New Releases by Donna Latham

"April was reading a book about a dog who rescued a man. She decided to write a letter to her favorite author, Julia Reed. She wanted the author to write a book about her dog, Golden Boy." -- Cover.

The United States boasts a rich musical diversity. Colonial Americans integrated European traditions with new cultural influences to compose a unique musical identity. African traditions influenced hymns and folk songs that connected people to religion and to the trials and tribulations of everyday life. Patriotic tunes created unity in wartime. America’s jazz, blues, rock, and hip-hop continue to evolve from their African-American origins. Music: Investigate the Evolution of American Sound invites kids ages 12 and up to explore the roots of American music genres as they investigate the social, political, and religious influences that inspire musicians. Activities encourage readers to inquire into the art and science of music. Readers can engage in a hands-on exploration of the physics of sound vibrations, decibel levels, and acoustics, or use vocal styling to improvise and discover the rhythm of their bodies to create a beatbox. Music encourages readers to analyze lyrics, their meanings, and rhythms, and then use that analysis to write their own songs. This title meets common core state standards in language arts for reading informational text and literary nonfiction and is aligned with Next Generation Science Standards. Guided Reading Levels and Lexile measurements indicate grade level and text complexity.

Canals and Dams: Investigate Feats of Engineering invites children ages 9 and up to explore the innovation and physical science behind the amazing waterways and barriers our world depends on. Trivia and fun facts illustrate engineering ingenuity and achievements from ancient aqueducts to the Suez Canal and the Hoover Dam. Readers will discover that engineers and builders alike put their lives on the line to advance civilization, experiencing triumphs and tragedies in building big. Through dazzling success and heartbreaking failure, they developed increasingly sophisticated tools and building methods. Activities and projects encourage children to explore the engineering process and to try, try again through trial and error. They'll engage in hands-on explorations of buoyancy, Newton’s third law of motion, and forces that push and pull structures. They’ll create a paper-cup zip line, build an arch, and simulate a tsunami, while experimenting with gravity, hydroponics, and velocity. In Canals and Dams: Investigate Feats of Engineering, children will gain an appreciation for the important field of engineering as they develop their own building skills.

Over centuries and across cultures people have defied gravity in a quest to build the tallest, grandest structures imaginable. Skyscrapers: Investigate Feats of Engineering with 25 Projects invites children ages 9 and up to explore the innovation and physical science behind these towering structures. Trivia and fun facts illustrate engineering ingenuity and achievements from the ancient pyramids to the Empire State Building. Readers will develop an understanding of how our modern, sophisticated building techniques and materials evolved over time. Activities and projects encourage children to explore the engineering design process. They will engage in hands-on explorations of wind, test Newton’s laws of motion, and experiment with the strength of different shapes. In the process they will learn about gravity, inertia, oscillation, and static electricity. Using various materials and engaging in trial and error, readers will construct their own towers and skyscrapers. Skyscrapers meets common core state standards in language arts for reading informational text and literary nonfiction and is aligned with Next Generation Science Standards. Guided Reading Levels and Lexile measurements indicate grade level and text complexity.

BIOLOGY IS THE STUDY OF LIFE Life is everywhere, thriving in the city and in the country, teeming in ecosystems around the planet—in deserts, oceans, and even the Arctic. And life is right outside your door! Backyard Biology invites children ages 9 and up to investigate living things—especially in yards, parks, nature areas, and playgrounds. Trivia and fun facts bring animals, plants, and microorganisms to life, in all their wonder. Readers become Nature Detectives with activities and projects that encourage children to make discoveries. Children will construct a plankton net to collect pond samples, and they’ll grow microorganisms in a Winogradsky Column. They’ll discover what mystery plants sprout from collected soil samples and build a rolypoly habitat. When children experiment with phototropism and geotropism, they'll discover the ways plants move. In Backyard Biology, children will scout out different habitats to observe and investigate—and do their part to protect them.

Bully Bree waits for her meet-up, poetic Locust. Bree's snarky comments outrage hippie chick Jessica, who Bree once stabbed in the back. Bree claims the girls' patched-up friendship picked up right where it left off. Is that a good thing for Jessica--and does karma really reign?

