Winner of the Robert F. Sibert Medal

Follow a blue whale's enormous body to the bottom of the ocean, where it sets the stage for a bustling new ecosystem to flourish.

All living things must one day die, and Earth's largest creature, the majestic blue whale, is no exception. But in nature, death is never a true ending. When this whale closes her eyes for the last time in her 90-year life, a process known as whale fall is just beginning. Her body will float to the surface, then slowly sink through the deep; from inflated behemoth to clean-picked skeleton, it will offer food and shelter at each stage to a vast diversity of organisms, over the course of a century and beyond.

Caldecott Medalist Jason Chin's astonishing artwork enriches and amplifies engaging, well-researched text by Bill Nye the Science Guy writer Lynn Brunelle. Young lovers of the macabre will relish each page of Life After Whale. Meanwhile, those grappling with the hard subject of death will take solace in this honest look at the circle of life, which closes on a young whale enjoying the same waves as her ancestor. Additional back pages offer further info and reading recommendations on whales, whale falls, and ecosystems.

An Orbis Pictus Honor Book
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
One of Evanston Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year
Winner of the Bank Street Children's Book Committee Flora Stieglitz Straus Award for Older Readers
An ALSC Notable Children's Book

Stop right there!

If you think poems about nature are all pretty flowers and rainbow sunsets, this book is not for you. If you can't handle giant whale farts, turn back right now. If you don't want to know how lobsters pee, do not read one word further. Seriously, if you open this book, you're going to find out the disgusting truth about where honey comes from!

All right, you're in charge. Don't say we didn't warn you . . .

Bestselling author Lynn Brunelle brings young star lovers up close and personal with the constellations, under the night sky or right in their room, any time of the year.

Take this book outside and use the built-in star wheel cover to find constellations in the sky. Keep it inside and use the included pop-up star map to turn any room into a planetarium by projecting constellations onto the wall or ceiling. Whether you have a front yard or a fire escape, a small room or a big one, the whole sky is yours to explore.

Stuffed with science cover to cover, this is the perfect first book of astronomy. Kids will learn what a star is, the life span of a star, light years, how to find north, and everything else about the night sky. Packed with adventure, readers will discover over 28 stories of the stars--from Andromena, who's tied to the rock as a sacrifice to Cetus, the sea monster--to the heroic tales of Hercules, Persues, Pegsus, Orion, all 12 constellations from the zodiac, the Greek gods, and classic favorites like Ursa Major and Ursa minor, AKA the Big and Little Dipper.

Turn your book into a working bird feeder for your backyard feathered friends with the help of this kid's hands-on guide to understanding the world of birds.

Fly, flutter, and flap into the colorful world of birds in this interactive book for kids ages 8 and up. Learn all about birds -- from feathers and feet to habitats and diet, and how to spot them in your own backyard, this book is the perfect for budding birders. As the name describes, TURN THIS BOOK INTO A BIRD FEEDER is more than just a book -- follow the simple instruction to transform the cover into a working bird feeder. Whether you live in the country, suburbs, or a city, enjoy watching locals flock to the yummy buffet.

The Real Buzz on Bees

What a promise Actually, promises. First, here's a book that teaches kids all about the fascinating world of bees. Second, fun exercises, activities, and illustrations engage the imagination and offer a deeper understanding of bee life and bee behavior. Third, by following a few simple steps including removing the book's cover and taping it together, readers can transform the book into an actual living home for backyard bees. Fourth, added all together, Turn This Book Into a Beehive lets kids make a difference in the world--building a home where bees can thrive is one small but critical step in reversing the alarming trend of dwindling bee populations.

Written by Lynn Brunelle, author of Pop Bottle Science, whose gift for making science fun earned her four Emmy Awards as a writer for Bill Nye the Science Guy, Turn This Book Into a Beehive introduces kids to the amazing mason bee, a non-aggressive, non-stinging super-pollinator that does the work of over 100 honeybees. Mason bees usually live in hollow reeds or holes in wood, but here's how to make a home just for them: Tear out the perforated paper--each illustrated as a different room in a house--roll the sheets into tubes, enclose the tubes using the book's cover, and hang the structure outside. The bees will arrive, pack mud into the tubes, and begin pollinating all the plants in your backyard.

