. . We live in all kinds of places. In all kinds of homes. In all kinds of families. Each of us is different. But all of us are amazing. And, together, we share one beautiful planet. This masterful and moving picture book is a visually comprehensive guide to the earth, imbued with warmth and humor. • Ideal for children ages 3 to 5 years old• Resonates year-round as a go-to gift for birthdays, holidays, and more• A great pick for teachers looking for a crowd-pleasing picture book about the world for little students• Perfect for parents, grandparents, and caregivers• Add it to the shelf with books like The Travel Book by Lonely Planet Kids, Atlas of Adventures by Rachel Williams, and If You Lived Here: Houses of the World by Giles Laroche.

    Each object is plotted on a detailed, easy-to-use star map, and most of these sights can be found even in a light-polluted sky. Also included are four seasonal all-sky charts that help locate each highlight. You don't need fancy or expensive equipment to enjoy the wonders of the night sky. In fact, as even experienced star gazers know, to go beyond the naked-eye sky and delve deep into the universe, all you need are binoculars ? even the ones hanging unused in your closet. If you don't own any, Binocular Highlights explains what to look for when choosing binoculars for star gazing and provides observing tips for users of these portable and versatile mini-telescopes. Sprial-bound with readable paper spine, full color throughout.

    Starbright is a collection of the stories Garth created as her child grew older. These innovative meditations are simple visualizations parents and teachers can read to their children to help them sleep, develop concentration, awaken creativity, and learn to quiet themselves."Unfortunately, a lot of children have trouble learning these techniques by the time they are seven or eight," writes Garth. "Relaxation and visualization, if taught at an earlier age, could enhance not only children's school work but other areas of their lives. Their concentration would improve; their artistic abilities would develop; they would feel more centered; their daydreaming could not only bring joy, but be constructive."In her engaging, warm, and personal style, Garth teaches parents how to help their children relax, concentrate, and develop artistic and mental abilities, as well as enjoy a good night's sleep.

    But in every corner of the world this age-old custom is rapidly changing. From increased trade between countries to the expansion of global food corporations like Kraft and Nestlé, current events are having a tremendous impact on our eating habits. Chances are your supermarket is stocking a variety of international foods, and American fast food chains like McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken are popping up all over the planet. For the first time in history, more people are overfed than underfed. And while some people still have barely enough to eat, others overeat to the point of illness. To find out how mealtime is changing in real homes, authors Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio visited families around the world to observe and photograph what they eat during the course of one week. They joined parents while they shopped at mega grocery stores and outdoor markets, and participated in a feast where a single goat was shared among many families. They watched moms making dinner in kitchens and over cooking fires, and they sat down to eat with twenty-five families in twenty-one countries--if you’re keeping track, that’s about 525 meals! The foods dished up ranged from hunted seal and spit-roasted guinea pig to U.N.-rationed grains and gallons of Coca-Cola. As Peter and Faith ate and talked with families, they learned firsthand about food consumption around the world and its corresponding causes and effects. The resulting family portraits offer a fascinating glimpse into the cultural similarities and differences served on dinner plates around the globe.

      Young Stella loves books so much, her books begin to take over the farmhouse. “Why, Stell, you need your own library to hold those books,” her pa tells her, so he and the neighbors build her one! She calls it “the Mermaid’s Purse,” since the midwife said Stella was born in one. Stella opens the Purse to her neighbors and travels around the countryside, sharing her books door-to-door. Not everyone gives them a chance at first, like grouchy Pig Ears Lonsberry. But farmer Dunkle sure changes his mind when information in a book saves his sick sheep. Eventually, everybody comes to love the Mermaid’s Purse—so when a tornado destroys it, scattering Stella’s precious books far and wide, the whole community rallies to help.

    As in his previous books, Redwoods, Coral Reefs, and Island, Jason Chin has taken a complex subject and made it brilliantly accessible to young readers in this unusual, innovative, and very beautiful book. A Neal Porter Book

    At a time when studios wanted to hire men and think in black and white, Mary painted twinkling emerald skies, peach giraffes with tangerine spots, and magenta horses that could fly.

    Everyone needs to know where to put an apostrophe to make a word plural or possessive (Are those sticky things your brother's or your brothers?) and leaving one out of a contraction can give someone the completely wrong impression (Were here to help you).Full of silly scenes that show how apostrophes make a difference, too, this is another picture book that will elicit bales of laughter and better punctuation from all who read it. A New York Times Bestseller Parents' Choice Silver Honor Winner

    Aspiring spies can get a head start into the world of becoming a private-eye or investigator. From chaos to counter-intelligence, secret messages to gadgets and every other spy thing in between, the Big Book of Spy Stuff opens the "top secret" file on the world of sabotage and espionage with humor and amazement.

    For each word, there is a poem, a quote, a personal anecdote from the authors, and a "try it" prompt for an activity.

    Text and photographs of Plimoth Plantation follow a pilgrim girl through a typical day as she milks the goats, cooks and serves meals, learns her letters, and adjusts to her new stepfather.

    Follow along as they learn about bedding and bowls, treats and training, walks and washing--and even an unexpected dog show! Factual notes run alongside the simple story, offering tips that will help turn tentative dog adopters into doting experts.

    Young readers will identify with fire engines, tractors and monster trucks as the vehicles ask for one more story while their mommy trucks tuck them in, and their daddy trucks sing a goodnight song. Children who can't get enough of trucks will love Brianna Caplan Sayres things-that-go bedtime story.

    Until . . . a mighty BOOM!The Big Bang, the formation of the planets, and the origins of life on Earth are made accessible and fascinating in a poetic, jazzy, free-flowing exploration of space, the solar system, and how we all got here. With its rhythmic, and engaging style, this book is a unique and captivating approach to science and STEM topics that will have kids asking to read it again and again--while learning lessons and concepts that really stick.Parents and teachers will love it too (and will likely learn something!) as their young ones read about our solar system's origins in an inviting, fresh, yet factual format. With art that calls to mind the era of the space race, the book is everything you need: hip, fun, engaging nonfiction for today's young scientists.

    Is that the mast of a shipwreck? A faded pirate hat? And what's that hiding in the sand? A mandible and a clavicle, phalanges and femurs, a tibia and a fibula -- could there be a set of bones scattered across the ocean floor? And who might they belong to? A jaunty rhyme takes readers on an underwater scavenger hunt as a comical skeleton tries to put itself back together piece by piece. Make no bones about it: this rollicking read-aloud will have young ones learning anatomy without even realizing it.