Lex Cornell is a graduate of The Center for Cartoon Studies. She lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Website: lexcornell.com
A deep dive into the science and methodology of anthropology! What makes us human? Is it language? Technology? Arts? Medicine? Yes―all of those! In Anthropology: The Science of Being Human, young anthropologists explore several kinds of anthropology, including biological anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. Each of these fields includes significant items and events that show moments in time when the human race adapted to a changing world in a way that exemplifies the human...
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What element is found in all known forms of life? Carbon! Scientists call carbon the chemical backbone of life on Earth. That’s because without carbon, there’d be no humans, animals, plants, microbes, or any other kind of life. In The Carbon Cycle: Track the Path of Life’s Essential Element, young scientists explore how the first life forms that evolved on our planet consumed carbon and now, 4 billion years later, carbon is still the building...
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How do we build skyscrapers? How did ancient people build pyramids? Why are gears an essential part of motors? In Engineering: How the Six Simple Machines Support the World, young engineers learn how mechanical, structural, civil, and other types of engineering are based on the six simple machines that humans have been using for thousands of years. The screw, pulley, wedge, wheel and axle, inclined plane, and lever are used to build roads, skyscrapers, bridges,...
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How do we make sure every species on the planet has a chance to thrive? In Conservation Success: Protecting Wild Spaces and Species with Hands-on Science Activities for Kids, young scientists ages 9-12 discover different conservation efforts around the world. Learn about the individuals, scientists, organizations, and countries involved in protecting species, habitats, and our planet! From returning lynx to the Colorado high country and recovering the population of California condors to turning poachers into...
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Microbes—how do these tiny organisms survive in wildly different environments? They adapt! Microbe Adaptations: Glowing Lights, Hot Vents, and Large Numbers introduces young microbiologists to different types of microbes that have developed characteristics to help them survive and thrive! From the bacteria that gather on anglerfish and produce light to the thermophiles that thrive near deep-sea hydrothermal vents, microbes have developed amazing adaptations to stay alive even under some harsh conditions. How? Through natural selection,...
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How do plants survive in different environments? Plant Adaptations: Shallow Roots, Thick Stalks, and Poison introduces young botanists to some of the characteristics plants have developed to help them survive. From the saguaro cactus with its waxy coat to kidney beans and their ability to poison anything that tries to eat them raw, plant adaptations are fun and fascinating! How do wild plants adapt? Through natural selection! Survival traits are passed down through many generations....
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Insects are masters of adaptation! In Insect Adaptations: Mouthparts, Mimicry, and Flying, young entomologists discover the wild world of insect adaptations. Grasshoppers bound on their long, springlike legs to escape predators in the tall grass. The giant swallowtail caterpillar avoids being eaten by looking like poop. But stick insects blend in with their surroundings so no one even sees them! How do insects adapt in the first place? Through natural selection, which happens as survival...
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All aboard for a journey around the world’s water biomes, where we’ll find lots of plant and animal life in this nonfiction picture book! In Aquatic Adventures: Biome Explorers, kids 5 to 8 embark on a voyage to Earth’s largest biome—water! Our voyage takes us down the mighty Mississippi River to the Mississippi Delta, to the Caribbean, and then out to open ocean. Muck around on the riverbanks, wade into the ocean, and snorkel around...
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Grab a coat to take a trip to the vast, treeless, mostly frozen tundra biome in this nonfiction picture book! In Tour the Tundra: Biome Explorers, science adventurers ages 5 to 8 visit the Arctic, the Antarctic, and alpine tundra. In these beautiful, remote places, we observe migrating animals, waddle like a penguin, and witness wildflowers in bloom in the mountains above the tree line. Plus, we learn about the impact of human activity on...
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Gear up to tour the world’s forest biomes with trees large and small, creatures short and tall in this nonfiction picture book! In Footsteps in the Forests: Biome Explorers, kids 5 to 8 take a walk on a rain forest canopy walkway, sit quietly to observe temperate forest wildlife, and bundle up to visit a chilly boreal forest. There are more than 3 trillion trees on Planet Earth, so we’ve got lots of exploring to...
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Embark on a journey of the planet’s grassland biomes with this brightly illustrated nonfiction picture book! Hello biome explorers! Let’s take a trip to the grasslands! These are wide open spaces of grasses, grazing animals, and swooping birds. In Grassland Globetrotting: Biome Explorers, adventurous readers ages 5 to 8 journey to temperate grasslands and tropical savannas. Be on the lookout for bison and prairie dogs, wildebeests and giraffes! Kids are also introduced to the hardy...
