Books in Awesome Minds series

Everyone has played with LEGO® toys, but not many people know who is behind this awesome invention. This fun and engaging book tells the story of how a Danish carpenter and his family turned a desperate situation into the most popular toy in history. With full-color illustrations and lively text, and chock-full of interesting facts, Awesome Minds: The Inventors of LEGO® Toys is the perfect read for those with creative spirits and curious minds. This book is an independently authored and published biography of the family that created the LEGO® construction toy and is not sponsored or endorsed by or affiliated in any way with the LEGO Group of companies, owner of the LEGO® trademarks. Lexile Level: 970L Guided Reading Level: R4

Did you know that Nintendo started in the mid-19th century as a playing card company and that the Japanese giant also sold rice and operated taxi cabs? And did you know that the very first video game was called Tennis for Two and was created by a US government scientist named William Higinbotham? Today, video games play a gigantic role in our culture and none of this would have been possible without people like Shigeru Miyamoto, the creative mastermind that turned a failed business venture into the game that eventually inspired him to build Donkey Kong and Mario Bros., or Donna Bailey, who created the arcade video game sensation Centipede. With full-color illustrations and lively text, and chock-full of interesting facts, Awesome Minds: Video Game Creators tells the stories of these amazing men and women who turned a small hobby into a multimillion-dollar industry that changed the way we play and interact, from our living rooms to the arcades, on our computers to our handheld devices. Awesome Minds: Video Game Creators is the perfect read for those with creative spirits, curious minds, and a love of technology and video games.

Did you know that Superman debuted in 1938 and is considered to have fueled the birth of the superhero craze? Or that Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira was instrumental in introducing manga to the world outside of Japan? Comic books are now fully part of mainstream pop culture, and this engaging read introduces kids ages 8-12 to the pivotal creators of the world's most beloved comics, as well as the unknown names that have guided the industry to where it is today. From classic superhero tales like Spider-Man to epic fantasy adventures like Elfquest, comic books have inspired legions of devoted fans and accrue sales of over $1 billion annually. Awesome Minds: Comic Book Creators will walk kids through the important milestones in comic book history and the visionaries who helped develop some of the most iconic fictional characters today.

The iPod, iPhone, and iPad changed the way we communicate, play, learn, and work. This wouldn't have been possible without the amazing minds of Steve Jobs and his inventive team. With full-color illustrations and lively text, and chock-full of interesting facts, Awesome Minds: The Creators of the iPhone® tells the true story of these life-changing devices. It is the perfect read for those with creative spirits and curious minds. Lexile Level 850L This book is an independently authored and published biography of the inventors of the iPhone® mobile device and is not sponsored or endorsed by or affiliated in any way with these individuals, their families, and/or Apple Inc.

Awesome is the best word to describe a book packed with facts and trivia about dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. For example, did you know that humans never lived alongside dinosaurs? The fact is that the last dinosaur (other than birds) died 65 million years ago, but fossils of the earliest humans are only about 6 millions years old. Graphic illustrations of each dinosaur highlight many more tales and theories of how dinosaurs got their names, as well as discussing over 200 facts and myths about these ancient creatures. Every dinosaur enthusiast will enjoy the "look" and the "read" of The Awesome Book of Dinosaurs.

"Awesome" is the best word to describe a book packed with facts and trivia about dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. For example, did you know that humans never lived alongside dinosaurs? The fact is that the last dinosaur (other than birds) died 65 million years ago, but fossils of the earliest humans are only about 6 millions years old. Graphic illustrations of each dinosaur highlight many more tales and theories of how dinosaurs got their names, as well as discussing over 200 facts and myths about these ancient creatures. Every dinosaur enthusiast will enjoy the "look" and the "read" of The Awesome Book of Dinosaurs.