Books published by publisher Millbrook Press (Tm)

A Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor Book A Green Earth Book Award Winner This up-close look at a fascinating scientific discovery highlights the critical role predators such as sea otters play in keeping ecosystems healthy. In Elkhorn Slough, an inlet on the California coast, seagrass grows healthy and strong in the shallow water. This healthy seagrass baffled marine biologist Brent Hughes. The scientist expected this estuary to be overrun with algae, causing the seagrass to die. Why was the seagrass thriving? As Brent investigated, signs pointed to an unexpected player helping to keep the seagrass healthy: sea otters! What do these top predators have to do with an aquatic grass at the opposite end of the food chain? Brent's amazing discovery gave scientists insight into the delicate balance of ecosystems. Follow science in action as Brent conducts the research that led to this major discovery.

Brr! It'-s starting to get chilly! Find out how weather changes during fall. See how people and animals get ready for cooler temperatures. Let's grab our coats and mittens! What happens in fall? Find out in the Fall's Here! series, part of the Cloverleaf Books™ collection. These nonfiction picture books feature kid-friendly text and illustrations to make learning fun!

Enslaved African Americans longed for freedom, and that longing took many forms―including music. Drawing on biblical imagery, slave songs both expressed the sorrow of life in bondage and offered a rallying cry for the spirit. Like a Bird brings together text, music, and illustrations by Coretta Scott King Award–winning illustrator Michele Wood to convey the rich meaning behind thirteen of these powerful songs.

Sophie can't wait to share some great news with her friend Jacob! But she's so excited that she doesn't notice he has something to tell her too. When Sophie accidentally misses out on Jacob's important news, she realizes she wasn't really thinking of others in her excitement. Find out how Sophie learns about empathy as she tries to consider others' feelings.

In this fun-filled book, playful puns and comical cartoon cats combine to show, not tell, readers what prepositions are all about. Each preposition in the text, like under, over, by the clover, about, throughout, and next to Rover, is highlighted in color for easy identification. This is the newest addition to the Words Are CATagorical series, which has sold more than 450,000 copies.

Meet Alice. She's a dragon! She breathes fire as she flies overhead. She likes her humans crispy! But don't worry. Alice isn't real. She's one of the monsters you meet in stories. She just wants to tell you about dragons. Find out where dragons store their treasure. Learn about dragons' special powers. And meet different kinds of dragons from around the world. You'll have a sizzling good time with this monster buddy!

What is a haiku? It sounds like a sneeze. And isn't a lantern a light source? Actually, they are two types of ancient Japanese poetry. Award-winning author Brian P. Cleary explains how each form works—and shows how these little poems can contain big surprises! If It Rains Pancakes is packed with poems to make you chuckle, puzzle, and ponder. And when you’ve finished reading, you can try your hand at writing your own haiku and lanterns!

The audience was completely silent the first time Billie Holiday performed a song called "Strange Fruit." In the 1930s, Billie was known as a performer of jazz and blues music, but this song wasn't either of those things. It was a song about injustice, and it would change her life forever.Discover how two outsiders—Billie Holiday, a young black woman raised in poverty, and Abel Meeropol, the son of Jewish immigrants—combined their talents to create a song that challenged racism and paved the way for the Civil Rights movement.

Some farms grow vegetables or grains, and some raise cows, sheep, chickens, or pigs. But have you ever heard of a butterfly farm? How do you raise a butterfly? On a farm in Costa Rica, workers care for these delicate, winged creatures as they change from eggs to caterpillars to pupae. Like any other crop, the butterflies will eventually leave the farm. But where will they go? And just how do you ship a butterfly? Very carefully! To discover how it works, follow these butterflies on a remarkable journey!