Nonfiction Science

Everyone's a New Yorker on Thanksgiving Day, when young and old rise early to see what giant new balloons will fill the skies for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Who first invented these "upside-down puppets"? Meet Tony Sarg, puppeteer extraordinaire!

Did you know Toll House Cookies were created accidentally in an old Toll House in Massachusetts by a woman hurrying to make a tasty snack for her patrons? And did you know that Liquid Paper® (or white-out) was invented because of one small typing mistake? Often overshadowed by famous male inventors, women have also made many significant contributions to science and industry.

Lorcan was seven years old when his mother first heard him say ‘I love you’. The words were not directed at her, but at Jessi-cat, the family pet. Lorcan suffers from autism and selective mutism, rendering him unable to speak in certain situations. This all began to change with the arrival of a kitten named Jessi-cat.

Imagine having everything taken away from you - permanently - with no hope of resuming a normal life. This is the case for many teenagers in America who are tried and convicted as adults for the crime of murder. Here Susan Kuklin takes you behind bars for frank interviews with a collection of young men who will spend the better part of their lives in jail. She lets them speak for themselves, providing the raw details of their incarceration and the anger, despair, and surprising hope they experience every day. Kuklin also provides an in-depth look at the American penal system, highlighting its many intricacies and inequities while focusing on capital cases involving juveniles.

Parachutes can be used for emergency landings. But they can also be used for flying fun! Who packs a parachute? And how does its light fabric keep you afloat? Discover the answers inside this audiobook!

Christmas is many things to many people. It celebrates the birth of the Christ child. It is also Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus, angels, lights, Christmas trees, cards, carols, presents, and prayers. Christmas is...peace, love, and joy.

How does an egg become a butterfly? Follow each step in nature's cycle - from egg to brightly colored insect - in this fascinating book!

This is the story of the first six months in the life of a baby bottle-nosed dolphin. You will see what dolphins eat, and how they protect themselves from sharks, killer whales, and other enemies. Learn about these intelligent mammals who live under the waves.

Discover what a grizzly bear has in common with a jaguar. Find out what sets a grizzly bear apart from an armadillo. Listeners will compare and contrast key traits of grizzlies - their appearance, behavior, habitat, and life cycle - to traits of other mammals. Through gathering information about similarities and differences, listeners will make connections and draw conclusions about what makes this animal a mammal and how mammals are alike and different from each other.

What does it mean to migrate? Discover which animals migrate and why they migrate through detailed, simple text.

They say a dog is a man's best friend. Well, while this may partly be true, the unfortunate part about our friendship with our dogs is really wanting. Let me ask you this simple question; how much do you know about dogs? If you really are someone's friend, you probably would do everything possible to know as much about them as is practically possible. If you've been a dog owner for some time, you can bet that your dog knows a lot about you than you probably may think.

At least as far back as the ancient myth of Icarus, humans longed to fly - but it wasn't until December 17, 1903, on the windy dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, that the dream finally came true. And it was all thanks to Orville and Wilbur Wright, two former bicycle mechanics who built their first toy plane - a rubber-band powered rotary - when they were just children.

When a bass lunges at Puffer, he suddenly blows up like a beach ball! Now twice his size, Puffer is able to face the dangers of the deep! Reviewed by the Smithsonian Institution for accuracy, Puffer's Surprise is a fun and informative story.

The eerie silence was broken only by the sound of scuffling feet as marchers approached the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. The mood was sober. Hundreds of men, women, and children had been protesting in Selma for weeks to win black Americans the right to vote. They’d been threatened. Been arrested. Jailed. This march was likely to end in violence, yet they went anyway. But when state troopers attacked with billy clubs and tear gas, the brute force was a shock.

Hi there! My name is Evan Copper and I have spaceship and a shiny spacesuit! And I'd like to take you with me on an amazing trip through our solar system. I'm inviting you to come along on a fact-filled journey all the way to Mercury! I hope you'll come along and learn all sorts of new and exciting things with me!

The human species is relatively new to the planet in geologic terms. With origins reaching back only a few million years, the rise of humans from primate ancestors is a remarkable evolutionary success story. Early Humans traces the beginnings of the human species, its success and adaptability, and the development of such innovations as human language and culture.

Wrongful intolerance has existed in American society for more than four centuries. Us and Them illuminates the shadowy corners of our national past and traces the country’s continuing efforts to measure up to its lofty ideals. Through 14 dramatic narratives, listeners witness epic struggles that shaped our collective identity. These and eight other forgotten incidents of history come to life in clear and vibrant prose.

At least as far back as the ancient myth of Icarus, humans longed to fly - but it wasn't until December 17, 1903, on the windy dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, that the dream finally came true. And it was all thanks to Orville and Wilbur Wright, two former bicycle mechanics who built their first toy plane - a rubber-band powered rotary - when they were just children.

Learn what a Siberian tiger has in common with an elk. Discover what sets a Siberian tiger apart from a Tasmanian devil. Listeners will compare and contrast key traits of Siberian tigers - their appearance, behavior, habitat, and life cycle - to traits of other mammals. Through gathering information about similarities and differences, listeners will make connections and draw conclusions about what makes this animal a mammal and how mammals are alike and different from each other.

Compare different types of scales and discover how they protect the bodies of fish and reptiles.