Books in Web of Life series

Despite its stark landscape and harsh climate, the Sonoran Desert teems with life. Hare, hawks, lizards, bobcats, badgers, coyote — all live among the desert’s fragrant mesquite and spiny cactus, and none can exist without the others. Madeleine Dunphy’s poetic text explores all the warm and native elements that make the American Southwest such a mystical place, while Anne Coe's stunning paintings portray the desert’s plants and animals as well as the dazzling colors reflected in the rocks and skies of the Sonoran Desert.

Why do tigers have stripes? Do they choose to have them, or is that just how they are? Adaptation and Survival explains what is meant by the fitness of an organism and shows how adaptations improve a plant or animal's chances of survival to have offspring. It tackles common confusions about the science and shows how topics are relevant to the reader.

Named an "Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children" by the National Science Teachers Association. Named a "Teachers' Choice" by the International Reading Association.The Arctic winter is cold, snowy, and dark. The barren landscape is covered by a layer of snow that stretches to the horizon, with nothing to disrupt it but jagged rocks. There are only a few plants and no sunlight. And yet, there are animals hardy enough to survive this bleak environment: the arctic wolf, hare, cod, and fox; the snowy owl, polar bear, ringed seal, and Peary caribou, all inextricably linked together in the chain of life. With lyrical text and glowing paintings that capture this mystically beautiful environment with stunning realism, this unusual book fascinates and inspires children of all ages.

Behavior in Living Things asks some fascinating questions about animal behavior. Do we eat because it is a particular time, or because we are hungry? What if we see a delicious-smelling snack? The book looks at the difference between instinctive and learned behavior, at reflex actions, and animal and human emotions. It tackles common confusions about the science and shows how topics are relevant to the reader.

Penguins, whales, seals, fish, and many other animals are all part of Antarctica’s food web. In this striking picture book, Madeleine Dunphy uses a cumulative approach, combining lyrical verse with repetition to reveal the region's interdependency of life. Tom Leonard's gorgeous illustrations, from the flash of orange on a penguin's beak to iridescent icebergs jutting from the sea, capture a wondrous miracle — the circle of life. Here Is Antarctica educates as it entertains, inspiring children to explore this fascinating ecosystem page by page.