New Releases by Anna Claybourne

Travel through Earth’s amazing history in this epic comic strip adventure! Here’s a simple, easy-to-understand chronicle of Earth’s 4.5-billion-year history, told in entertaining comic book–style panels. Starting with the Big Bang and ending 66 million years ago with the extinction of the dinosaurs, it covers all the highlights: the formation of the solar system, why our sun is so important, where our moon came from, how life developed on Earth and, of course, everyone’s favorite prehistoric creatures: dinosaurs! Clever, humorous and loaded with facts, it’s a tale of Earth’s evolution for the ages!

Kids can discover a new way of looking at the world with this beautifully illustrated, inspirational, and accessible book on evolution. It's packed with clear, colourful, and engaging explanations of key concepts including: - Natural selection - Genes and DNA - The first life on Earth Big ideas pop off the page, thanks to vibrant diagrams and an engaging, energetic prose style. Children aged 8-12 can take their first step in understanding evolution with this wide-ranging celebration of the subject. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Curious Kids series draws together a collection of meticulously researched, beautifully illustrated fact books that bring STEM subjects to life with a smart, modern sensibility.

Get lost in the diverse and bustling world of birds - with more to explore than you ever imagined! A Whole World of Birds presents the stunning breadth of bird varieties that fill the Earth. Who is related to whom? Which type fly at night, fly the fastest ... or can't fly at all? Where do the most colourful birds call home, and which live at sea? This book has the answers and so many more facts filling the beautifully illustrated pages. A Whole World of is a book series looking at the extraordinary diversity of life on Earth - the defining features and evolutionary branches - and encourages readers age 7 and up to consider why it is important to maintain biodiversity. Written by award-winning author, Anna Claybourne, with artwork by award-winning illustrator, Yekyung Kwon. Books in the series: A Whole World of Mammals/A Whole World of Prehistoric Life/A Whole World of Minibeasts/A Whole World of Birds/A Whole World of Rocks and Minerals/A Whole World of Plants and Fungi

Known for their vicious raids, love of treasure, and fierce warriors: the Vikings were the most feared invaders of the Medieval period. For 300 years, they terrorized the world in their hunt for land and power, but they also had a rich culture in art, literature, and law. Packed with facts, maps, infographics, and photos, this is the perfect introduction to the most feared invaders of the Middle Ages. Covering where they came from and who they conquered, their commerce and culture (including their bloodthirsty stories), their travel and trade, and the reasons behind their demise, this complete guide provides a comprehensive exploration of who these peoples were – and who they were not. For while there is no doubt that some Vikings launched bloodthirsty attacks in this period, pillaging communities and plundering treasure, many more were peaceful traders and settlers. Going beyond the fearsome warriors, battles, and adventures we associate with Vikings, this detailed book provides an insight into the everyday life of the people, to examine how and what they traded, what Viking village life was like, and how they made and sailed their famous long ships. It explores the rich culture of the Vikings, including the beautiful art they created, the legendary stories they told, and the complex law systems they built to maintain a civilized society as well as how their culture and influence lives on in the world today.

Magical, mysterious and sometimes mischievous, the fairy folk of the world are notoriously elusive, but this charming compendium will reveal their secrets. From Cornish pixies and Spanish goblins to the forest gnomes of the Congo, welcome to the world of the fairy folk! This captivating book features a mix of fairy 'facts' and short retellings of some of the most magical fairy tales.

What do you see when you look up at the sky? It may seem like a big, empty space, but it's busier than you think. From clouds and stars, to birds, planes and everything in between - there's a whole sky to explore. Skygazing is a double-sided book full of incredible cross-curricular information, fun activities, and beautiful illustrated scenes to enjoy. Discover why the sky is blue, early experiments in flight, and how helicopters stay aloft, before flipping the book to read all about the nightsky. Find out how to read the stars, spot the night's flying creatures and see the colors of the aurora borealis.

A fascinating insight into the history of one of our ancient civilisations – the Shang dynasty, their society, culture, belief system and way of life in China over 500 years ago. Who were they, how did they rule and what was life like under their power?

