Books published by publisher Nomad Press

From reed boats, papyrus, and amulets, to pyramids, pharaohs, and mummies, Great Ancient Egypt Projects You Can Build Yourself explores the fascinating lives of ancient Egyptians through more than25 hands-on building projects and activities. Great Ancient Egypt Projects You Can Build Yourself gives readers today a chance to experience how the ancient Egyptians lived, cooked, worked, worshipped, entertained themselves, and interacted with their neighbors through building projects that use common household supplies.Detailed step-by-step instructions, diagrams, and templates for creating each project are combined with historical facts and anecdotes, biographies, and trivia for the real-life models of each project. Together they give kids a first-hand look at daily life in ancient Egypt.

***THERE IS A NEWER EDITION OF THIS BOOK! For 2019, Nomad Press has re-issued this book under the title BOTS! There's up-to-date content and new and improved projects! Check it out at amzn.to/2PS6Afh***Named to the 2012 Chicago Public Library's "Best of the Best" Reading List for Informational Books for Older Readers, Robotics: Discover the Science and Technology of the Future is a fun and educational introduction to the exciting field of designing, building, and operating robots. Along with background material and clear explanations of how robots work, Robotics features step-by-step instructions for building real robot models using ordinary craft materials and parts salvaged from recycled toys and other household devices. Budding roboticists will learn how to create working robot hands, hydraulic arms, sensors, solar-powered robots, light-seeking robots and more. A great way to get kids interested in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math), the activities encourage kids to use all their talents to come up with creative solutions to tricky problems and figure out how things work.

Waves: Physical Science for Kids from the Picture Book Science series gets kids excited about science! Have you ever floated on waves in the ocean? Have you ever stood in a human wave at a baseball game? Waves are all around us! You can find waves in a field of wheat, in a dangling string, in a slinky, and in flags that are blowing in the breeze. There are even invisible waves! Sunlight and sound move in waves, and cell phones and microwaves use waves to transmit voices and to cook food. You can hear your mom say, “Hello,” on the cell phone because of waves. Waves: Physical Science for Kids is a fun, illustrated introduction to the concept of waves and energy and their presence in our world. In this nonfiction picture book, elementary school children learn to spot all the different kinds of waves they encounter in daily life by finding real-world science connections. Simple vocabulary, detailed illustrations, easy science experiments, and a glossary all support exciting learning for kids ages 5 to 8. Perfect for beginner readers or as a read aloud nonfiction picture book! Part of a set of four books in a series called Picture Book Science that tackles different kinds of physical science (waves, forces, energy, and matter), Waves: Physical Science for Kids pairs beautiful illustrations with simple observations and explanations. Quick STEM activities such as floating a ball in a tub of water help readers cross the bridge from conceptual to experiential learning and provide a foundation of knowledge that will prove invaluable as kids progress in their science education. Perfect for children who love to ask, “Why?” about the world around them, Waves satisfies curiosity while encouraging student-led learning.Picture Book Science presents real-world examples of physical science and engineering topics kids find fascinating! These nonfiction picture books consist of engaging narratives paired with brightly colored, whimsical illustrations drawn by an accomplished scientist. With these books, readers ages 5 to 8 are encouraged to expand their definitions of the words “force,” “matter,” “energy,” and “wave.” Elementary-aged children are equipped to recognize basic science concepts and identify the different ways they are demonstrated in real life, while being impressed with the idea that science is a constant part of our lives and not limited to classrooms and laboratories. Titles in the series include: Waves; Forces; Matter; and Energy.

Most people have heard of Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg, but how about Daniel Hale Williams, Mae Jemison, and Mary Anderson? The world owes a lot to the unsung heroes of innovation, people who used their ideas to make the world a better place through advances in health, technology, food science, and discovery! In Innovators: The Stories Behind the People Who Shaped the World, readers ages 9 to 12 learn about many inventions, products, processes, and improvements people have made to create the reality in which we live.For example, in 1938, Ruth Wakefield added bits of chocolate to her cookies and invented Toll House chocolate chip cookies. In 2012, at the age of just 15, Jack Andraka developed a speedy and cheap method to detect pancreatic cancer. Being innovative means thinking creatively and critically to solve problems and find improvements―all it takes is an open mind, curiosity, and a desire to come up with ideas! Hands-on activities use the engineering design process and include creating a homemade version of Silly Putty and figuring out how to make a solar-powered oven. Links to primary sources, videos, and relevant websites offer a digital experience for deeper, independent learning and inspiration.Nomad Press books in the Build It Yourself series integrate content with participation. Common Core State Standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, and STEM Education all place project-based learning as key building blocks in education. Combining content with inquiry-based projects stimulates learning and makes it active and alive. Nomad’s unique approach simultaneously grounds kids in factual knowledge while allowing them the space to be curious, creative, and critical thinkers.

