Books with author Meredith Hooper

This true adventure tale of courage and survival tracks the dangerous expedition to Antarctica led by Sir Ernest Shackleton, featuring 40 full–color illustrations. Intrigued by the mysterious, vast continent at the bottom of the world, Sir Ernest Shackleton fearlessly led 27 men to explore Antarctica―but on their way to its shore, their ship Endurance was crushed by the relentless ice! The shipwrecked team braved many months stranded on an ice floe (through an Antarctic winter), facing extreme hunger, frostbite, illness, and exhaustion. But through Shackleton's heroic effort to sail in an open wooden lifeboat to the nearest inhabited land―hundreds of miles away through the treacherous ocean―everyone was eventually rescued and this amazing true story began to be told again and again. Accompanying this tale for young readers are lovely watercolor paintings that capture the beauty of the Antarctic landscape and the team's heroic determination to survive. Young readers and adults alike will also be fascinated by the maps, chronology, and further background this book provides on one of history's most extraordinary expeditions.

Until the early years of the 20th century, the vast continent of Antarctica was barely discovered. All that changed, when Scott, Shackleton, and Amundsen set out to solve the last great unsolved geographical mystery and find the South Pole. This book tells the amazing tale of their expeditions into the unknown. It is high adventure, dramatic and tense, with three contrasting characters - Scott, the traditional British hero, whose lack of preparation had tragic results; Shackleton (born in County Kildare) a more modern leader, refusing to sacrifice his men's lives to the cause; Amundsen, Norwegian and the true professional whose attention to detail saw him through. All the great themes are here - courage, hardship, agonising decisions, leadership, suffering and tragic death. This book comes with stunning photographs taken during the expeditions.

The stories and secrets of the finest tomb paintings from ancient Egypt. An Egyptian Tomb examines fragments of the remarkable wall paintings found in the tomb of Nebamun, a government official living in the Egyptian city of Thebes almost 3,500 years ago. Like the pharaohs, he wanted a beautiful tomb where his body would be kept safely after he died. Nebamun, whose job was to pay workers in grain, was neither important nor rich. Working for the government, however, he knew the right people and made the right connections. So he had a superb tomb built for his remains. Meredith Hooper describes the many details of the construction of Nebamun's tomb and its vivid, story-telling decorations. Photographs of the tomb's walls and artifacts reveal the remarkable skill of Egyptian craftsmen. Hieroglyphics describe Nebamun "enjoying himself, looking at good things." Other detailed illustrations reflect the hopes Nebamun had for his afterlife: enjoying a party with family and friends, hunting in the desert, and being with his daughter and his cat. An Egyptian Tomb features photographs of the artifacts and tomb fragments that are held in the British Museum's Egyptology collection, considered the world's finest. Children will be fascinated by the stories and secrets held in the walls of this tomb, and will appreciate Nebamun's wish for a happy afterlife.

New in paperback! Where do pebbles come from? How were they made? This book tells the story of a pebble, from its origins in a fiery volcano 480 million years ago to a busy, modern landscape. Readers follow the processes of rock formation and erosion that create new pebbles all over the world."Hooper and Coady pass on a sense of wonder for the history contained in one small pebble....Coady provides spectacular paintings, given texture, weight, and movement by the strokes of his brush." - Kirkus Reviews

This is the story of a drop of water, told by a gifted science writer and illustrated with remarkable paintings. Meredith Hooper takes us back thousands of years to see where the Earth's water came from, and how life began in the oceans and later moved onto land. She describes the water cycle, the relationship between water and living things and between water and erosion. She also discusses important environmental issues and provides a fascinating collection of water facts.

“A luscious blend of cool blues and verdant greens lights up the pages of this poetic picture book, which traces the course of a river from its source.” — Publishers WeeklyFollow a river from its beginnings as a mountain stream formed from melting snow, as it rushes over rocks and through valleys to the busy city, and finally to its end, where it joins the sea.