Do you have what it takes to be a science detective? Yes, of course you do - and this action-packed book will prove it! Find the clues in a picture to catch a thief; follow the instructions on the page to extract DNA from strawberries (yes, really!); learn all about fingerprints; and doodle your own super-science crime lab! While you're drawing, making, and playing, you'll be learning all kinds of exciting facts and ideas about the world of S.T. E.M - science, technology, engineering, and maths. This book supports the key stage 1 (KS1) and key stage 2 (KS2) curriculum and is great for home learning. An awesome book for both boys and girls, aged 7+.

Do you have what it takes to be a rocket scientist? Yes, of course you do - and this action-packed book will prove it! Doodle the designs for your own space launch; build a prototype rocket from a plastic bottle; and solve an awesome solar system wordsearch! While you're drawing, making and playing, you'll be learning all kinds of exciting facts and ideas about the world of S.T. E.M - science, technology, engineering, and maths. This book supports the key stage 1 (KS1) and key stage 2 (KS2) curriculum and is great for home learning. An awesome book for both boys and girls, aged 7+.

Do you have what it takes to be a dinosaur dectective? Yes, of course you do - and this action-packed book will prove it! Learn how dinosaur bones became fossils, how to recognise coprolites, and all the other real-life skills you'll need to become a paleontologist. While you're drawing, making, and playing, you'll be learning all kinds of exciting facts and ideas about the world of S.T. E.M - science, technology, engineering, and maths. An awesome book for both boys and girls, aged seven and up.

The Mermaid Atlas will be your ultimate companion in discovering all your merfolk facts! All over the world, wherever there's water, there are stories, legends and eyewitness accounts of mermaids. These magical, mesmerizing people of the deep have been well known for thousands of years, and almost every country and culture has a tale to tell about them. People have written, sung and passed on rumours about mermaids since ancient times, and often reported their own mermaid encounters, too. Do you know the facts and stories surrounding the magical and, often elusive, world of mermaids? This gorgeously illustrated new book includes everything you wanted to know about these mysterious and captivating creatures. Discover their secrets in this beautiful compendium, written by children's author Anna Claybourne and illustrated throughout by award-winning Spanish illustrator Miren Asiain Lora. The colourful spreads will take you on an-around-the-world journey, starting in Europe and the warm Mediterranean to the icy Baltic, as well as through countless isles, lakes and waterfalls, continuing to Africa with its immense lakes, cave pools and swampy deltas. Asia is the next stop with its thousands of islands, beaches, rivers and lakes while Oceania, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean with its scattered islands, seems to be the perfect environment for these mysterious creatures. The journey ends with North and South America, where there are sightings of water spirits and fish-tailed ocean goddesses throughout the whole continent, home to the freezing Arctic, the tropical Caribbean as well as the world's largest jungle. The Mermaid Atlas will introduce you to the merfolk of the world, whether it's the beautiful Selkies of the Scottish seas, the wily Iara of Brazil who love to outwit travellers or the fearful Ningyo of Japan who can give you eternal life.

Put on your thinking cap and get inventive! Make a musical instrument from glass bottles, use a drop of water to create a microscope, develop your own computer programming language, and more! Filled with interesting fun facts and entertaining activities, this book will inspire you to create your own inventions.

Math is magical with this colorful activity book! It's easy to entertain family and friends as you complete mysterious number squares and "Magic Multiples," play a prime number card game, and draw fractal trees. This book offers a fun and meaningful way to explore how math is an important part of everyday life.

A picture shows exactly how things look. Well, it does most of the time. However, our brains use lines and angles to figure out whether buildings are bigger than each other or leaning in an odd way. This book shows readers exactly how pictures can be optical illusions and why they see what they do. With concepts of art, architecture, engineering, and brain science, the main content fits many parts of STEAM together, just like the puzzles inside the book.

This is the perfect introduction to the largest animal group on Earth for all budding entomologists. Each topic is presented in a neat 30-second soundbite, supported by a 3-second flash summary and a full-page colorful artwork. Fun active missions support the topics and encourage kids to find out more. With stunning artwork, the attention-grabbing format is engaging and immediate, introducing readers aged from 8 up to the wonderful world of bugs.

