Books in Step Into Science series

Have you heard that the Moon is made of green cheese? Or that the appearance of the full moon can turn you into a wolf? And how about that Man on the Moon? If you believe any of these old Moon myths, then you need to get your facts straight—straight from a Moonstruck cat and his firefly pal, that is. These two characters have the real facts, and they’re just as intriguing: Why does the Moon seem to change shape? What is it made of? Who were the men on the Moon, and what did they find there? Let this fun-loving feline and his bright friend show you around huge lunar craters, Moon dust, rocks, and footprints, and give you the solar system’s best view of planet Earth. Take the challenge—Jump Into Science today and let this astronomically knowledgeable duo fly you to the Moon tonight.National Geographic supports K-12 educators with ELA Common Core Resources.Visit www.natgeoed.org/commoncore for more information.

History records the Aztecs and Maya as bloodthirsty warriors and priests who committed brutal acts of human sacrifice, yet this is not the whole story. Ancient Mesoamericans also formed close-knit family groups, made beautiful masks from jade and built breathtaking pyramids that are still standing today. In this book a variety of easy-to-make projects enable you to recreate the past. Build a Maya house or a pyramid temple, eat Aztec-style tortillas, wear a bat brooch, and enjoy the Mesoamerican board game of patolli! Step back in time to Central America before the Spanish conquest and discover fascinating facts about the peoples who lived there. Explore the cultures and beliefs of the Olmecs, Maya, Toltecs and Aztecs, the great cities they constructed, their astronomical knowledge, their use of medicine, and their insatiable drive for human sacrifice. 15 step-by-step projects actively involve the young reader in bringing the past to life - use a fan fit for an emperor, make a Maya backstrap loom, wear a mosaic mask, and create the amazing Aztec sun stone. More than 450 photographs and illustrations include diagrams, historical maps and a pictorial timeline; ideal for home or school use for 8- to 12-year-olds.

Jump in and get up close to honey bees to learn all about what they are, how hard they work, and the important tasks they perform during their life cycle. Adorable illustrations and kid-friendly text make complex science fun and easy to understand. Every Jump Into Science book ends with a hands-on experiment to fully engage readers and extra material to stimulate further learning.

Earle takes children on an undersea journey to explore an amazing "underwater city." She explains the formation of coral reefs and provides information about the conditions needed for survival. In addition, the author introduces other animals that live in and near the reef and stresses the importance of protecting corals from pollution. Matthews's ink-and-gouache paintings bring the colors and variety of this habitat to life. The book also includes a simple experiment that demonstrates how "filter feeders" strain food from the water.

The Jump Into Science book, Babies, looks at what babies can and can't do, their development, growth, and more. It follows a newborn home from the hospital under the watchful gaze of his older sister. As she learns, we learn. How fast do babies grow? What do they eat? How do we take care of them? Readers will learn amazing baby facts, such as: Newborns can see only in black-and-white. They taste only sweet, bitter, and sour, but they like sweet best. And, if you kept growing at the rate that babies grow when they're first born, you'd weigh more than a thousand pounds by the time you were five! Understanding what's going on with a baby's development will help older siblings look beyond the cooing and the crying. Kids will find out that babies like to imitate and that they learn through imitation. A do-it-yourself activity at the end of the book let's kids be a baby scientist by trying to get a baby to respond to simple gestures and then by recording those observations on a chart. Kids will be surprised to learn that peek-a-boo is an educational game for a baby! And they'll see why babies aren't ready for solid food or for walking or talking until they're a little older. The Babies artwork is charming and funny and clearly directed toward an older sibling in the 4-8 age group. It follows one family's baby antics - midnight feedings, trying to guess what the crying baby wants - but it also shows babies of every type and description at the hospital, at the park, and in multiple groups from twins to septuplets!