Books with author Ellen Lawrence

Perhaps you take the bus to school or ride in the car. But imagine traveling to school on your family's donkey cart or paddling to school along a jungle river in a canoe! How We Get Around explores the many different ways in which people travel during their everyday lives. From high-speed bullet trains in Japan to snowmobiles in Alaska, we're all on the move in dozens of different ways.

Beneath our feet extreme pressure and heat inside Earth's crust is constantly forming new, super-hard rock. Inside this book, readers will find a clear, accessible, step-by-step explanation of how igneous and sedimentary rocks can undergo incredible transformations to become a new type of rock called metamorphic rock. Readers will investigate the properties of metamorphic rocks and explore how these rocks have been used to create buildings and beautiful statues for centuries. Filled with information perfectly suited to the abilities and interests of an early elementary audience, this colorful, fact-filled volume gives readers a chance not only to learn, but also to develop their powers of observation and critical thinking. From stunning photographs to high-interest facts about metamorphic rocks, this book makes learning about Earth's geology a lively, engaging experience.

Did you know that Venus shines so brightly in the night sky that sometimes it actually casts shadows here on Earth? Or that a single day on Venus lasts as long as 243 days on Earth? Or that Venus is so hot that even robots can't survive on its scorching surface? These and dozens of other fascinating facts provide a perfect high-interest introduction to the most deadly planet in the solar system, Venus. Filled with information perfectly suited to a second-grade audience, this accessible, high-impact book combines solid science, technology, and even math with up-to-the-minute information, odd and often quirky facts, and astounding space photography. It also provides plenty of surprises and teachable moments that will draw young children into a rewarding, kid-friendly reading experience.

Some of the rocks we see around us are millions of years old. Rocks don't stay the same forever, though. Rocks are changing and becoming new rocks all the time. Inside this book, readers will follow a clear, accessible, step-by-step journey through Earth's rock cycle. They will find out how igneous rock forms from magma following a volcanic eruption. Then they will explore how the igneous rock is eroded by rain to become sediment that eventually forms new sedimentary rock. When Earth's crust moves, the sedimentary rock is crushed, baked, and transformed into metamorphic rock deep underground. Finally, completing the cycle, the metamorphic rock is heated and melted to once again become magma. Filled with information perfectly suited to the abilities and interests of an early elementary audience, this colorful, fact-filled volume gives readers a chance not only to learn, but also to develop their powers of observation and critical thinking. From stunning photographs to high-interest facts, this book makes learning about Earth's ever-changing rocks a lively, engaging experience.

It’s early dawn in a swamp. A large snake has spent the night hunting for fish and frogs in the ponds and streams. The snake is a cottonmouth—the only venomous water snake in the United States! It swims to the shore and slithers onto the land. When daylight breaks, the snake basks on a log, soaking up the sun’s warmth to heat its body. Filled with information perfectly suited to the abilities and interests of its primary-grade audience, this colorful, fact-filled book gives readers a chance not only to learn all about cottonmouth snakes and their swamp habitat, but also to develop their powers of observation and critical thinking. Built-in activities, such as guessing how the snake got its name and comparing the physical characteristics of adult and young snakes, give readers a chance to gain insights beyond the facts and figures.

The sun is rising over the Amazon rain forest. A giant otter slides down a muddy bank into a river. Splash! Within seconds, the otter’s sleek head bursts back out of the water. In its jaws is a large fish. The speedy predator grabs its prey with its front paws and munches on its breakfast. Filled with information perfectly suited to the abilities and interests of its primary-grade audience, this colorful, fact-filled book gives readers a chance to learn about the lives of these skillful hunters. The book will also help readers develop their powers of observation and challenge them with activities and critical-thinking questions about the otter’s physical characteristics, its everyday life, and its hunting abilities.

How hot is a bolt of lightning as it flashes across the sky? Are the deep booms and rumbles of thunder really made by air? Are there different kinds of lightning? And how can there be electricity inside a cloud? Young readers will find out as they learn all about lightning and the heavy, dark thunderclouds it comes from. Filled with information perfectly suited to the abilities and interests of an early elementary audience, this colorful, fact-filled title gives readers a chance not only to learn, but also to develop their powers of observation and critical thinking. With its stunning photographs and surprising, high-interest facts, the book makes learning about this dramatic weather phenomenon a lively and engaging experience.

Seven Pillars of Wisdom is a biographical account of his experiences during the Arab Revolt of 1916–18, when Lawrence was based in Wadi Rum (now a part of Jordan) as a member of the British Forces of North Africa. With the support of Emir Faisal and his tribesmen, he helped organise and carry out attacks on the Ottoman forces from Aqaba in the south to Damascus in the north. Many sites inside the Wadi Rum area have been named after Lawrence to attract tourists, although there is little or no evidence connecting him to any of these places, including the rock formations near the entrance now known as "The Seven Pillars".

You're splashing around in the ocean on a hot day when you accidentally swallow a mouthful of salty seawater. Yuck! The water that comes out of a faucet doesn't taste salty. If you catch raindrops on your tongue, they don't taste of salt either. So what makes seawater taste salty? Readers will discover how tiny particles of salt from rocks on land are carried into Earth's oceans by rivers, and washed into the sea by ocean waves. They'll also learn the answers to these questions: Why is the ocean salty and rivers are not? How do underwater volcanoes help make oceans salty? Why is it unsafe to drink salt water? And how is the salt that we use to flavor our food taken from the sea? Filled with information perfectly suited to the abilities and interests of an early elementary audience, this colorful, fact-filled volume gives readers a chance not only to learn, but also to develop their powers of observation and critical thinking. With its stunning photographs and surprising and high-interest facts, this book makes learning about water an engaging experience

Did you know that Mars has two moons and that they both look like lumpy baked potatoes? Or that Mars has a giant volcano that is 17 miles (27 km) tall, which is big enough to completely cover Arizona here on Earth? These and dozens of other fascinating facts provide a perfect high-interest introduction to the planet that is covered by rusty, red dust, Mars. This accessible, high-impact book combines solid science, technology, and even math with up-to-the-minute information, odd and often quirky facts, and astounding space photography. It also provides plenty of surprises and teachable moments that will draw young children into a rewarding, kid-friendly reading experience.