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Slather on the sunscreen and get ready to journey to the desert biomes of the world in this nonfiction picture book! In Destination Desert: Biome Explorers, kid scientists make the trek to four different types of deserts around the world—a hot and dry desert, a semi-arid desert, a coastal desert, and a cold desert. In each place, explorers discover the adaptations plants and animals such as cacti, shrubs, camels, ibex, and lizards have made to...
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Why are you able to jump higher from a trampoline than from the ground? What forces are at work when you do an ollie on a skateboard? The answer is: physics! In The Physics of Fun, kids ages 12 to 15 explore the science behind awesome activities that kids love. From Newton’s laws of motion to the behavior of electrons, the science of physics is an integral part of any amusement park, play center, video...
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What exactly is the universe? How did it begin? How will it end? Explore these questions and more in The Universe: The Big Bang, Black Holes, and Blue Whales. Readers ages 12 to 15 embark on an exciting journey that starts with the Big Bang and takes them all the way to the end of the universe, with many exciting stops in between. Take a look billions of years into the past and discover the...
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Updated edition includes the latest scientific research and problem-solving strategies in climate science! In Climate Change: The Science Behind Melting Glaciers and Warming Oceans with Hands-On Science Activities, readers ages 9 to 12 take a deep dive into the science behind the changing climate in order to best contribute to the methods underway to solve the problem of a rapidly changing planet—and think up new solutions! This book is rich in hands-on science and critical-creative...
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Titles in this set include: Big Data: Information in the Digital World with Science Activities for Kids, Artificial Intelligence: Thinking Machines and Smart Robots with Science Activities for Kids, Projectile Science: The Physics Behind Kicking a Field Goal and Launching a Rocket with Science Activities for Kids, Industrial Design:Why Smartphones Aren't Round and Other Mysteries with Science Activities for Kids. Guided reading levels for this set are all Z to Z+
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Did you know that minerals were necessary for the beginning of life? Or that geothermal power could provide all the energy the world needs? How much do you really know about the world beneath your feet? Rocks and Minerals: Get the Dirt on Geology offers a glimpse under the surface of the earth and explores the forces that have shaped—and continue to shape—our world. Readers ages 12 to 15 learn how the earth transformed from...
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What does it mean to think of gender as being a range instead of simply male or female? Gender Identity: Beyond Pronouns and Bathrooms invites readers to consider the cultural significance of gender identity in the United States and beyond. Middle and high schoolers learn about the history of LGBT rights, with a particular focus on transgender rights and the rights of gender-variant people, while engaging in research activities to help put what they have learned...
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Why are women treated differently from men? What is feminism? Why is this movement such an important part of the history of civic rights, and why is it still important today? Feminism: The March Toward Equal Rights for Women invites middle and high schoolers to examine the different stages of the feminist movement, from early mentions in history through the suffragettes’ fight for the vote to today’s evidence of feminism in the struggle for equal pay...
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Have you watched videos online today? Did you post photographs on social media? Did you upload your English essay to Google docs? All of these are questions about data! In Big Data: Information in the Digital World with Science Activities for Kids, readers ages 10 to 15 explore the definition of data and learn how essential it is to our everyday lives. They learn about the history of data, the transition from paper to computers,...
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What is artificial intelligence? How is artificial intelligence going to change our lives? In Artificial Intelligence: Thinking Machines and Smart Robots with Science Activities for Kids, readers ages 10 to 15 learn how machines develop into thinking, learning devices that can help humans perform tasks, make decisions, and work more efficiently. They can even help us have fun! Through a combination of hands-on science activities and student-paced learning, readers discover the AI machines of yesterday and...
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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 works, examples of creatures who have evolved in response to specific circumstances, and what this might mean for the future...
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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! Readers learn the science behind how cell science is being used for food production, cures for disease, and the criminal justice system. Uses an...
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In Bioengineering: Discover How Nature Inspires Human Designs, readers ages 9-12 explore the engineering and innovation that come from the natural world around us and use their own interactions with nature to inspire new designs. Introduces bioengineering, which combines life sciences and engineering to inspire scientific discovery and the invention of new technologies. Includes recent relevant topics in the news while providing a historical perspective of previous scientific discoveries. Promotes a sense of responsibility for...
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Did you know that your brain has up to 100 billion nerve cells? Wow! What else is going on in your body? In The Human Body: Get Under the Skin with Science Activities for Kids, middle schoolers learn about the different bodily systems that keep people breathing, moving, thinking, and staying healthy! Kids get a good look at all the action that's going on right inside their own bodies, from understanding just how that apple...
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