Nature Mysteries

Willow Feathers McBeaver, aka Detective Duck, is a crime-solving (and very precocious) little duck. She and her animal pals live on Dogwood Pond, a beautiful pond in New England adjacent to Lazy Days, a human campground. Dogwood Pond has always been a pristine spot with clear water, abundant wildlife, and shady willow trees, but now it is encountering puzzling problems—mysteries that arise from human-caused disruptions in nature, such as water pollution, refuse, warming climate, and human encroachment.

Walter's family is holding a yard sale, but there are few customers. Walter, farting contentedly near Father, wonders why. When a man offers ten dollars for Walter, Father readily agrees. Walter wonders why. Walter is sad to leave his family behind but relieved to discover that his new owner is a clown. Walter figures he will help the clown bring joy to children on their birthdays. But the clown has a dastardly plot: He will use Walter's gas to inflate balloons and then pop them to stun guards during bank robberies. Will Walter turn to the dark side? Of course not! He comes out a hero and is reunited with his family by doing what he does best.

The world’s shark population is in trouble for a sad, simple reason: shark fin soup. And although it’s illegal, poachers have been targeting Florida’s biannual migration of blacktip sharks. Marine biologist Doc Ford needs some assistance protecting the sharks and enlists the help of three kids - Luke, Maribel, and Sabina. Luke is brand-new to Florida from the Midwest; sisters Maribel and Sabina have only recently arrived from Cuba - and all three feel like fish out of water. It’s going to take some convincing for them to work as a team.

It is five days until Christmas, and Winston has a Very Curious Mystery to solve. He has hazy rememberings of another mouse, and he just knows that someone very important to him is lost. After promising Oliver that he will be back in time for Christmas, no matter what, Winston sets out on an exciting round-the-world adventure to find the missing mouse, helped along the way by wonderful old friends and delightful new ones, too.

Meet Tyrone the Tyrannosaurus, Green Lawn’s newest–and biggest!–visitor. The kids’ old friend Jud Wheat is in town raising funds for a dinosaur museum. But after the show in Green Lawn, all Jud’s money disappears! Can Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose track down the cash?

As Head of Ranch Security, Hank knows that it's his job to clear the ranch of all intruders - and that includes gophers. But when Hank's efforts to rid the yard of one such critter causes a stampede in the middle of the cattle roundup, Loper decides that he just can't take it any more. He wants Hank to learn some manners, so he's sending him to - gulp! - obedience school.

The white-collar life Jonathan Powell created for himself is gone. Standing outside Wentworth prison after serving his five-year sentence, he knows he has to start over. No more hooking up with Dominant women so he can enjoy the challenge of screwing up their minds. But who knew his last target would be a psychopathic killer who tried to off two cops? No, it wasn't the game that was the problem. He just made some key mistakes. Mistakes he won't make again. Then Mistress Dona shows up to give him a ride from the prison into his new life, and his resolve goes out the window.

Bowser the dog is doing great. He's been adopted by Birdie, the greatest girl in the world, and he gets lots of love, lots of walks, and sometimes even bacon! But why is Birdie looking so worried? Who broke into their house? Why is the new girl in town digging into the old mystery of what really happened to Birdie's dad, a policeman killed in the line of duty? Bowser better keep his ears perked and his paws at the ready. A murder case that went cold long ago is fixing to get way too hot.

On a blustery day in late fall, Hank sneaks into the back of Slim's pickup and finds himself at a neighboring rancher's fall branding...the very neighbor, in fact, who owns the gorgeous Miss Scamper the Beagle! Unfortunately, Miss Scamper has always been a little hard to figure out, and he can't decide if she's crazy about him...or just plain crazy. And, as the day unfolds, it even begins to look like she's angling to land him in a heap of trouble with her pit bull boyfriend, Steel!

When an oil spill takes place off the coast of Connecticut, the Aldens are happy to volunteer to help clean up the animals affected, including a rare species of shore bird. But could more have been done to prevent the spill? As the Aldens take up the case, it leads them on an adventure to help other endangered animals around the world.

The four Aldens like visiting the large old museum owned by their grandfather's friend. But then Jessie sees a huge, scary shadow moving in the room where the dinosaur skeletons are on display. And bones from the enormous Tyrannosaurus rex disappear. They must find the missing bones and solve the mystery before an exhibit is scheduled to open - or there might not be a dinosaur exhibit at all!

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?

It all starts with Hank the puppy enjoying his family's backyard home. Feathers start to fly when Hank defends his backyard against invading...phantom ducks? Hank's mother says it's a good time for him to go out on his own before the dogcatcher arrives. So Hank makes his way to the Twitchell Livestock Auction. Will he join up with Slim, the cowboy he meets there? Or will the dogcatcher provide his new home?

When a funny turn of events brings a parrot to the ranch, Hank is not worried. After all, what harm can one copycat bird do? So he decides to go about his business. The only problem is, Loper and Sally May don't seem to appreciate his heeding their requests to bark louder and dig up the flowers. What's really going on here? Hank's not sure, but he's determined to find out! Picknickers sing "Because Thy Loving Kindness," and Drover sings a little number called "There Once Was a Doggie".

Of all the creatures of the deep blue, none is as captivating as the octopus. In Many Things Under a Rock, marine biologist David Scheel investigates four major mysteries about these elusive beings. How can we study an animal with perfect camouflage and secretive habitats? How does a soft and boneless creature defeat sharks and eels, while thriving as a predator of the most heavily armored animals in the sea? How do octopus bodies work? And how does a solitary animal form friendships, entice mates, and outwit rivals?

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?

Kayla needs to return her library books so she can check out new ones. But she can’t find one of them. Where could it be? Can King and Kayla’s friend Jillian help?

Case brief: The opening of the Kalamazoo City Dome - the world's largest indoor/outdoor amusement complex - has everyone in the city buzzing, especially because it's going to be the shooting site for Chase Mercy's new blockbuster film. But that's when things start to go haywire, and Mayor Saunders suspects foul play. Who would want to sabotage the Dome, and why?

Nate the Great doesn't especially want to go to a birthday party for Annie's ferocious dog, Fang. But he can't resist a mystery: and when Annie loses her house key and can't get inside to set up the party, Nate and his trusty dog, Sludge, are hot on the trail!

Fairies abound in the realms of myth and folklore. They have enchanted humans for centuries—but are these mischievous, ethereal creatures more than just myth? One could ask for no better guide to the fairy realm than Ralph Harvey, one of England's foremost modern-day witches. In Fairy Lore he intersperses his own intriguing fairy encounters (among them, a mysterious musical interlude in an Irish valley) with succinct yet interesting introductions to the folktales of the fae.