Let YouthPLAYS lead you on a quest for comedy with fifteen short plays all in one comic collection, ideal for short play festivals, classroom scene study and competition. From dirty toilet seat-induced "pregnancies" to the agonizing search for just the right outfit to turning nuclear weapons into dating accessories, teen performers will find a wide variety of comic subjects and styles to stretch their acting chops and tickle their funny bones.

Bridges and tunnels are lifelines. People have tackled seemingly insurmountable obstacles, including vast canyons and mountain ranges, to design and construct these amazing passageways. Bridges and Tunnels: Investigate Feats of Engineering invites children ages 9 and up to explore the innovation and physical science behind structures our world depends on. Trivia and fun facts illustrate engineering ingenuity and achievements. Activities and projects encourage children to learn about the engineering process and to embrace trial and error.

Investigating a variety of biomes and today’s natural and human threats to their preservation, this interactive series challenges young readers to look at how their own actions influence the planet's health. Four distinct environments are explored in detail, showcasing the assortment of plants and animals that inhabit these outdoor communities as well as how they have adapted to their surroundings. Offering fascinating facts on each ecosystem along with vocabulary-building sidebars, these guides show budding scientists how they can contribute towards ongoing conservation efforts. Exploring the vast biome of the savannas and grasslands, this reference highlights the problems of disease and invasive species, outlining how this beautiful setting across the world can be saved.

Investigating a variety of biomes and today’s natural and human threats to their preservation, this interactive series challenges young readers to look at how their own actions influence the planet's health. Four distinct environments are explored in detail, showcasing the assortment of plants and animals that inhabit these outdoor communities as well as how they have adapted to their surroundings. Offering fascinating facts on each ecosystem along with vocabulary-building sidebars, these guides show budding scientists how they can contribute towards ongoing conservation efforts. The majesty of the earth’s alpine biome is captured in this guide that discusses threats such as acid rain, climate change, and habitat destruction, clearly depicting how these factors affect the world’s mountains.

Investigating a variety of biomes and today’s natural and human threats to their preservation, this interactive series challenges young readers to look at how their own actions influence the planet's health. Four distinct environments are explored in detail, showcasing the assortment of plants and animals that inhabit these outdoor communities as well as how they have adapted to their surroundings. Offering fascinating facts on each ecosystem along with vocabulary-building sidebars, these guides show budding scientists how they can contribute towards ongoing conservation efforts. The diverse woodland of coniferous forests is revealed in this detailed resource, covering topics such as the dangers of deforestation, over hunting, and forest fires, illustrating the rapid decline of this ecosystem’s biodiversity.

Investigating a variety of biomes and today’s natural and human threats to their preservation, this interactive series challenges young readers to look at how their own actions influence the planet's health. Four distinct environments are explored in detail, showcasing the assortment of plants and animals that inhabit these outdoor communities as well as how they have adapted to their surroundings. Offering fascinating facts on each ecosystem along with vocabulary-building sidebars, these guides show budding scientists how they can contribute towards ongoing conservation efforts. Showcasing one of the environment’s most valuable biomes, this overview centers on the planet’s rain forests, reviewing the greenhouse gases and the accelerating extinction of species that jeopardize this vital ecosystem’s future.

Exploring the vast biome of the savannas and grasslands, this book discusses the landscape and climate of grasslands and savannas, the types of grasslands found around the world, and the animals and plants that live in them. It also highlights the problems of disease and invasive species, outlining how this beautiful setting across the world can be saved.

Investigating the planet’s biomes and examining the modern threats to each ecosystem, this interactive series challenges young readers to look at how their own actions influence the planet's health. With compare-and-contrast facts and vocabulary-building sidebars, each engaging guide reveals how environmental threats—both human and natural—affect plants and animals.Showcasing the diverse woodland of deciduous forests, this resource reveals how many of its threats come from humans. Covering topics such as deforestation, acid rain, disease, and invasive species, this engaging guide shows how, in the complicated web of life in the forest, even natural threats can be made worse by human activity.

