exploration

The Apprentices

It’s 1954, and Janie Scott is in boarding school in New Hampshire, trying to make a new life. Two years have passed since she last saw the mysterious apothecary—or his defiant son, Benjamin. All she knows is that her friends are out there somewhere, trying to keep the world safe in an age of mounting atomic power. On the other side of the world, Benjamin is treating the wounded in a jungle war, and experimenting with a magical new formula that will let him communicate with Janie across the globe.

But Janie has her own experiment underway, and it’s attracting interest from sinister forces.  Benjamin calls on their friend Pip for help, and they have to race to find one another, and to unravel the mystery of their powerful new enemies.

 

 

The Adventures of Little Nutbrown Hare

Just like young children everywhere, Little Nutbrown Hare likes to explore, play, venture out into the world, and sometimes just savor the comfort of being at home with loved ones. But whatever he does, and wherever he goes, Big Nutbrown Hare is always there to cheer him on. In a beautiful jacketed Guess How Much I Love You storybook, here are four heartwarming new stories that little readers (and their bigger companions) will instantly relate to.

Mrs. Harkness and the Panda

In 1934, Ruth Harkness had never seen a panda bear.  Not many people in the world had.

But soon the young Mrs. Harkness would inherit an expedition from her explorer husband: the hunt for a panda.  She knew that bringing back a panda would be hard. Impossible, even.  But she intended to try.

So she went to China, where she found a guide, built traps, gathered supplies, and had explorers’ clothes made—unheard of for a woman in those days.  Then she set out up the Yangtze River and into the wilderness.  What she discovered would awe America: an adorable baby panda she named Su Lin, which means “a little bit of something very cute.”

Vasco da Gama: Quest for the Spice Trade

Each colorful book in this series describes what an explorer’s life was really like on an expedition, from what they wore to what they ate, and includes colorful maps and images showing the areas explored; a look at the political climates of various countries that made explorers venture out into the unknown; and an examination of how explorers lived while on the high seas, on the trail, or in the encampment.

Henry The Navigator

This book traces the beginnings of the European Age of Exploration through the sponsorship of voyages by Prince Henry of Portugal. Colorful photographs and maps trace the adventures of his explorers.

Exploration Into Africa

Exploration Into Africa is part of a series describing the history of chosen regions before and after their exploration by Europeans. This book is about exploring the whole story of Africa from the earliest times, through the periods of its great empires, to the time of its exploration by European travelers right up to the present day. Read about the Ghanaian Empire that was so wealthy the dogs in the king’s palace wore collars of solid gold. Read about massive walls of Great Zimbabwe, the fabulous city that was suddenly abandoned for no apparent reason. And read about the Europeans who came and explored Africa in their quest to solve the mysteries of that continent.

Totally Human

This playful science book introduces the biology of human evolution and behavior with an accessible, interactive text packed with information and wry, bright computer graphics on each spread.

Marco Polo: History’s Great Adventurer

Travel along the Silk Road to medieval China with Marco Polo as your guide. Meet the warlord Kublai Khan and sail through pirate-infested seas in search of riches beyond measure. Including booklets, foldouts and maps, as well as excerpts from The Travels of Marco Polo, this beautifully illustrated volume illuminates the adventures of history’s greatest storyteller.

Mama’s Day

In rhyming verse, mothers and their babies are described sharing in a variety of activities, from playing at the ocean to reading books and taking a bath.  The mothers and children represent a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, ages, and sizes, reflecting the diversity of mamas and kids everywhere.