Books in Exploring Our World series

In Explore Money! With 25 Great Projects, money is more than something to earn, save, and spend. It’s an opportunity to explore history, art, science, economics, and math! While checking out the change in their pockets and bills from their banks, young readers search for hidden treasures, learn how money can multiply, and see how countries keep their currency secure. Very large and very small numbers take on a new relevance when seen through the lens of money.Using familiar materials found in the home or classroom, young readers explore the cultural aspect of money as well as its physical properties, discovering how these properties have affected business and global relationships throughout history. Kids experiment with various substances to clean coins, scientifically test coin components, design their own currency, and plan how to allocate their own money. Understanding the whats, whys, and hows of currency helps children achieve financial literacy and establish a strong foundation for a healthy, life-long relationship with money.Explore Money! meets Common Core State Standards for literacy in language arts, and mathematics; Guided Reading Levels and Lexile measurements indicate grade level and text complexity.

The haunting sound of its distant hoot may be as close as many of us ever get to an owl. But of the roughly 200 owl species worldwide, 19 make their homes across North America. These birds of prey display noticeable differences in size and markings, but they also share many physical traits and living skills. How do owls capture prey and defend themselves? How are their wings designed for silent, gliding flight? How do owls conceal themselves from predators? Young readers will learn the answers to these questions and much more in the beautifully illustrated Exploring the World of Owls.

Coyotes are wily, secretive and extremely adaptive -- what young reader wouldn't be fascinated? Familiar to kids and adults alike through its many appearances in folk and popular culture, the multicolored coyote has the gray wolf to thank for its survival. As humans eliminated wolf populations across the continent over the last century, the coyote easily filled the gap. Today it is the most successful and most numerous large predator in North America. It makes its homes not only in the wild but increasingly in suburbs and even urban centers -- the coyote is wary of humans but is quite willing to enter the human world in pursuit of food. The coyote has a curious blend of characteristics that it shares with its dog-family relatives, the wolf and the red fox. Like the red fox, it has graceful, catlike movements. Like the wolf, it can hunt in packs but may also hunt on its own or with a partner. Exploring the World of Coyotes explains how the wily coyote achieved such great success, from its elaborate communication skills, mate selection and family life to its adaptive life skills and physical characteristics. The Exploring the World of... series is written for young readers who are curious about the natural world and the appealing creatures that inhabit it. Like its companion titles, Exploring the World of Coyotes is packed with facts and offer outstanding value.

Silently suspended in water, with only their eyes, nostrils and ears breaking the surface, these members of the crocodilian family play a terrifying sit-and-wait game with their prey, striking with lightning speed, chilling accuracy and a deadly bite stronger than any other living creature. Their victims stand little chance once held in their strong jaws. Land-dwelling prey are equally at risk--crocodilians can walk, gallop and leap at high speed, making them among nature's fiercest predators. The crocodile and alligator families descend from the reptiles that roamed Earth alongside the dinosaurs some 250 million years ago. Today, most of the land-dwelling crocodilians live in tropical lowlands, while the broad-snouted American and Chinese alligators have adapted to cooler temperatures. In Exploring the World of Alligators and Crocodiles, young readers will learn about the crocodilians' life history, physical characteristics, courtship displays, communication strategies and family life. They'll also find out how these semiaquatic reptiles rely on their senses and speed to survive--and why humans should keep their distance. The Exploring the World of... nature series was created for young readers who are eager to learn more about the wild creatures of the world. Each title contains beautiful photographs of the animals in their natural habitats and the highly readable text explores their daily lives and physical characteristics, how they make their homes, how they raise their young and what they eat. "This series has a different approach than typical animal books and goes beyond a basic introduction. The books provide the reader with another perspective and focus on different forms of survival tactics. Diagrams of the animals are presented describing different body parts and their functions. Another chapter discusses the natural talents of the animal... An extensive index is included. Recommended." --Library Media Connection, of the previous books in the series

