Books in Up Close Series series

Read Kerry Madden's posts on the Penguin Blog.Nelle Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960 and became an instant bestseller. Two years later it was an Academy Award– winning film. Today, it remains standard—and beloved—reading in English classes. But Lee never wanted “the book” to define who she was, which explains her aversion to any kind of publicity. Kerry Madden conducted extensive research for this Up Close biography, which reveals Lee to be a down-to-earth Southern woman who prefers to live simply, like her neighbors do, despite the fact that she is a treasured literary legend. Madden’s in-depth biography is now more relevant than ever: 2015’s historic release of Go Set a Watchman—written by Lee before To Kill a Mockingbird and lost for decades—has thrust Lee and her work back into the spotlight.A Booklist Top Ten Biography of 2009 A Kirkus Best Book of 2009

Feet are neat! They jump, they climb, they swim, they dance. Animal paws have claws that dig and scratch any itch that they can reach. A dog uses them to hold a bone in place or get a person's attention. The squirrel uses its small, sharp feet to scamper up a tree and race along a branch--or grab a nut to eat. Raccoons' paws are so nimble that they can pluck cherries, husk corncobs, crack open bird eggs, and feel for clams in a muddy stream. And every animal--humans included--uses its feet to run from danger. Watch them in action, in photos and in drawings, to see just why feet can't be beat! The author lives in Victoria, British Columbia. 32 pages (all in color), 8 1/2 x 10.

Discover your amazing world through curious and fascinating up-close photography!Transform the ordinary into something extraordinary with exciting micro and macro photography! Fur & Feathers explores the fascinating textures of birds and animals, pairing extreme, hyper-detailed images of unique and colorful feathers and patterned fur coats with fun facts, activities, and brainteasers. So let's turn up the ZOOM and discover a whole new way of seeing the world.

Thurgood Marshall changed American history by challenging it. In the first half of the twentieth century, African Americans were often treated as second-class citizens and subject to Jim Crow laws, which promoted both racism and segregation. This is the world that Marshall grew up in, and he became a lawyer to change it. As the head counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), he helped take the famous Brown v. Board of Education all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. And in an outcome surprising even to him, the court unanimously ruled to end segregation in schools. Thurgood Marshall had become a hero.

Teeth that gnaw, teeth that groom, teeth that bite into delicious food and grind it down--imagine what life would be without teeth! Though there are some animals, such as birds and turtles, that don't need any, most others depend on teeth for eating, protection, and more. Horses nibble each other's necks to get rid of loose hair and pesky insects. The monkey-like lemur uses its front teeth as a comb to remove tangles. Beavers depend on them to cut down trees for the dams and lodges they build--and to munch bark, twigs, buds, and leaves. Full-color photographs show animals around the world using their hard-working pearly whites to chew, crunch, and chomp, while black-and-white drawings add some extra fun! The author lives in Victoria, British Columbia. 32 pages (all in color), 8 1/2 x 10.

Who's nose-y? Most animals are! That's because they usually have a much better sense of smell than humans do, and depend on their noses to find food, sense danger, poke around, and--if they're tame--do tricks. Black bears and grizzlies sniff out squirrels that are running underground, sharks smell blood from a distance of three city blocks, and rabbits have six times the sensors we have. Full-color photos and black-and-white illustrations capture an array of animals in their natural habitats. The author lives in Victoria, British Columbia. 32 pages (all in color), 8 x 10. NEW IN PAPERBACK

Discover your amazing world through curious and fascinating up-close photography!Transform the ordinary into something extraordinary with exciting micro and macro photography! Reptiles & Amphibiansexplores all things cold-blooded, pairing extreme, hyper-detailed images of scaly skin, snake eyes, and webbed feet with fun facts, activities, and brainteasers. So let’s turn up the ZOOM and discover a whole new way of seeing the world.

Babe Ruth is still regarded as perhaps the greatest baseball player ever to step on a diamond. Born into a poor family in Baltimore, George Herman Ruth Jr. was sent to a Catholic reform school at age seven, where he learned how to play baseball. Initially a talented southpaw, the Babe went on to shatter every home-run record on the books?and when fewer games were played in a season and a heavier ball was used. In this engaging and fast-paced biography, award-winning author Wilborn Hampton shares with readers The Babe was also a man of big heart, temper, and appetite.

?Elvis left no one indifferent to rock and roll??so begins award-winning author Wilborn Hampton?s thoughtful account of the beloved and controversial Elvis Presley. When Elvis shook his hips and sang his soulful songs, teenagers screamed and parents fretted. Fans, record executives, movie producers, and even the army wanted a piece of this enigmatic performer and shy boy from Tupelo, Mississippi. What Elvis gave them changed music forever. This latest addition to Viking?s ongoing biography series, Up Close, includes gorgeous black-and-white photographs and introduces readers to the complicated life of the king of rock and roll.

Up Close: Jane Goodall by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen Up Close: Thurgood Marshall by Chris Crowe A trailblazing scientist made famous by her favorite primates. Jane Goodall will forever be linked with the chimpanzees that she?s studied for over fifty years. A pioneer in scientific research, she revolutionized longstanding views about chimps, forest conservation, and women in scientific fields. This Up Close biography tells the story of how a demure young woman from London went to Africa and changed the world.

Discover your amazing world through curious and fascinating up-close photography!Transform the ordinary into something extraordinary with exciting micro and macro photography! Bugs & Butterfliesexplores all things creepy and crawly, pairing extreme, hyper-detailed images of butterfly wings, honeybee eyes, and spider legs with fun facts, activities, and brainteasers. So let’s turn up the ZOOM and discover a whole new way of seeing the world.