This fun, fact-filled book allows you to explore the most awesome natural, and man-made, sights and experiences on our planet. You'll find mind-boggling mountains and caves, giant waterfalls, extreme weather, and amazing undersea adventures, as well as the world's tallest towers, biggest bridges, and most awesome machines. Each topic includes an awesomeness rating, indicating its amazingness on a scale of one to five. Side panels, statistics, stunning color photographs, and fascinating facts on every page highlight the most awesome things our world has to offer.

Can you face the most disgusting things the world has to offer? From nauseating foods and revolting habits to jungle crawlers and stomach worms, this is your ultimate guide to maggots, giant cockroaches, and much, much more. Each vile entry includes a yuck rating and all the disgusting details you need to prepare yourself for the real-life scenario.

"Interesting and curious historical legends and their background, for children"--

Sometimes in life things are bound to get noisy, and if that's the case, why not learn from them? With the help of this informative book, readers perform exciting experiments and learn why and how certain items make certain sounds. Accessible step-by-step instructions correlate closely with eye-popping illustrations, ensuring readers of many ages and levels can follow along with these amazing activities. Each exciting project encourages readers to use their critical thinking skills and draw conclusions based on the experiments they perform.

Changing the temperature of certain things can result in some pretty cool outcomes. Readers of this innovative volume use heat and cold to perform a number of incredible experiments. Each project features concise, step-by-step instructions and colorful images that make it easy to follow along and learn from the activities. Helpful sidebars shed even more light on why and how the experiments work and help reinforce key science curricula. Each project is rated easy, medium, or difficult, making it simple to find the best project for a particular skill level.

Hands-on experiments are one of the best ways to learn important science lessons, and what better way to do so is there than to get a little messy? The projects in this book feature concise, step-by-step instructions and colorful illustrations that help engage and aid readers in completing the experiments. Eye-catching sidebars provide further insight on how and why each experiment works, and encourage readers to draw their own conclusions. These high-interest projects are a fun way to reinforce important lessons from elementary science curricula.

'Forms of Energy' explores the different types of energy that are around us all the time. You will discover how energy can be moving or stored. You will learn what causes sound, heat, and light energy. You will also find out how different sources of energy can be turned into electricity to power our machines and gadgets. So come on a fantastic journey into the world of forms of energy! Sci-Hi is an engaging, comprehensive, and visually stimulating series that takes learning science core curriculum to a whole new level.

Chemistry has never been so fun—and so accessible—as it is in the bright pages of this invaluable volume. While following step-by-step instructions, with the aid of colorful illustrations, readers find themselves in control of their own laboratory, exploring such significant scientific topics as changing states of matter, chemical reactions, and crystal formation. Each experiment, using common materials, highlights a need-to-know concept as well as thoroughly explains what each result means. A vivid design and accessible text make this high-interest book even more inviting to future scientists.

Energy comes in many forms—including sound, heat, electricity, and light—and is perpetually at work all around us. As the inquisitive scientists in this book, readers will come to recognize some key characteristics of energy. Measuring the speed of sound, investigating reflection and refraction, and examining static electricity are a few of the experiments young scientists will undertake, with the help of boxed instructions and bright illustrations. All activities, as well as their underlying principles, are carefully explained. These essential STEM-based activities are a must for any science collection.

Christmas customs, festive food, present-giving, songs and traditional stories from around the world with easy-reading text for children who have just started reading alone. Part of the Usborne Reading Programme developed with reading experts at the University of Roehampton. "Irresistible for children learning to read'" - Child Education Plus

Welcome to the world of Whiz Kid Science! Find out all there is to know about the science of sound with these fun and easy-to-do experiments. Make noise travel through a table, measure the speed of a boom, and make a cup squawk like a parrot all in the name of science!"

Features different science projects, including turning a penny green, making salt disappear and reappear, and making butter.

Features different science projects, including making a straw shooter, making a zero-gravity water squirter, and making a gelatin slide.

Features sound-related science projects, including using a spring to show how sound waves work, measuring how fast sound moves, and making a paper cup phone call.

Presents simple experiments, with step-by-step, illustrated instructions, for studying how things change shape and grow, including how seeds become plants, the effect of temperature on expansion and contraction, and growing crystals.