Real-life spacecraft Cassini makes surprising discoveries on her visit to one of Saturn’s moons in this graceful blend of science concepts and the awe of space exploration.
Cassini was built to explore Saturn and its moons. Her engineers pack her full of tools that can measure, take pictures, and taste chemicals. It takes her seven years to reach Saturn’s orbit, where she investigates Enceladus, the shiniest moon in the solar system. To the amazement of her scientists back home, Cassini makes a series of incredible discoveries: liquid water, chemicals, and energy—the ingredients for life! But Cassini doesn’t have the right tools or enough fuel to answer the big questions that come next. This bittersweet true story is rich with both science and wonder, with illustrations that capture the breathtaking scale of our solar system. Back matter provides further insight and information, as well as additional educational resources.
With gorgeous artwork and a spare text, an award-winning picture-book creator gently celebrates the natural world through the lens of a sunrise.
As the sun slowly rises, many things happen in a small window of time. The world comes alive with the actions of animals, plants, clouds, and sky. A deer drinks, an owl wakes, a dandelion shimmers in the light. A ladybug climbs, a fish jumps, birds call in a chorus. Geese fly away in formation. A flower blooms. Beautifully illustrated with glowing imagery and written with a charming simplicity holding appeal for new readers, Marc Martin’s ode to the slow-blooming beauty of a sunrise and the life that unfolds in its radiance narrows the lens to show the wonder of time passing.
Photons are everywhere, from the twinkling of stars to the heat from our own breath. Here is an illuminating intro to these versatile light particles, sure to spark the imaginations of curious young scientists.
Fascinating photons make up light and all other radiation, from X-rays and microwaves to the colors of the rainbow. Scientists use tiny photons to study and create things big and small, like using a precise laser in an experiment or learning about the origins of the universe itself. Complex concepts are presented in a fun and readable style as physicist Dr. Eve Vavagiakis shines a light on these unique elementary particles and the many ways they appear and behave. Readers are invited to imagine harnessing the power of photons, perhaps by observing distant stars through a telescope or building a quantum computer! Energetic illustrations and catchy rhymes sparkle in this latest entry in the STEM-tastic Meet the Universe series. Back matter includes a “Know Your Photons” section that expands on concepts introduced in the text.
Could your pet help you with your math homework? Discover how amazing animals use number sense in this fun and fact-filled investigation.
Animals know a lot more about numbers than you might think. Guppies can tell large numbers from small ones, hyenas can count, and chimpanzees can use Arabic numerals! Readers will get to know these extraordinary animals and more—and how scientists study their number sense. Each chapter wraps up with an interview with a researcher and a hands-on activity that gives readers the chance to challenge their own math skills. Illustrations brimming with personality, along with colorful photos, sidebars, and splashy facts, make for an entertaining foray into these fascinating studies in this second book in the Extraordinary Animals series. A bibliography as well as an “Add to Your Knowledge” section at the back encourage more discovery.
Con llamativas ilustraciones estilo retro, esta historia de la adorable exploradora de NASA en Marte fascinará a los jóvenes exploradores aspirantes —y estimulará a todas las mentes inquisitivas—.
Tal vez te acuerdes de una pequeña nave espacial robótica que aterrizó en un planeta distante. El 6 de agosto de 2012, la exploradora Curiosity aterrizó en la rocosa superficie de Marte —y ahora ella está lista para guiarte a lo largo de su viaje—. Este informativo libro les describe a los lectores cómo la Curiosity fue concebida y creada, así como el objetivo de su misión: descubrir más sobre el planeta rojo y buscar evidencia de vida. ¿Cómo fue que a la Curiosity le pusieron ese nombre? ¿Qué herramientas usa para llevar a cabo sus tareas? En su propia voz, la popular nave de la NASA cuenta cómo y por qué viajó más de 350,000,000 de millas para explorar un planeta que ningún ser humano ha visitado…, y lo que ha estado haciendo allí. En este primer libro ilustrado de Markus Motum, la historia de la Curiosity cobra vida con llamativos colores: los intensos azules del espacio contrastan con los cálidos tonos azafranados de la polvorienta superficie roja de Marte, logrando que esta adorable exploradora y su misión salten a la vista como algo muy especial: sin duda alguna, un mundo aparte.
