STEM

From New York Times best-selling author Jonathan Balcombe comes this charming and affecting tale of young Jake, who on his first fishing trip with his grandfather, makes a crucial discovery when he meets Ava, an archerfish, caught on his line.

Learn about the astonishing engineering feats that animals accomplish when building their habitats. This creative approach puts readers inside a squirrel's nest, beaver dam, and more.

This book is a fun and creative way for kids to learn the basics of animal habitats. Several beautifully illustrated scenarios are presented where the reader has to imagine what it would be like to live in the way that animal lives. From tree squirrels and mount termites, to alligators and pack rats, readers learn all about these animals' habitats and then compare them to how we live. Backmatter includes a glossary and a STEM challenge activity to use at home or in the classroom.

How do you survive when danger is near and you are rooted in the ground? Plants use their defenses and fight back!

As readers turn the pages of this beautifully illustrated book, they will find fun and poetic language describing various situation where different plants find themselves under attack. This is followed by informative, science-based lessons about these plants and their survival methods. Backmatter includes a glossary and a STEM challenge activity to use at home or in the classroom.

Backmatter Includes:

• Explore More for Kids: photos and information about the plants and animals in this book.

• Explore More for Teachers & Parents: STEAM connections!

2020 Mathical Book Honor Book

Two is not a lot of pennies, but it is a lot of smelly skunks. Ten is not a lot of popcorn pieces, but it is a lot of chomping dinosaurs. One thousand is not a lot of grains of sand, but it is a lot of hot air balloons!

While Joey’s mom explains the context of numbers in vivid ways, Joey’s imagination transforms their ordinary car ride into a magical odyssey through a land of make-believe.  

Is Two a Lot? is a wonderfully charming and authentic exchange between mother and child. Annie Watson’s story makes numbers tangible, and Rebecca Evans’s illustrations bring them to life.

2020 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award gold winner
2020 Children’s Choices reading list

Math, science, sports, and games come together to delight young readers in a fanciful look at what would happen if kids played games with animals. Would they win a pie-eating contest with a hippo, a wrestling match with an anaconda, or a game of tag with a porcupine? Win or lose, the competitions are hilarious as twelve different animals display their amazing natural abilities. "Fun Facts and Fascinating Feats" complement the fast-paced storyline. Parents and teachers will appreciate the literacy and STEM activities in the back of the book.

Kirkus Star
2019 Junior Library Guild Gold Selection

More than two centuries before Einstein, using a crude telescope and a mechanical timepiece, Dutch astronomer Ole Romer measured the speed of light with astounding accuracy. How was he able to do this when most scientists didn’t even believe that light traveled?