Perfect for fans of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls and Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World.What makes a writer?  What inspires them? Where do their stories come from? Striking illustrations and a popular graphic novel format bring to life this anthology of literary legends and their childhoods. Featuring beloved authors such as Maya Angelou, C.S. Lewis, Gene Luen Yang and J.K. Rowling, these stories capture the childhood triumphs, failures, and inspirations that predated their careers. Children ages ten and up will see themselves in these humanized portraits and wonder if they, too, might have it in them to write. A celebration of creativity, this collective graphic biography is sprinkled throughout with writing wisdom and inspiring quotes.

    Using the typical contents of a child's school backpack (defined as water, food, clothing, paper, plastic, metals, electronics), this book explores those stages in detail, including lots of ways to reduce, reuse or recycle waste along the way. Children will gain new insight into the routine decisions they make about their own consuming and trashing or recycling practices. For example: How long does it take for a cotton T-shirt to decompose in a landfill? Can a bike helmet be made from recyclable materials? Which is better for the Earth, wrapping a sandwich in aluminum foil or plastic? By learning to use critical thinking skills to make informed choices, children will feel empowered by the important, constructive role they can play in the future health of the planet. Author Erica Fyvie has found a way to use everyday objects to speak directly to children's curiosity and their desire to make a difference. With infographics, short subsections, sidebars and charts, the information presented is engaging and accessible. Playful illustrations by award-winning illustrator Bill Slavin help make complex subjects easier to understand, while keeping the tone friendly. From energy to climate, innovations to sustainability, this all-encompassing look at a timely topic is the perfect go-to resource for elementary science and social studies classrooms. Includes a glossary, resources, bibliography and index.

    Fueled by unprecedented advances in technology, boundless imaginations, and an insatiable addiction to fantastic new worlds of play, the video game has gone supernova, rocketing two generations of fans into an ever-expanding universe where art, culture, reality, and emotion collide. As a testament to the cultural impact of the game industry’s mega morph, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, with curator and author Chris Melissinos, conceived the forthcoming exhibition, The Art of Video Games, which will run from March 16 to September 30, 2012.* Welcome Books will release the companion book this March. Melissinos presents video games as not just mere play, but richly textured emotional and social experiences that have crossed the boundary into culture and art.Along with a team of game developers, designers, and journalists, Melissinos chose a pool of 240 games across five different eras to represent the diversity of the game world. Criteria included visual effects, creative use of technologies, and how world events and popular culture manifested in the games. The museum then invited the public to go online to help choose the games. More than 3.7 million votes (from 175 countries) later, the eighty winners featured in The Art of Video Games exhibition and book were selected.From the Space Invaders of the seventies to sophisticated contemporary epics BioShock and Uncharted 2, Melissinos examines each of the winning games, providing a behind-the-scenes look at their development and innovation, and commentary on the relevance of each in the history of video games. Over 100 composite images, created by Patrick O’Rourke, and drawn directly from the games themselves, illustrate the evolution of video games as an artistic medium, both technologically and creatively. Additionally, The Art of Video Games includes fascinating interviews with influential artists and designers–from pioneers such as Nolan Bushnell to contemporary innovators including Warren Spector, Tim Schafer and Robin Hunicke. The foreword was written by Elizabeth Broun, director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Mike Mika, noted game preservationist and prolific developer, contributed the introduction the introduction. *After Washington D.C., the exhibition travels to several cities across the United States, including Boca Raton (Museum of Art), Seattle (EMP Museum), Yonkers, NY (Hudson River Museum) and Flint, MI (Flint Institute of Arts). For the latest confirmed dates and venues, please visit the The Art of Video Games exhibition page at http://americanart.si.edu/taovg

    . . there aren't many titles that haven’t been bestowed on LEGO toys, and it’s not hard to see why. From its inception in the early 1930s right up until today, the LEGO Group’s history is as colorful as the toys it makes. Few other playthings share the LEGO brand’s creative spirit, educative benefits, resilience, quality, and universal appeal. The LEGO name is now synonymous with playtime, but it wasn’t always so. This history charts the birth of the LEGO Group in the workshop of a Danish carpenter and its steady growth as a small, family-run toy manufacturer to its current position as a market-leading, award-winning brand. The company’s ever-increasing catalogof products—including the earliest wooden toys, plastic bricks, play themes, and other building systems such as DUPLO, Technic, and MINDSTORMS—are chronicled in detail, alongside the manufacturing process, LEGOLAND parks, licensed toys, and computer games. Learn all about how LEGO pulled itself out of an economic crisis and embraced technology to make building blocks relevant to twenty-first-century children and discover the vibrant fan community of kids and adults whose conventions, websites, and artwork keep the LEGO spirit alive. As nostalgic as it is contemporary, A Million Little Bricks will have you reminiscing about old Classic Space sets, rummaging through the attic for forgotten Minifigure friends, and playing with whatever LEGO bricks you can get your hands on (even if it means sharing with your kids).

    Sasha shares all her secrets for creating and wearing her braided looks, including how to prep your hair, master traditional techniques, and enhance your look with fun accessories. Whether you're looking for a chic braid for your next shopping trip or a hairstyle that will really impress your date, this guide gives you plenty of gorgeous options for both day and night.Complete with step-by-step photographs so that you can get the perfect look every time, DIY Braids will have you saying goodbye to your hairdresser--and hello to fashion-forward braids at home in no time!

