The Tapir Scientist

If you’ve never seen a lowland tapir, you’re not alone. Most of the people who live near tapir habitat in Brazil’s vast Pantanal (“the Everglades on steroids”) haven’t seen the elusive snorkel-snouted mammal, either. In this nonfiction picturebook, Sibert winners Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop join a tapir-finding expedition led by the Brazilian field scientist Pati Medici.

The Young Person’s Guide To Shakespeare: [Book-and-Cd Set]

Who was Shakespeare, and why has his work remained so compelling to us for so many centuries? With conversational text, informative sidebars, and full-color photographs, The Young Person’s Guide to Shakespeare makes Shakespeare’s life and work accessible to young readers. Topics addressed include Shakespeare’s youth, marriage, and family life; the fascinating story of the Globe Theatre and Shakespeare’s life as a playwright and actor in London; an introduction to Shakespeare’s plays and the challenges of performing them; and Shakespeare’s enduring legacy–the enormous influence he still holds over the arts, culture, language, and society hundreds of years later.

Shakespeare and Macbeth

Blending historical research and contemporary literary criticism, this fascinating look at one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays explains how the playwright conceived and wrote Macbeth and brings to life a production of the play.

Dickens: His Work and His World

What the Dickens is all the fuss? Take a lively look at an author whose indelible characters live on in our language and culture — and whose legacy shapes our literature to this day. Join award-winning author, critic, and anthologist Michael Rosen for a spirited tour of the life and work of one of our greatest novelists. With stunning illustrations by Robert Ingpen, this accessible, child-friendly book vividly re-creates the world of Charles Dickens, from the author’s childhood in London to his early career, his performances, and, of course, the great social and political upheavals of the time, which inspired so much of his work. Michael Rosen’s vibrant discussion covers some of the best-known novels by Dickens, describing OLIVER TWIST, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, and DAVID COPPERFIELD, and providing a fascinating detailed analysis of GREAT EXPECTATIONS.

Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can’t Avoid

Lemony Snicket’s work is filled with bitter truths, like: ‘It is always cruel to laugh at people, of course, although sometimes if they are wearing an ugly hat it is hard to control yourself.’ Or: ‘It is very easy to say that the important thing is to try your best, but if you are in real trouble the most important thing is not trying your best, but getting to safety.’ For all of life’s ups and downs, its celebrations and its sorrows, here is a book to commemorate it all – especially for those not fully soothed by chicken soup. Witty and irreverent, Horseradish is a book with universal appeal, a delightful vehicle to introduce Snicket’s uproariously unhappy observations to a crowd not yet familiar with the Baudelaires’ misadventures.

The Horse And The Plains Indians

The image of a Native American on horseback has become ingrained in the American consciousness. But the Plains Indians and the horse were not always inseparable. Once, Native Americans used dogs to help carry their goods, and even after the Spaniards introduced the horse to the Americas, horses were considered so valuable that the Spanish would not allow the Indians to have them. But soon horses escaped from Spanish settlements, and Native Americans quickly learned how valuable the horse could be as a hunting mount, beast of burden, and military steed. Follow the story of this transformative partnership, starting in the early sixteenth century and continuing today.

The Navajo

Presents a brief introduction to the Navajo Indians including information on their society, homes, food, clothing, crafts, and life today.

The Hopi

Provides a brief description of the territorial homeland of the Hopi people. The chapters describe society, homes, food, clothing, crafts, family, children, myths, war, and contact with Europeans. Readers meet Yokiuma, whose personal mission was to preserve the Hopi culture.