Venezuela

“Provides comprehensive information on the geography, history, wildlife, governmental structure, economy, cultural diversity, peoples, religion, and culture of Venezuela”–Provided by publisher.

Sacred Stories

Sacred Stories is a priceless collection of thirty-five spellbinding stories from distinctive backgrounds and faiths.  Author Marilyn McFarlane takes you on a respectful, engaging, and educational journey through seven major belief systems:

Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Native American, Sacred Earth.

Enhanced by beautiful illustrations and intriguing facts, Sacred Stories draws from a rich storehouse of history, tradition, and symbols of humanity’s deepest needs and longings.  Each captivating story and illustration brings to life the key tenets of a particular belief system, from creation myths to miraculous visions, from gods and goddesses to the Golden Rule.  Appealing to young and old alike, Sacred Stories will expand your understanding of human spirituality in all its wonder.

Excuses Excuses

“Youngsters will delight in Neel’s fantastic excuses… The illustrations, a collage of tinted photographs and art, provide an appropriately surreal backdrop” -Kirkus Reviews” Art and text intertwined with balanced whimsy, imbue Neel’s tall tales with colorful energy and unlimited creativity.” – BookDragon, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program Who doesn’t know a child who is always ready with an implausible excuse when caught out by an indignant adult? Excuses Excuses builds on this universal experience using an Indian setting. Young Neel is the boy next door who can’t help getting into trouble, and yet he is endearing in his explanations. He has one for every day of the week and for every kind of adult ? it seems that he may never run out of them! Wildly funny and imaginative, this narrative in nonsense verse is fast-paced and keeps young readers guessing. Unusual and dramatic art that captures the improbable colors of India adds zest to a story that all children would want to be a part of.

Nowhere Else On Earth

You don’t have to live in the Great Bear Rainforest to benefit from its existence, but after you read Nowhere Else on Earth you might want to visit this magnificent part of the planet. Environmental activist Caitlyn Vernon guides young readers through a forest of information, sharing her personal stories, her knowledge and her concern for this beautiful place. Full of breathtaking photographs and suggestions for ways to preserve this unique ecosystem, Nowhere Else on Earth is a timely and inspiring reminder that we need to stand up for our wild places before they are gone.

Visit http://www.greatbearrainforest.ca to find teacher and student resources, view the online photo gallery, or read a sample chapter from the book. To access the free teacher’s guide for Nowhere Else on Earth, click here:http://orcabook.com/nowhereelseonearth/guides/teachersguide.pdf.

Sri Lanka

A look at the geography, history, government, economy, people, lifestyles, language, and culture of this diverse island country.

China

A look at the geography, history, government, economy, people, lifestyles, religion, language, and culture of the world’s most populous nation.

Philippines

An illustrated overview of the history, geography and culture of the Philippines and the people who inhabit these tropical islands.

Titanic: The Search for the Lost Fugitives

Readers become investigators in this interactive mystery about one of history’s most ill-fated voyages. While looking through documents connected with the Titanic’s maiden trip, a journalist discovers that he might be related to a pair of fugitives who disappeared from his hometown and perished in the disaster. Readers follow the trail of evidence in clues hidden in codes and symbols in order to discover the identities of the runaways and the reasons for their flight. Along the way, they will build critical problem-solving skills and encounter many different levels of clues and information in the atmospheric artwork and narrative text. Foldout panels help translate the symbols, and kids will love the specially created code wheel which will allow them to create and decode their own secret messages.