Nature Mysteries

An American classic with a refrain that millions of kids love to chant: Hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats. Wanda Gág's enchanting tale of the very old man who went off in search of the prettiest cat in the world for his wife and returned instead with millions to choose from has become an American classic, widely recognized as the first modern picture book. First published in 1928, it was a recipient of the 1929 Newbery Honor Award and has gone on to sell over a million copies.

Chet Gecko loves a good mystery. Almost more than he loves his fee: Stinkbug pie. So when fellow fourth grader Shirley Chameleon asks him to find her missing brother, Billy, Chet expects the case to be as easy as pie. But Billy's disappearance is part of a larger plot, one that involves the Rat Sisters, a riddling junkyard dog, and a vicious Gila monster named Herman. If Chet doesn't solve the case fast, the entire school could be humiliated. Worst of all, Chet might not get his fee. And Chet's hungry...

When Queenie the cat wins first place in a feline beauty contest at the county fair, Arthur the dog expects her to be snootier than ever. (Even though she barely beat out another cat who looked almost exactly like her.) Yet when Queenie returns from the fair, she seems oddly nice and sociable - almost like she's had a personality change! The humans chalk up Queenie's good mood to her recent win, but Arthur knows the truth. He can tell from the smell that this friendly Queenie is an imposter!

The Aldens are helping out at a rescue ranch, taking care of horses that need extra attention. Jessie’s favorite is a beautiful horse named Dragon. But when Dragon and some of the other horses disappear from the pasture, the Boxcar Children must saddle up for a mystery. What’s happening to the horses at the Dare to Dream Ranch?

Three more slapstick early readers from our favourite doggy detectives, all set in the summer sun. And things are heating up! Someone is cheating in the sandcastle competition! There’s something fishy about the new cafe! But it’s the alien invasion that really makes Shifty and Sam lose their cool! Anyone for an iced bun?

It’s lambing season at Oak Tree Farm! When a little lamb loses his mother, Jasmine names him Lucky and steps in to bottle-feed him and patiently help him learn to walk. With a sheepdog to train and two helpless baby birds to raise, it’s hard work for Jasmine to juggle all of her animals, even with the help of her best friend, Tom. But when sheep rustlers strike her family’s flock, taking Lucky with them, Jasmine will have to summon the courage for her most daring rescue yet.

The monumental statues of Easter Island, both so magisterial and so forlorn, gazing out in their imposing rows over the island’s barren landscape, have been the source of great mystery ever since the island was first discovered by Europeans on Easter Sunday 1722. How could the ancient people who inhabited this tiny speck of land, the most remote in the vast expanse of the Pacific islands, have built such monumental works?

Basil the mouse detective sets off on a journey to solve one of the greatest mysteries of mousedom: Do miniature cats exist? Leading mouse scientists aren't certain, but they believe answers can be found in the Far East. Thus begins the story of an unusual quest. As Basil sets sail for the Far East - and the lost island of Kataarh - danger stalks him at every turn. Our hero is determined to unravel the mystery of these mini cats and their mouse king!

When a dog training school opens in Greenfield, the Boxcar Children bring Watch in to learn some new tricks! But at the very first class, a Dalmatian goes missing - did the dog run away, or was he stolen? And when a second dog vanishes at the next class, it’s clear that the Aldens have a dog-gone mystery to solve!

When Kid accompanies her parents to New York City for a six-month stint of dog-sitting and home-schooling, she sees what looks like a tiny white cloud on the top of their apartment building. Rumor says there’s a goat living on the roof, but how can that be? As Kid soon discovers, a goat on the roof may be the least strange thing about her new home, whose residents are both strange and fascinating.

A local schoolteacher is missing, and the only thing fishier than the circumstances surrounding his disappearance is the smell coming from the bag he left behind. All clues point to billionaire businessman Frank Pandini Jr. - but why would Pandini get his paws into the illegal fish trade?

It's winter in the Texas Panhandle, and the ranch is covered in snow and ice. So when Sally May sets off for town, Hank decides to follow Pete the Barncat's advice and bravely escorts her car down the slick road. Before Hank realizes what's happening, Sally May's car skids into a snowdrift - and she is angrier than ever!

Baker Street mice - beware! So far the twins are safe. They'll stay that way if you do what we say. We've decided to make your Baker Street cellar the headquarters for our gang. Everybody must be out in 48 hours. It's Basil's job to move you all out, just the way he moved you in. Better make it fast! And leave the furniture - we need it. This is the only warning you'll get. And listen - if you don't follow our orders, you'll never set eyes on those twins again!

Life is never quiet at the Homestead. First, it was disappearing animals, then a power-hungry dairy queen. Now it’s a Renaissance Faire, a noisy, stinky spectacle that drives Horace to distraction. Bunwinkle, on the other hand, can’t get enough of the festivities—she loves the thrilling jousts, the court intrigue…and especially the pickles on a stick.

Adventure-loving penguin Jackson dreams of being a secret agent like his Uncle Bryn, who works for the Frosty Bureau of Investigation. Jackson and his gadget-inventing best friend, Quigley, might officially be too young to join the FBI, but they aren’t going to let that stop them! They just need to come up with the right plan to prove they are worthy. But when one of Q’s inventions goes dangerously wrong, Jackson suddenly finds himself dropped right in the middle of an FBI stakeout. There’s fishy business afoot at the city’s aquarium....

The Aldens must find a way to solve many mysteries, and all before 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday! Strange things are happening in Greenfield where the Boxcar Children live. Stray cats and dogs appear on doorsteps, but the animal shelter is forced to close, and a nice old woman disappears. Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny are very worried about Mrs. Newcombe. Is she in danger? Who are the strange men lurking around her house?

Emily the Strange: 13 years old. Able to leap tall buildings, probably, if she felt like it. More likely to be napping with her four black cats; or cobbling together a particle accelerator out of lint, lentils, and safety pins; or rocking out on drums/ guitar/ saxophone/ zither; or painting a swirling feral sewer mural; or forcing someone to say "swirling feral sewer mural" 13 times fast.... and pointing and laughing.

Alec Milius is young, smart, and ambitious. He also has a talent for deception. He is working in a dead-end job when a chance encounter leads him to MI6, the elite British Secret Intelligence Service, handing him an opportunity to play center stage in a dangerous game of espionage.

A lovable dog helps his human girl solve a mystery. Thor has been accused of wrecking Mr. Gary’s yard, knocking over trash cans, eating the vegetables out of the garden, and pooping. But King and Kayla, with the help of some other neighbors, are determined to clear his name, using a wide variety of familiar and new detecting skills. With simple, straightforward language and great verbal and visual humor, the King & Kayla series from Geisel Honor Award-winning team Dori Hillestad Butler and Nancy Meyers is perfect for newly independent readers.

This audiobook is one of the best guides ever made on how to achieve mental well-being by understanding and mastering this mysterious and powerful force. The mechanics of how it works are detailed here, as well as methods of gathering, conserving, and using its power. The exercises outlined are simple and easy, and they work.