This third book in the Extraordinary Animals series delves into the mind-bending world of amazing animal brains.
Real-life animal brainiacs and the scientists who study them come to life in this detailed look at how animal—and human—brains work and the incredible things they can do. Meet goldfish who drive their own special car in search of treats; brilliant octopus problem-solvers who can probe, taste, and even make decisions with their arms; and squirrels who use mnemonic devices to remember where they’ve hidden their nuts! Readers will explore brains large and small, smooth and wrinkly, through fascinating sidebars, plenty of real science vocabulary, and full-color illustrations and photos. They can even put their own brains to the test through DIY neuroscience activities, from honing memory skills to getting focused through meditation. This engaging book delivers lots of fascinating science and the opportunity to learn more through a “further exploration” section, source notes, and a bibliography.
Ready to visit the world of quantum physics? Take a roller-coaster ride through the land of the impossibly small and learn what’s behind the building blocks of the universe.
What is the very smallest thing you can think of? A grain of sand? What about an atom? Every object and every living thing—from the biggest star to a speck of dust—is made of atoms. But even atoms are made up of smaller particles, and inside those smaller particles, you’ll find quarks! Quarks are the smallest thing there is, but they make a big impact on our universe. From the Big Bang, supernovas, and black holes to the chips inside your computer, quarks have seen it all. In this fun, accessible book teeming with fascinating facts and full-color illustrations, Christopher Edge and Paul Daviz lead a journey beyond the science classroom and into the quantum universe to explore what quarks are all about.
A gloriously illustrated first guide to outer space.
Learn the science of the universe in this introductory guide to space. Understand how stars form, why planets orbit the sun, what tools scientists use to learn about our solar system, and more in this carefully written text for young readers by children’s natural history author Camilla de la Bedoyere. Split into four clear sections (What Is Space?, Outer Space, The Solar System, and The Space Age), this guide to space features Aaron Cushley’s vivid and captivating illustrations and includes a search-and-find element with a shooting star hiding throughout.
Journey to the event horizon in this playful, mind-bending introduction to one of our universe’s most mysterious marvels—narrated by a black hole itself.
Lurking at the center of our galaxy and in the farthest reaches of space are black holes. Once unseeable and unknowable, these cosmic devourers—sometimes born from the death of stars—swallow even light itself. What exactly is a black hole? And how do we even know they exist? In a kid-friendly, rhyming narration, the elusive astronomical object introduces itself as both a behemoth star-eater and a shy, rarely-spotted phenomenon. Physicist Eve M. Vavagiakis’s approachable text is paired with Jessica Lanan’s imaginative depictions of a young astronaut venturing where no human has gone before, along with stunning renderings of our fascinating narrator and the final frontier. Endnotes expand, spread by spread, on the fascinating science behind black holes and the cutting-edge experiments used to study them. This second entry in the Meet the Universe series will light readers’ curiosity and have them racing to discover more secrets hidden among the stars.
“A handsome and engaging children’s book. . . . This accessible look at interplanetary exploration will appeal to a broad range of young space enthusiasts.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
On August 6, 2012, the rover Curiosity touched down on the rocky surface of Mars—and now she’s ready to guide you through her journey. From idea to creation and beyond, this fact-filled, stylish book introduces readers to Curiosity and her mission: to discover more about the red planet and search for evidence of life. How did Curiosity get her name? What tools does she use to carry out her tasks? The popular NASA rover narrates how and why she traveled more than 350,000,000 miles to explore a planet no human has ever visited . . . and what she has been doing there for the past decade or so. Markus Motum brings Curiosity’s story to life in vivid color: the deep blues of space set off the warm, rusted hues of Mars’s dusty red surface, marking this lovable rover and her mission as something special—truly a world apart.