A full-color introduction to the earth science happening all around us, packed with STEM experiments and real-world connections that invite kids ages 7 to 10 to discovery the wonderful world of meteorology!What’s it like outside? Is it a day for building a snowman, constructing a sandcastle, or planting a garden? Weather and Climate! With 25 Science Projects for Kids introduces kids ages 7 to 10 to the fascinating world of meteorology and all of the ways what’s going on in the atmosphere above our heads can affect us here on the earth! Plus, discover how weather and climate change are linked but not the same, and figure out ways to be part of the solution to the problem of global warming. • The activity in our atmosphere plays a critical role in our lives and in the health of our planet. Today’s weather determines what clothes you wear and what you are going to do after school, while the local climate influences what kind of car your parents drive, what kind of house you live in, and―believe it or not―what foods you eat! • Readers learn about different kinds of extreme weather including Hurricane Katrina, flooding in Texas, California wildfires, and the tornadoes that struck southern United States in 2011.• Offers engaging text that’s reinforced with 25 hands-on, science-minded projects including creating a storm in a bottle, touching the clouds, and eating an edible climate map, while fun facts, essential questions, links to online resources, and even jokes help support deeper learning!About the Explore Earth Science set and Nomad Press Weather and Climate! With 25 Science Projects for Kids is part of a set of four Explore Earth Science books that explore the earth, the atmosphere, and everything in between. The other titles in this series are Natural Disasters! With 25 Science Projects for Kids, The Water Cycle! With 25 Science Projects for Kids, and Rocks and Minerals! With 25 Science Projects for Kids. Nomad Press books in the Explore Your World 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 Next Generation Science Standards. All titles are available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook formats.

Look up, up, up! How do skyscrapers get so tall? Skyscrapers are amazing feats of engineering that kids (and adults!) find fascinating. How do they get so high? How do they stay standing? Who is involved in designing and building these gravity-defying structures? In Skyscrapers! With 25 Science Projects for Kids, elementary-aged kids learn about the principles of engineering that are used in building skyscrapers, as well as the history of skyscrapers themselves. Readers also explore the kinds of professionals that contribute to the raising of a skyscraper, from engineers to architects to constructions teams. To answer the burning question on every young engineer’s mind―how do skyscrapers stay standing?―readers discover the important designs used to build tall buildings, including the tube frame, the bundled tube frame, and x-bracing. And by following the evolution of skyscraper design, STEAM-focused students learn how structures have become more stable and more complex through the introduction of design elements and new materials. STEAM projects for kids, including experiments with earthquake-resistant materials, testing the relative strength of different shapes, and discovering the effect of vibration on structures, offer a unique, interactive learning experience, while links to primary sources offer ample opportunity for further student-led exploration. Fun facts, engaging illustrations, timeline, glossary, and resources keep kids wanting to learn more about engineering design. Skyscrapers! is part of a set of four Explore Engineering books. In the Explore Engineering set, readers ages 7 to 10 learn the physics behind the things they build: Why does a tower of blocks eventually fall? Why does a tunnel sometimes cave in? Through a series of focused, science-minded activities that require critical thinking paired with creative trial-and-error attempts at building, readers develop foundational understanding of the physics that guides the building and maintenance of bridges, canals, tunnels, and skyscrapers.Titles in the Explore Engineering set include Bridges! With 25 Science Projects for Kids; Canals and Dams! With 25 Science Projects for Kids; Tunnels! With 25 Science Projects for Kids; and Skyscrapers! With 25 Science Projects for Kids. Nomad Press books in the Explore Your World series for children ages 7–10 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.

The stories of Norse myths and legends are a terrific introduction to Viking culture, history, science, and traditions, which thrived in Scandinavia from the eighth to the eleventh centuries. But who were the Norse, who left their homelands in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden to trade, raid, and explore around the world? In Explore Norse Myths! With 25 Great Projects, young readers discover the remarkable people and mythical creatures of old.Learning about Norse myths means unearthing the origin of Viking beliefs, as well as exploring their ships, tools, and other technology that flourished for nearly 450 years. Along the way, kids will read how Norse myths helped explain the natural world from thunder to the seasons, from creation to death. They may be surprised at how Norse myths continue to influence modern culture in the form of movies and books, including the new series by Rick Riordan.Kids will read Norse stories and learn about the adventures of real Norse explorers, including Erik the Red and Leif Erikson. Through a mixture of fun facts, trivia, jokes, comics, and hands-on activities, kids will dig up Scandinavia's past and sail the seas along with the gods and giants in Explore Norse Myths!

