Books in Really Really Big Questions series

From prime ministers and presidents to kings and queens, governments around the world are diverse and intricate. Who's in Charge? investigates the world's political systems and presents them to kids in a fun, appealing way.From the Sumerian Empire to modern governments, Who's in Charge? is packed with information on evolving notions of citizenship, rights, power, and elections, along with eye-opening trivia facts. Kids can discover the difference between democracy, monarchy, and anarchy, and learn how politics can become global when countries band together and form coalitions such as the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).With inside stories on all the big ideas and powerful people in politics, Who's in Charge? explores how laws are made, what happens behind the scenes in government, and how kids can get involved.

From prime ministers and presidents to kings and queens, governments around the world are diverse and intricate. Who's in Charge? investigates the world's political systems and presents them to kids in a fun, appealing way.From the Sumerian Empire to modern governments, Who's in Charge? is packed with information on evolving notions of citizenship, rights, power, and elections, along with eye-opening trivia facts. Kids can discover the difference between democracy, monarchy, and anarchy, and learn how politics can become global when countries band together and form coalitions such as the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).With inside stories on all the big ideas and powerful people in politics, Who's in Charge? explores how laws are made, what happens behind the scenes in government, and how kids can get involved.

A fun, quirky look at the weird and wonderful side of physics, Can You Feel the Force? explores the physics of everyday things — from how balloons stretch and stick to walls, to why the sky is blue, to why stars twinkle.Designed to appeal equally to children who are intimidated by science and those who love it, Can you Feel the Force? is not just a reference book — it's interactive with fun activities to try at home. Inside the pages are age appropriate text and experiments that will determine what's the best seat on a roller coaster, why does bubble gum stretch, why do fighter pilots have to wear specially tightened underwear, and why the world looks weird when you drive a car at the speed of light. Discover the recipe for slime, the secret of piercing a balloon without bursting it, and find out how to stick objects together with nothing but the magical force of friction; plus learn the ideas and discoveries of Galileo, Newton, Franklin and other key players in the defining principles and laws of physics.Clear, exciting images and engaging text will make physics understandable and make kids curious to learn more in Can you Feel the Force?

Really Really Big Questions From Space and Time is an unusual and fun introduction to space science and astrophysics. It explores those massive, complicated, weird and often unanswered questions such as Does the Universe have a shape? What makes sunshine? Do stars explode? How do you build a time machine? and Do aliens look like me? Your head will spin – with knowledge!

Why do you have brown eyes, hairy fingers, dangly earlobes, or knuckles that crack? Are you a thrill-seeker, a people-person, a computer whizz, or a social wallflower with a morbid fear of spiders? And if so, who's to blame — your parents or your genes?What Makes Me, Me? is an age-appropriate tour of the tricky subject of biology and how genetic make-up and experience makes everyone unique. Find out what genes and chromosomes are for, why some people are left-footed but right-eyed, and what it takes to become an Olympic athlete or a chess grand master.Diagrams, illustrations, updated images, and the easy-to-understand text in What Makes Me, Me? makes this difficult subject digestible, while tests and quizzes create a personal experience allowing children to see how the information relates to themselves.

As far as we know, Earth is the only inhabited planet in the Universe. So what makes Earth such an ideal place for life to survive? And how did it all get started? Life as We Know It goes back to the beginnings of life on our planet, explaining to middle grade readers how it emerged under hostile conditions from a chemical soup as a simple self-contained unit: the cell. Key biological themes, such as how cells work, produce energy, and reproduce are explained in simple terms. This knowledge is then used to explain how more complex organisms live. The book also looks at the wide variety of plant and animal life on Earth and how it evolved, and introduces the features and characteristics of members of the six kingdoms of life. Young readers will learn how life forms have adapted to occupy particular niches and what can happen if something upsets this balance. Lavishly illustrated with images from DK's extensive natural history photo library, this encyclopedia is a visual feast as well as a thorough treatment of biology. Through DK's unique visual style, scientific ideas that might appear intimidating in a textbook are made lucid at a glance.

Have you ever looked at your dog and wondered what it is really thinking? Or asked yourself if your entire life has been a dream? Prepare to exercise your mind as you investigate these big ideas and more on the roller-coaster ride of reason and ridiculous that is philosophy. Cool illustrations, brainteasers, and quirky quotations add to the simple and fun question-and-answer format, introducting readers to life's important questions.

Join TV Presenter, Johnny Ball for an incredible number-filled adventure, cracking secret codes and unravelling mazes - now in paperback. Let your child join Johnny Ball on a dazzling maths adventure to infinity and beyond. They'll find out maths isn't just about sums and calculations, but how numbers can take them anywhere! Watch as they learn to test their friends with magic tricks, discover mind-reading techniques and find out about the simple puzzles that stumped the world's brainiest mathematicians for centuries. So if your child thinks maths is boring - help them think again with Johnny Ball!

Inside of every plant, animal, and human lies thousands of genes. These genesand the DNA they are composed ofare the basis for heredity. Before we are born, the information encoded in our genes determines our physical features, predisposition to disease, and more. Genetics traces our understanding of heredity from the discovery of inheritance to modern day, as scientists seek to manipulate genes in order to control the blueprints of life. Topics in this book include genetically modified food, epigenetics, stem cells, and xenobiology. Readers are given balanced information about these controversial topics and encouraged to think critically to form their own opinions.

As astronomers and physicists develop a more detailed map of the universe, questions abound. What (and who) is beyond Earth and our solar system? This book explains the origins of the universe, its development, and scientists' predictions for its future. Related concepts like the possibility of time travel and alien encounters are examined critically so that readers can develop informed opinions and understand what is known and what is left to explore.