Keystone Plants and Fungi

Discover the Organisms Vital to Ecosystem Health and Biodiversity with Hands-On Science Activities for Kids

Every species has a role to play in an ecosystem, but some roles are more significant than others. In Keystone Plants and Fungi: Discover the Organisms Vital to Ecosystem Health and Biodiversity, young botanists examine the keystone plants that make the difference between a thriving ecosystem and one in danger of collapse. Hands-on activities and critical

Conservation Success

Protecting Wild Spaces and Species with Hands-On Science Activities for Kids

In Conservation Success: Protecting Wild Spaces and Species with Science Activities for Kids, young scientists ages 9-12 find hope and inspiration in stories about different conservation efforts around the world that individuals, scientists, organizations, and countries are involved in to protect species, habitats, and our planet. Hands-on science projects and text-to-world questions offer kids a

Microbe Adaptations

Glowing Lights, Hot Vents, and Large Numbers

Microbes are tiny organisms that live deep in the ocean, on glaciers, and even in your own body! How do they survive in all these different environments? They adapt! Microbe Adaptations: Glowing Lights, Hot Vents, and Large Numbers introduces young scientists ages 5 to 8 to different types of microbes that have developed characteristics that

Plant Adaptations

Shallow Roots, Thick Stalks, and Poison

How do plants survive in different environments? They adapt! In Plant Adaptations: Shallow Roots, Thick Stalks, and Poison, readers 5 to 8 discover some of the characteristics plants have developed to help them survive, such as cacti and their waxy coats and kidney beans and their ability to poison anything that tries to eat them raw.

Insect Adaptations

Mouthparts, Mimicry, and Flying

How do insects survive in different environments? They adapt! In Insect Adaptations: Mouthparts, Mimicry, and Flying young entomologists ages 5 to 8 explore the wild world of insect adaptations. From long legs to mimicry to flight, insects have mastered the science of adaptation through natural selection, which happens as survival traits are passed down through many

Keystone Species

Meet the Animals Key to Ecosystem Health and Biodiversity with Hands-On Science Activities for Kids

Who's keeping the ecosystem healthy? In Keystone Species: Meet the Animals Key to Ecosystem Health and Biodiversity with Hands- On Science Activities for Kids, young scientists are introduced to several different types of keystone species from around the world as they discover the crucial roles these organisms play in their ecosystems. Meet the sharks, gray wolves,

The Science of Seeds

Why We Eat Maize, Wheat, Rice, and Potatoes with Hands-On Science Activities for Kids

What's on your dinner table? You probably have some form of maize, wheat, rice, and potatoes on your plate! From London to Lagos to Los Angeles, these staple foods dominate our breakfast bowls, lunch boxes, and dinner tables. In today’s world, more than half of the calories that we consume come from maize, wheat, and rice

Antifreeze, Leaf Costumes, and Other Fabulous Fish Adaptations

When might a fancy leaf costume be useful for a fish? And how do fish in Antarctica keep from freezing? In Antifreeze, Leaf Costumes, and Other Fabulous Fish Adaptations, children ages 5 to 9 discover some of the amazing adaptations in the world of fish!

Spit Nests, Puke Power, and Other Brilliant Bird Adaptations

 Not all birds build nests with sticks and have good manners.  Some construct nests with their own saliva, while others use vomit as a defense! Sound strange? In Spit Nests, Puke Power, and Other Brilliant Bird Adaptations, curious kids ages 5 to 9 discover many of the unique adaptations of birds. Stories of these brilliant adaptations cultivate

Sunscreen, Frogsicles, and Other Amazing Amphibian Adaptations

How do sunscreen and mucus help amphibians survive? In Sunscreen, Frogsicles, and Other Amazing Amphibian Adaptations, kids ages 5 to 9 discover how one frog gets sunscreen to protect itself through the dry season and how another uses its own mucus to create a cocoon.

Water-Walking, Sidewinding, and Other Remarkable Reptile Adaptations

A lizard that walks on water? A snake that slithers sideways? These are animal adaptations! In Water-Walking, Sidewinding, and Other Remarkable Reptile Adaptations, children ages 5 to 9 learn how and why the green basilisk lizard runs on the water’s surface, along with the very good reasons sidewinder snakes move the way they do.

Stink Fights, Earwax, and Other Marvelous Mammal Adaptations

How do whales make their hearing better?  What do lemurs do to make a point during an argument? In Stink Fights, Earwax, and Other Marvelous Mammal Adaptations, children ages 5 to 9 learn how lemurs settle arguments and how earwax helps a whale’s sense of hearing, along with a host of other deliciously strange-but-true tales!  

The Human Genome

Mapping the Blueprint of Human Life

Have you ever wondered why you look the way you do? The answer lies in your human genome, the code of life. The Human Genome: Mapping the Blueprint of Human Life investigates the fascinating world of genetics and the human genome. Kids ages 12 to 15 learn the basics of how genes work, how DNA is

Inside the Human Body

What is the most complex machine on earth? The human body! With Inside the Human Body, readers ages 12 to 15 peel back the layers to take a look inside this amazing machine and learn basic anatomy—bones, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, and organs. We also explore the body’s physiology and how its organs work together

Backyard Biology

Discover the Life Cycles and Adaptations Outside Your Door with Hands-On Science Activities

This updated edition incorporates new scientific discoveries and a sharper look at the impact human actions have on the natural world! Biology is the study of life, and life is all around you! You can find life thriving in the city and in the country, teeming in ecosystems around the planet—in deserts, oceans, and even the Arctic.

Skulls and Skeletons!

With 25 Science Projects for Kids

Bones—what are they good for? Staying upright, for starters! In Skulls and Skeletons! With 25 Science Projects for Kids, readers ages 7 to 9 learn about the bones in their bodies and why we can’t live without them. Hands-on science projects, essential questions, links to primary sources, and more get kids excited about learning what’s

Biodiversity

Explore the Diversity of Life on Earth with Environmental Activities for Kids

It’s a big world out there, and it’s populated with millions of different species of plants, animals, and microorganisms! Biodiversity: Explore the Diversity of Life on Earth with Environmental Activities for Kids introduces middle school readers to the evolution of life on Earth, beginning with the first single-celled organisms that emerged 3.8 billion years ago

Evolution

How Life Adapts to a Changing Environment

Why do humans walk on two legs? Why do fish have gills? Life on Earth is incredibly diverse and part of the reason for this is evolution, or the theory that living things change with time. Evolution: How Life Adapts to a Changing Environment explores the theory of evolution, its history, how we think it

Extinction

What Happened to the Dinosaurs, Mastodons, and Dodo Birds?

Have you seen a dodo bird recently? Do you have mastodons playing in your back yard? Not likely-these species are extinct. In Earth's 4.5-billion-year history, more than 5 billion species have gone extinct, some of them at the same time. In Extinction: What Happened to the Dinosaurs, Mastodons, and Dodo Birds? readers ages 9 to

Cells

Experience Life at its Tiniest

Every living thing, from the common cold to every plant, animal, and person on Earth, is made up of cells. In Cells: Experience Life at Its Tiniest, readers ages 12 to 15 investigate these basic building blocks of life and learn how they affect our health, reproduction, criminal investigations, and agriculture!