What kind of life can you find in lakes and ponds? Imagine the smooth, glasslike surface of a pond, the water mirroring a bright moon or a crystal blue sky. The water appears perfectly calm and still. What’s going on underneath the surface? Lakes and Ponds! With 25 Science Projects for Kids invites kids ages 7 though 10 to investigate the bodies of water that might look calm from the shore but which are teeming with life and activity! Through fun facts and engaging content, readers explore the plants and animals living in lakes and ponds, from fish darting about to dragonfly nymphs gestating in the shallows to algae and aquatic plants converting sunlight into energy through photosynthesis. Discover fun facts about the duckweed, water lilies, and cattails growing in and around the waters of lakes and ponds. It’s a busy place! In Lakes and Ponds!, readers dive in to discover how lakes and ponds are formed, how they are different, and what kinds of animals and plants live there. Through investigative STEAM activities for elementary school ages, such as building a model of a floating city similar to Tonlé Sap, kids explore how humans have interacted with lakes and ponds throughout history and how we use this natural resource today. Discover how climate change and pollution affect the ecology of lakes and ponds and learn what you can do to help keep these biodiverse environments clean and healthy! From the Great Lakes, the Great Salt Lake, Walden Pond, Loch Ness, and the pond down the street from school, readers discover the life teeming in and around lakes and ponds. And did you know that large bodies of water have their own life cycles? Sometimes these can last for days, sometimes for thousands of years! STEAM projects for kids that promote the use of the scientific method, including using ice and dirt to understand how glaciation gave shape to lake and pond basins and using moss found near lakes and ponds to make unique art projects, offer a unique, interactive learning experience, while links to online primary sources offer ample opportunity for further, student-led exploration. Fun facts, engaging illustrations, timeline, glossary, and resources keep kids wanting to learn more about these bodies of water. Explore Lakes and Ponds! is part of a set of four Explore Waterways books from Nomad Press. In the Explore Waterways set, readers ages 7 to 10 learn about the waterways of our world, including the what, where, how, and who about the origination, content, and aquatic life that water contains. Through science-minded STEAM projects and experiments that encourage readers to think of waterways as part of a larger ecosystem, kids develop critical and creative thinking skills about the role waterways play in our world. Titles in the Explore Waterways set include Marshes and Swamps! With 25 Science Projects for Kids; Lakes and Ponds! With 25 Science Projects for Kids; Oceans and Seas! With 25 Science Projects for Kids; and Rivers and Streams! With 25 Science Projects for Kids.Nomad Press books in the Explore Your World series for children ages 7–10 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.

A glimpse inside the daily life of nature's masked bandits. Children find the bandit-masked face and button nose of a raccoon irresistibly cute, and catching a glimpse of one in a neighborhood tree never fails to excite. Raccoons describes the natural history of these cousins of the panda bear and explains how that heritage helps them thrive in cities as well as in fields and woodlands. Color photographs of adults and kits in urban and natural settings give readers the chance to look more closely at these elusive creatures, and children will enjoy the amusing descriptions of the raccoon's antics and mischief. But Raccoons also shows youngsters why they shouldn't feed these brazen visitors and that, even though they share our cities and towns, raccoons will always be wild animals. In the Exploring the World of... series, Firefly Books is pleased to present an exciting new nature series produced especially for young readers who are eager to learn more about the wild animals they find especially appealing. The books are packed with facts and offer outstanding value. Clear text in large type and vivid photographs with explanatory captions describe the animals' physical attributes, and storylike narratives about their daily life -- where they live, what they eat, how they hunt, how they communicate, how they raise their young -- present a complete picture of each animal.

Architecture, democracy, the Olympics—the modern world owes a lot to the ancient Greeks! In Explore Greek Myths! With 25 Great Projects, readers embark on a fascinating journey to explore the myths that infused ancient Greek culture, civilization, and innovation. Readers will learn how these myths, popular more than 3,000 years ago, have provided fundamental support to today's art, architecture, mathematics, science, philosophy, literature, and government.Readers will read about the adventures of many Greek gods, such as Zeus, who could throw lightning bolts and Athena, who personally protected the city of Athens. Readers will also meet great heroes, including the mighty Heracles, Perseus, who freed a princess chained to a rock, and Odysseus, who battled with a one-eyed giant called a Cyclopes. These characters and creatures serve to both entertain and offer lessons in morality, while also explaining the natural phenomenon that the ancient Greeks had no scientific explanation for.The lively text, surprising fun facts, jokes, and colorful illustrations encourage children to explore Greek mythology and make connections to our modern culture and language. Hands-on activities include making a topographical map of ancient Greece and designing Greek columns, while links to online primary sources encourage readers to explore the topic independently.

For young readers, this book will serve as a detailed, interesting introduction to a country that is often in the news. Through colorful photographs, fun facts, and engaging sidebars, kids will learn important information about Myanmar's history, politics, economy, and language. Other chapters also cover unique topics like popular sports, holidays, and food. This book is sure to inspire curiosity about the world and would make a great addition to any curriculum.