Great Colonial America Projects You Can Build Yourself introduces readers ages 9–12 to colonial America through hands-on building projects. From dyeing and spinning yarn to weaving cloth, from creating tin plates and lanterns to learning wattle and daub construction. Great Colonial America Projects You Can Build Yourself gives readers a chance to experience how colonial Americans lived, cooked, entertained themselves, and interacted with their neighbors.

Real-world technology projects pair up with inspiring biographies of female computer scientists to make a full-color book that will have kids ages 8 to 11 eager to develop their own apps! Do you like solving problems? Are you dying to automate even the simplest of processes? Do you always need to know how things work? Programming is the process of breaking down complex tasks into a set of instructions. This is what programmers do when they write code that will make your computer do what you tell it to! In Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Programmers with STEM Projects for Kids, readers ages 8 to 11 meet five female programmers who made revolutionary discoveries and inventions that changed the way people used technology! Ada Lovelace, Grace Hopper, the ENIAC women, Dorothy Vaughan, and Margaret Hamilton all broke through barriers of both gender and race to succeed in a field they loved. • Through hands-on STEM projects such as designing a web page, creating a prototype, and learning about variables, kids gain critical thinking skills just like the ones necessary to succeed in the field. • Essential questions, cool facts about female programmers, and links to online resources all reinforce high-level learning. • Using a fun narrative style, engaging illustrations combined with photography, fascinating facts, essential questions, and hands-on projects, this book deepens readers’ creative thinking skills. About the Gutsy Girls Go for Science set and Nomad Press Programmers is part of a set of four Gutsy Girls Go for Science books that explore career connections for young scientists. The other titles in this series include Paleontologists, Engineers, and Astronauts. Nomad Press books in the Gutsy Girls Go for Science series integrate content with participation, encouraging readers to engage in student-directed learning. Combining content with inquiry-based projects stimulates learning and makes it active and alive. Nomad’s unique approach simultaneously grounds kids in factual knowledge while allowing them the space to be curious, creative, and critical thinkers. All books are leveled for Guided Reading level and Lexile and align with Common Core State Standards and National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. All titles are available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook formats.

Why do children resemble their parents and siblings? Introducing young readers to the fascinating world of genetics, this educational resource presents the main concepts of the science, including what a chromosome does, how DNA is structured, and how genetic inheritance works. In Genetics: Breaking the Code of Your DNA students learn about new discoveries in the field of genetics and how those discoveries have helped to cure or even prevent certain diseases, as well as examine controversial issues in genetics such as genetically modified foods and stem cell research. Combining inquiry-based, age-appropriate activities with biology, Genetics: Breaking the Code of Your DNA features graphic novel illustrations, fascinating sidebars, and a glossary of important vocabulary to illuminate the complex world of genetics and bring it to life. Projects include building 3D DNA double helix models, extracting DNA, using a Punnet Square to predict an offspring’s probability of inheritance, and evaluating the benefits and risks of genetically engineering a new species. Additional materials include a list of current reference works, websites, and Internet resources.Genetics meets common core state standards in language arts for reading informational text and literary nonfiction and is aligned with Next Generation Science Standards. Guided Reading Levels and Lexile measurements indicate grade level and text complexity.

How do we heat our homes, light our rooms, and power our cars? With energy! In 2014, the United States relied on fossil fuels for about 67 percent of its power. But as the fossil fuel supply dwindles and climate change becomes an increasingly urgent issue, individuals, businesses, and governments are expanding their sources of renewable energy, including solar, wind, biofuel, hydro, and geothermal.In Renewable Energy: Discover the Fuel of the Future, readers ages 9 to 12 learn about these renewable energy sources and discover how sunshine can be used to power light bulbs and how the earth's natural heat can be used to warm our houses. Young readers weigh the pros and cons of different energy sources and make their own informed opinions about which resources are the best choices for different uses.Renewable energy industries provide a booming field for future scientists and engineers. This book shows kids these future jobs and gets them excited about contributing to a world run on clean energy. Hands-on projects, essential questions, links to online primary sources, and science-minded prompts to think more about energy, the environment, and the repercussions of our choices make this book a key addition to classrooms and libraries.

