains derailed, and electricity coursed through the air. Sand and dirt fell like snow—people got lost in the gloom and suffocated . . . and that was just the beginning.Don Brown brings the Dirty Thirties to life with kinetic, highly saturated, and lively artwork in this graphic novel of one of America's most catastrophic natural events: the Dust Bowl.

Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots


Michael Rex - 2020
    Some things are facts--like the number of robots in this book. Other things are opinions--like which robot would make the best friend, or which robot dances best. And sometimes to tell the difference between a fact and an opinion, you need to wait to get more information--that's because facts can be proven true or false, and opinions are things you feel and believe--but that you can't prove.

Lifetime: The Amazing Numbers in Animal Lives


Lola M. Schaefer - 2013
    This extraordinary book collects animal information not available anywhere else—and shows all 30 roosting holes, all 200 spots, and, yes!, all 1,000 baby seahorses in eye-catching illustrations. A book about picturing numbers and considering the endlessly fascinating lives all around us, Lifetime is sure to delight young nature lovers.

Where Is Home, Little Pip?


Karma Wilson - 2008
    Mama and Papa always reminds Pip not to wander far, and she never does...until one day a black, glittery feather leads Pip on a chase far, far from home. As she tries to find her way back to her parents, Pip encounters some friendly animals, a mighty blue whale, a gull, and even a sled dog. But while these animals know where their home is, they do not know where Pip's home is. In her sadness, Pip begins to sing a song about home that her parents taught her, and the sound of her voice guides her parents straight to her!

Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla


Katherine Applegate - 2014
    Brian Karas present the extraordinary real story of a special gorilla.Captured as a baby, Ivan was brought to a Tacoma, Washington, mall to attract shoppers. Gradually, public pressure built until a better way of life for Ivan was found at Zoo Atlanta. From the Congo to America, and from a local business attraction to a national symbol of animal welfare, Ivan the Shopping Mall Gorilla traveled an astonishing distance in miles and in impact.This is his true story and includes photographs of Ivan in the back matter.

Animal Dads


Sneed B. Collard III - 1997
    Readers will learn about various animal dads and their many different parenting skills: baby-sitting - an emperor penguin dad watches over the eggs for nine weeks while the mother searches for food; hunting - a wolf dad leads the pack on hunting trips and brings meat for new pups to eat; giving birth - a seahorse mother's eggs hatch inside the dad's special belly pouch. Sneed Collard's concise, clear text and award-winning artist Steve Jenkins's informative cut-paper collages reveal unique tasks that animal dads perform in raising their offspring.

ABC ZooBorns!


Andrew Bleiman - 2012
    Featuring adorable animal photos, zippy text, and a fact-filled glossary, this just might be the cutest ABC book ever to hit the shelves!

The Quest Begins


Erin Hunter - 2008
    . . one destiny From the author of the nationally bestselling Warriors books comes a brand-new animal fantasy series. Three young bears from different species—black, polar, and grizzly—are separated from their families when they are just young cubs. They find themselves brought together on a perilous journey. Fate is about to change all these bears lives forever, setting their paws on a path toward a future they cannot yet imagine . . . . Book Details: Format: Hardcover Publication Date: 5/27/2008 Pages: 320 Reading Level: Age 8 and Up