     Born into slavery in 1862, Ida Bell Wells was freed as a result of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865. Yet she could see just how unjust the world she was living in was. This drove her to become a journalist and activist. Throughout her life, she fought against prejudice and for equality for African Americans. Ida B. Wells would go on to co-own a newspaper, write several books, help cofound the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and fight for women's right to vote.

    With a little Hogwarts creativity and the step-by-step guidance of this spellbinding book, you'll be able to transfigurate simple supplies and things around the house into everything from Remembrall Rings to Butterbeer Lip Balm to Nargles for your front lawn. You'll be as busy as Mrs. Weasley knitting her Christmas sweaters as you dive into dozens of Potterific projects. Relive the excitement of Harry's adventures with these genius crafts. Drop some homemade Pgymy Puff Bath Fizzies into the tub and pretend you're Moaning Myrtle. Keep memories of the Quidditch pitch close with your very own Golden Snitch Necklace. Or show off the Sorting Hat's selection with a House Colors Tie-Dye Shirt. Accio, crafting supplies--it's time for some wonderful wizardly fun!

    Now George tells the rest of the story.

    The New Braiding Handbook offers you an impressive array of easy-to-re-create, beautiful, and versatile looks that are as appropriate for elegant formal events as they are practical for casual, everyday wear. With step-by-step photos and detailed instructions for creating trendy knots, chic twists, and playful plaits, The New Braiding Handbook teaches imaginative and intricate hairstyling like you've never seen before. Fifty looks to choose from guarantee a braid for every occasion (or no occasion at all). Along with amazing styles and easy-to-follow tutorials, there are also tons of tips for eliminating split ends, bulking up limp locks, growing out a short ’do, and getting a full, healthy, shiny head of hair straight from the pages of a magazine.

    Remember what a wild frontier the early days of home gaming were? Manufacturers releasing new consoles at a breakneck pace; developers creating games that kept us up all night, then going bankrupt the next day; and what self-respecting kid didn't beg their parents for an Atari or a Nintendo? This explosion of computers, consoles, and games was genuinely unlike anything the tech world has seen before or since.This thoroughly researched and geeky trip down memory lane pulls together the most entertaining stories from this dynamic era, and brings you the classic tech that should never be forgotten.

    This Dossier contains:- Top secret information- Schematics- Documents vital to the rebel causeWe have received reports that an Imperial weapons test of some kind is imminent.We must act now to stop the Empire.Our only hope may lie with a small band of Rebel Spies.

    Provides information and advice concerning the physical, psychological, and behavioral changes associated with puberty.

    Hunter asked members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "How often do we think of the Savior? How deeply and gratefully and how adoringly do we reflect on his life? How central to our lives do we know him to be?"    Living a more Christlike life has long been a theme of President Hunter's messages to the Saints. That We Might Have Joy presents thirty-two of these messages, each expressing his testimony that "Christ's way is not only the right way, but ultimately the only way to hope and joy."    The book is arranged in four parts"Making Christ Our Exemplar," "A Plea for Unity," "Facing Trials and Tribulations," and "Becoming Disciples of Christ." Each chapter within these sections draws from the scriptures an important message illustrating how using the Savior's life and teachings as our guide can lead to greater peace of mind and joy.    President Hunter summarizes well this theme in his talk entitled "Facing Trials and Tribulations": "Our task is to have the gospel in our lives and to be a bright light, a city set on a hill, that reflects the beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the joy and happiness that will always come to every people in every age who keep the commandments."

    Get in the spooky spirit with this guide to your best Halloween yet! With this collection of 23 Halloween Crafts for Kids: Homemade Halloween Costume Ideas and Spooky Décor, you can:•Design frightfully fun homemade Halloween costumes•Share laughs with your little ones as you make kids’ Halloween crafts•Create homemade Halloween decorations to make your home spook-tacularAnd so much more! This is your year to be the most festive haunted house on the block, so grab this eBook and start preparing for a bewitching Halloween.

    In other words she spends her days relishing in the beautiful, constant noise that is a life with children.In Mom Babble Mary Katherine (MK) Backstrom, founder and personality behind the Mom Babble online community, offers up hope, humor, and spiritual inspiration to families in the trenches of parenthood. With laughter, crying, and eye-rolls MK's, oh so, real essays about raising littles will delight all the not perfect, not always holy, not completely normal, messy, honest and wonderful moms that read them. MK's conversational approach connects with readers like dear friends cozied up on a coffee date.Praise for Mary Katherine Backstrom"I love how honest and relatable Mary Katherine is in her writing. When an author is raw, it is easy to make a connection to their work."- Meredith Masony, Founder of That's Inappropriate"One of Facebook's funniest parents!" - Today Show Parenting Team"Mary Katherine brings love, wisdom, compassion, humor, and insight to her writing that is a must read for every parent." - Love What Matters"I have probably read more parenting essays than anyone on the planet, and Mary Katherine's voice still surprises me. I laugh out loud, cry, and recall the magic of being a mother in those fresh early years. She is a friend to the struggling moms in the trenches of motherhood." - Jill Smokler, Founder of Scary Mommy and New York Times Best-selling author"Thank you for cracking us up." - Today with Hoda & JennaProduct Features:Features funny and relatable personal essays. Expands on Backstrom's already popular Mom Babble community posts and stories. Includes a forward by Meredith Masony, founder of That's Inappropriate and That's Inappropriate Parents online communities with nearly 1 million followers across multiple channels. 4-color photographs throughout. Grain embossed hardcover with ribbon.