Showing results by narrator "Jodi Dick" in All Categories

On January 31, 1961, a three-year-old chimpanzee named Ham made history. Strapped inside a Mercury capsule, the little chimp blasted off into the sky, becoming the first intelligent being to ride an American rocket into suborbital space. Ham made a vital contribution to the United States space program. Because there were so many unanswered questions about space travel, scientists could not risk sending humans on a journey into the unknown. Chimpanzees, however, are very similar to humans in the makeup of their skeletons and internal organs.

Critically acclaimed author Keith Lee Morris—who has drawn favorable comparisons to Richard Russo and Richard Ford—delivers a stunning collection of stories. Through these tales of deep humanity, the flaws and strengths of young men are explored with remarkable clarity.

Debut author Alicia Bessette gently blends the lives of two characters to create a sure-to-please recipe of tender insights. When Rose-Ellen’s husband dies, she is devastated. Her husband loved cooking, so now she refuses to do so—until she hears about a baking contest sponsored by celebrity chef Polly Pinch. In another part of the duplex, where Rose-Ellen lives, nine-year-old Ingrid Knox is convinced that Polly Pinch is the mother she’s never met.

On April 11, 1970, astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert were launched into space as the crew of Apollo 13. Their mission, like the missions of Apollo 11 and Apollo 12, was to explore the lunar surface. But that mission was never completed. As they began the procedure for landing on the Moon, the spacecraft was rocked by a violent explosion. Oxygen began pouring out of the Service Module, and the spacecraft began to lose power. Jim Lovell radioed Mission Control with the now-famous words, "Houston, we have a problem."

Learn about animals, both domestic and wild, who have become heroes when they came to the rescue of humans.