Investigating the planet’s biomes and examining the modern threats to each ecosystem, this interactive series challenges young readers to look at how their own actions influence the planet's health. With compare-and-contrast facts and vocabulary-building sidebars, each engaging guide reveals how environmental threats—both human and natural—affect plants and animals. Examining this growing biome, this guide shows that the desert is more than just a giant sandbox. Discussing desertification and how environmental change—such as ranching, overdevelopment, and cactus collection—in this area can threaten life outside the desert, this resource instructs students on the need to treat the desert with care.

Investigating the planet’s biomes and examining the modern threats to each ecosystem, this interactive series challenges young readers to look at how their own actions affect the planet's health. With compare-and-contrast facts and vocabulary-building sidebars, each engaging guide reveals how environmental threats—both human and natural—affect plants and animals.Detailing the largest biome, this guide surveys the environmental threats to the earth’s oceans. Teaching students about coral reefs—the rainforests of the ocean—this educational resource explores topics such as the connection between increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the bleaching of the reefs. By comparing the size of an island of floating plastic and other trash in the middle of the Pacific Ocean to the state of Texas—and how that floating island impacts ocean life—the guide shows young environmentalists why consuming less plastic is important.

Investigating the planet’s biomes and examining the modern threats to each ecosystem, this interactive series challenges young readers to look at how their own actions influence the planet's health. With compare-and-contrast facts and vocabulary-building sidebars, each engaging guide reveals how environmental threats—both human and natural—affect plants and animals. Evaluating the coldest biome, this resource examines how the living things found in the tundra coexist harmoniously with the harsh landscape. Explaining how environmental change threatens life in this biome, this instructive guide leaves readers with a greater understanding of the importance of conservation and preservation efforts.

Amazing Biome Projects You Can Build Yourself takes kids ages 9 and up on a circumnavigation of the globe to learn about Earth's terrestrial and aquatic biomes. Kid's will wander through forests, sizzle in deserts, shiver in the tundra, plunge beneath the seas to explore coral reefs, and slog through marshy waters. Along the way, kids will encounter flora and fauna adapted for survival in each unique climate zone. They'll learn about gnarly krumholz trees, bioluminescent sea creatures, camouflage, carnivorous plants, and blubbery marine critters. In each biome, people who use science in their jobs are highlighted, whether at the site of a disastrous oil spill or an oh-so-cool mastodon dig.

A comprehensive introduction to ecology for young readers that discusses the effects of alien species on an ecosystem, symbiosis, competition between species, extinction, pollution, and more.

What are organelles? Why does a wound itch when it heals? Which organ is your body's "control tower"? Cells, Tissues, and Organs examines how cells work together to form tissues, organs, and organ systems. You will learn about the scientists who first viewed cells, the different parts of plant and animal cells and why your body breathes, circulates blood, and feels pain. You will also create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast blood cells! So, come on a fantastic journey into the world of cells, tissues, and organs! Sci-Hi is a visually stimulating series that takes learning science core curriculum to a whole new level! Each title in the series explores an area of life, physical, or earth science in a way that is both engaging and comprehensive. Topics include everything from chemical reactions to cell function and specialization. Features of the series include high-interest spreads, fantastic photos and artwork, science activities and projects, quizzes, reviews, timelines, and two or more pages of glossary words and further information. Book jacket. Subject Consultant Michelle Raabe holds a Ph.D. in virology and microbiology from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She spent many years in medical research and is now a writer and developmental editor. Book jacket.

There is a huge variety of life on Earth, with creatures in almost any shape and size you can imagine. 'Earth's Biomes' explores the different areas, or biomes, of our planet. This book also examines the different physical elements that make these areas unique, and how these differences have influenced the evolution of all living things. How do plants grown in soil that is permanently frozen? Does what happens in one biome affect the rest of the world? What is biodiversity? Check out this book to learn more! Sci-Hi is an engaging, comprehensive, and visually stimulating series that takes learning science core curriculum to a whole new level.

A discussion of plants' ability to change sunlight into energy, with illustrations, charts, graphs, and a timeline, covering terms and concepts associated with photosynthesis, food chains, and ecosystems.

Describes the work of service dogs and therapy dogs.

Provides a history of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and details the events that occurred during the GM FlexFuel 250 race in 2006.