Twenty experiments and activities reveal even more about bees--how to smell like a bee, understand the role of flowers and pollen, learn how bees communicate with each other through dance, and more. It's the real buzz on bees, delivered in the most ingenious and interactive way.

How do you connect the artsy, science-nerd mom to the art and science of parenting? Lynn Brunelle shares her field trip through pregnancy and parenting, sprinkled with a sparkle of science, in this hilarious and awe-inspiring memoir.

With great enthusiasm, Lynn shows how she shares her inner geek--the part of her that is gleefully curious and wide-eyed with wonderment--with her children. For Lynn, science is the stardust that makes common things glow. Why not pass that magic along to the kids? When Lynn brought her passion for science into her parenting, it began to make all the difference to her and her kids. Her heart lifts when her boys are elbow-deep in mud searching for crystals and when she catches them debating whether a chicken is related to a dinosaur. Science isn't just for geeks. It's the future. If you're a parent or planning to become one, it's your future.

Make your child's first forays into science fun 52 clever and easy experiments for things that will zip, zoom, and fly, and fizz, bubble, and burst. For children ages 4 to 8.

Introduce future engineers, inventors, naturalists, and artists to the physics and chemistry, biology and ecology behind everyday play. Create chemical reactions, explore gravity and friction, transform states of matter, play with air pressure, and much more through 52 simple experiments that zip and zoom, fly and fizz, bubble and burst. Geek mom Lynn Brunelle has created an interactive guide perfect for both kids and their parents: the projects will engage children, and the informative lessons will help parents when asked the inevitable question, why?

The projects include:
1. The Exploding Lunch Bag: Will you get out of the way before the vinegar and baking soda react with a fizzy burst?
2. Seed Hunt: Seek out whirly, sticky, and smooth seeds for a science-filled outdoor adventure
3. The Marshmallow Launcher: Harness energy to fling sugary treats in the name of science.
4. And many more

Bear bags, wilderness showers, and telling the temperature by counting the cricket chirps...

Whether you're planning an over night in the backyard or a weekend in the wilderness, this book is packed with stuff to know. The basics, from gearing up to choosing a site to building a tarp tent. Tasty outdoor recipes: Solar Oven Pizza, Chow Down Chili and s' more's of course--with 8 variations.

Plus: how to keep a Field Journal, exploring the nighttime sky, creepy campfire stories, and when it's time to go home, leaving no trace. It's everything you need to pick up and head for the hills.

For Ages 7 and up.

Each of the 52 volumes in the World Almanac Library of the States is filled with the most up-to-date information, including the latest Census results. Full-color photos bring to life the story of each state, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other outlying areas. In addition to an in-depth factual profile of each state in the form of a state Almanac, each book offers fascinating and lively discussions of the state's history, people, geography, government, economy, culture, and lifestyles. Each title also includes a section on notable people, a calendar of events, and enough primary source documents, time lines, maps, and other tools to make this unquestionably the best young adult reference material on the United States of America available anywhere.

Each of the 52 volumes in the World Almanac Library of the States is filled with the most up-to-date information, including the latest Census results. Full-color photos bring to life the story of each state, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other outlying areas. In addition to an in-depth factual profile of each state in the form of a state Almanac, each book offers fascinating and lively discussions of the state's history, people, geography, government, economy, culture, and lifestyles. Each title also includes a section on notable people, a calendar of events, and enough primary source documents, time lines, maps, and other tools to make this unquestionably the best young adult reference material on the United States of America available anywhere.

From submicroscopic particles to infections and deadly diseases, Viruses explores the science of pathogens that are all around us, but that we can only see through a microscope. Enhanced with fascinating and colorful microscopic photographs, readers will be riveted to this excellent volume that explores the biology of viruses and the challenges they create for humans and animals alike.