Books in Nature Up Close series

John Steinbeck consistently appears on class reading lists across the U.S., and his work has influenced generations. Steinbeck lived and wrote during some of the most eventful and controversial eras of twentieth-century America, including the struggles of California?s migrant workers during the 1930s, which led to his masterpiece, The Grapes of Wrath. A complicated man whose personal life often took a backseat to his writing?he fought his way through three marriages, was a distant father, and battled with alcoholism?Steinbeck wrote because he was compelled to. Yet he always doubted his abilities, and lived in fear of never writing a decent book. Milton Meltzer?s biography includes numerous excerpts of this iconic author?s writing, and is the latest addition to the Up Close series.

Frank Lloyd Wright was the most influential architect of the twentieth century?and a rogue genius whose life was a wild ride. Wright routinely ignored unpaid bills, clients? wishes, budget constraints. Only his creative vision mattered to him. That vision transformed the way we live, sweeping aside the Victorian home and creating a uniquely American architecture exemplified by his Prairie Style houses. Wright built hotels, churches, and offices, too, incorporating endless innovations in techniques and materials. Ideas poured out of him throughout his long career; he called it ?shaking the design out of my sleeve.? Jan Adkins?s fascinating biography of this compelling, infuriating, largerthan- life figure will change the way every reader looks at architecture.

Sea Life showcases our beautiful and curious oceans, exploring up-close photography of fish, coral, and other sea creatures. Take a deep breath and take a look! Transform the ordinary into something extraordinary with exciting micro and macro photography! Sea Life explores our beautiful and curious oceans, pairing extreme, hyper-detailed images of fish, coral, and other magnificent sea creatures with fun facts, activities, and brainteasers. So let’s turn up the ZOOM and discover a whole new way of seeing the world.

There’s no question that kids are fascinated with dinosaurs and fossils. From massive dinosaur skeletons to ancient insects embedded in amber, there’s plenty for kids to discover in Creature Close-Up: Dinosaurs and Fossils. This unique book is filled with interactive elements that give young readers a chance to dig deeper than ever before. Kids can use the removable dual-focus magnifier to examine close-up images of fascinating fossils, including the sharp claws of a Velociraptor and the teeth of a T. rex. Creature Close-Up: Dinosaurs and Fossils is filled with engaging text and photographs, and also includes a T. rex model to build, a replica dinosaur skull, reusable stickers, and a foldout ammonite fossil.

Frank Lloyd Wright was the most influential architect of the twentieth century?and a rogue genius whose life was a wild ride. Wright routinely ignored unpaid bills, clients? wishes, budget constraints. Only his creative vision mattered to him. That vision transformed the way we live, sweeping aside the Victorian home and creating a uniquely American architecture exemplified by his Prairie Style houses. Wright built hotels, churches, and offices, too, incorporating endless innovations in techniques and materials. Ideas poured out of him throughout his long career; he called it ?shaking the design out of my sleeve.? Jan Adkins?s fascinating biography of this compelling, infuriating, largerthan- life figure will change the way every reader looks at architecture.

Before his short life was ended by assassination, Robert Kennedy was Attorney General of the United States, Senator from New York, and a charismatic Presidential candidate. But even more astonishing was Kennedy’s personal odyssey. Born into immense wealth and privilege, Kennedy came to embrace the cause of the poor and the disenfranchised, and to be seen by them as their champion.