New Releases by Michael Driscoll

Children eight and up will enjoy this conversational but information-packed introduction to astronomy and stargazing, which includes the achievements of the great scientists, the history of space exploration, the story of our solar system, the myths behind the constellations, and how to navigate the night sky. Whimsical color illustrations on every page and handy definitions and sidebars help engage younger readers and develop their interest. The special star wheel helps locate stars and planets from any location at any time of year. This is the third in Black Dog & Leventhal's successful series including The Story of the Orchestra and A Child's Introduction to Poetry.

Poetry can be fun-especially when we can read it, hear it, and discover its many delights with the help of cartoon character Professor Driscoll, delightful illustrations, and the poetry read aloud on CD.

This wide-ranging journey through the history and highlights of the world's poetry covers everything from epics and odes to nonsense verse and haikus, and is filled with examples of every style.

The multimedia package encourages children to listen, read, and learn-and opens the door to a lifetime of appreciation of a rich literary tradition.

It painlessly introduces kids (and parents, too) to the greatest poets in history, from Homer and Shakespeare to Robert Frost and Ogden Nash-and provides excellent examples of their work and commentary on what makes it so special. In short, this is a galloping tour through poetic history loaded with all of our most significant and beloved poems. In addition to charming illustrations on every lively page, A CHILD'S INTRODUCTION TO POETRY contains a full-length CD with wonderful renditions of the poems read by professional actors.

A Child's Introduction to the Environment provides an entertaining and instructive tour of the Earth's varied environments, along with activities and materials to encourage young environmentalists.

Kids aged 9-12 and their parents will appreciate this upbeat yet clear-eyed, interactive look at our magnificent planet and how we can safeguard it.

Exploring in turn the water, land, and air around us, the book looks at the wide variety of environmental regions of the world (deserts, forests, cities, farms, ice caps, oceans) as well as the atmosphere, weather, energy sources, plants, and animals of each area. Short features throughout offer fun facts, projects, and experiments that kids can do with parents or on their own. And a special packet inside the front cover contains a reusable lunch sack, peel-off stickers with messages such as "TURN OFF THE LIGHTS," "RECYCLE," and "UNPLUG," and a special poster from the NRDC.

Charming original watercolor illustrations throughout are perfectly paired with an accessible text by a father-and-son team of writers (Dad is a meteorologist). And it is all printed on recycled material, of course!