Atoms and molecules are the basic building blocks of matter. Matter is every physical thing around us in the universe, including our own bodies! In Explore Atoms and Molecules! With 25 Great Projects, readers ages 7 to 10 investigate the structure of atoms and learn how atoms fit together to form molecules and materials.If everything is made out of atoms and molecules, why do people look different from dogs and doorknobs? In Explore Atoms and Molecules, readers discover that the characteristics of a material are determined by the way the atoms and molecules connect, and study how chemical reactions change these connections to create everything we know. This book discusses the elements on the periodic table and why they are grouped into families, encouraging the exploration of meaningful classification systems. States of matter and mixtures and compounds round out the exploration of atoms and molecules!This book supports the maker movement with lots of hands-on activities that illuminate the concepts of chemistry. Readers build 3-D models of molecules and create a periodic table guessing game. Fascinating sidebars offer opportunities for readers to connect the text with real-world science, and cartoon illustrations provide a fun foundation for learning.

Over 7 billion people live on the earth, and 84 percent of them describe themselves as being religious. Few topics incite such passion as religion. What does that mean? Why are humans invested in ideas that may never be proved? Why has religion played such an important role in history?In Comparative Religion: Investigate the World through Religious Tradition, readers seek answers to these questions by comparing and contrasting the cultural, spiritual, and geographical underpinnings of five different religions. By developing a better understanding of the similarities and differences among religions of the world, readers gain a strong foothold in a dialogue that has continued for thousands of years.Combining hands-on activities with theology, history, geography, world cultures, art, and architecture, Comparative Religion encourages deeper understanding of the world’s religions. Entertaining graphic art, fascinating sidebars, and links to primary sources bring the topic to life, while key questions reaffirm foundational concepts.Activities include conducting an interview with a rabbi, comparing the story of Abraham and Isaac in three sacred texts, studying the architecture of the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, studying the Hindu practice of yoga and meditation, and examining how religious doctrines shape the behavior of believers.

Sometimes, an intolerable situation calls for a drastic measure―fleeing for freedom. Whether you’re a slave seeking freedom in the North or a convict swimming for your life in a shark-infested canal, the urge to be free drives your every move. In Great Escapes: Real Tales of Harrowing Getaways, readers ages 9 to 12 meet five ingenious fugitives and freedom seekers who all shared one common goal: escape. The human spirit craves freedom, and when liberty is taken away, people go to great lengths to get it back. Great Escapes: Real Tales of Harrowing Getaways tells the histories of five ingenious departures, including the one perpetuated by William and Ellen Craft, who donned disguises and made a 1,000-mile run for freedom. Another man, Douglas Mawson, battled a power greater than any human villain, when in 1913, Mother Nature trapped Mawson in her icy Antarctic jaws. Alone and dangling over a bottomless crevasse by a fraying rope, the only escape tools Mawson had were his strength and determination. In 1943, Nazi guards packed hundreds of Belgian Jews into train cars and headed for the concentration camp at Auschwitz. Twelve-year-old Simon Gronowski was among these deportees, and he was determined to find a way off the moving train before it reached its ghastly destination. Alcatraz was a rocky fortress designed to hold federal prisoners until the end of their sentence or death, whichever came first. Prison officials claimed the Rock was inescapable. But in 1962, three inmates vanished, never to be seen again. No less amazing is the escape of 57 East Germans from communist-controlled East Germany during the Cold War, through a tunnel under the Berlin Wall. History is ripe with examples of people desperate to escape the traps in which they are snared. Get an up-close look at the guts, skill, determination, and luck of remarkable escape artists in Great Escapes: Real Stories of Harrowing Getaways. This is the sixth book in a series called Mystery & Mayhem, which features true tales that whet kids’ appetites for history by engaging them in genres with proven track records―mystery and adventure. History is made of near misses, unexplained disappearances, unsolved mysteries, and bizarre events that are almost too weird to be true―almost! The Mystery and Mayhem series delves into these tidbits of history to provide kids with a jumping off point into a lifelong habit of appreciating history. Each of the five true tales told within Great Escapes are paired with further fun facts about the setting, industry, and time period. A glossary and resources page provide the opportunity to practice using essential academic tools. These nonfiction narratives use clear, concise language with compelling plots that both avid and reluctant readers will be drawn to.

Tools of the Ancient Greeks: A Kid’s Guide to the History and Science of Life in Ancient Greece explores the scientific discoveries, athletic innovations, engineering marvels, and innovative ideas created more than two thousand years ago. Through biographical sidebars, interesting facts, fascinating anecdotes, and fifteen hands-on activities, readers will learn how Greek innovations and ideas have shaped world history and our own world view.