New Releases by Lynn Brunelle

Learn the stories behind the stars and how to spot them in the sky--includes a star-finder on the cover and a pop-up star map inside!

Follow a blue whale’s enormous body to the bottom of the ocean, where it sets the stage for a bustling new ecosystem to flourish. All living things must one day die, and Earth’s largest creature, the majestic blue whale, is no exception. But in nature, death is never a true ending. When this whale closes her eyes for the last time in her 90-year life, a process known as whale fall is just beginning. Her body will float to the surface, then slowly sink through the deep; from inflated behemoth to clean-picked skeleton, it will offer food and shelter at each stage to a vast diversity of organisms, over the course of a century and beyond. Caldecott Medalist Jason Chin’s astonishing artwork enriches and amplifies engaging, well-researched text by Bill Nye the Science Guy writer Lynn Brunelle. Young lovers of the macabre will relish each page of Life After Whale. Meanwhile, those grappling with the hard subject of death will take solace in this honest look at the circle of life, which closes on a young whale enjoying the same waves as her ancestor. Additional back pages offer further info and reading recommendations on whales, whale falls, and ecosystems. An Orbis Pictus Honor Book A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection One of Evanston Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year

Stop right there! If you think poems about nature are all pretty flowers and rainbow sunsets, this book is not for you. If you can’t handle giant whale farts, turn back right now. If you don’t want to know how lobsters pee, do not read one word further. Seriously, if you open this book, you’re going to find out the disgusting truth about where honey comes from! All right, you’re in charge. Don’t say we didn’t warn you . . .

The Real Buzz on Bees What a promise! Actually, promises. First, here’s a book that teaches kids all about the fascinating world of bees. Second, fun exercises, activities, and illustrations engage the imagination and offer a deeper understanding of bee life and bee behavior. Third, by following a few simple steps including removing the book’s cover and taping it together, readers can transform the book into an actual living home for backyard bees. Fourth, added all together, Turn This Book Into a Beehive! lets kids make a difference in the world—building a home where bees can thrive is one small but critical step in reversing the alarming trend of dwindling bee populations. Written by Lynn Brunelle, author of Pop Bottle Science, whose gift for making science fun earned her four Emmy Awards as a writer for Bill Nye the Science Guy, Turn This Book Into a Beehive! introduces kids to the amazing mason bee, a non-aggressive, non-stinging super-pollinator that does the work of over 100 honeybees. Mason bees usually live in hollow reeds or holes in wood, but here’s how to make a home just for them: Tear out the perforated paper—each illustrated as a different room in a house—roll the sheets into tubes, enclose the tubes using the book’s cover, and hang the structure outside. The bees will arrive, pack mud into the tubes, and begin pollinating all the plants in your backyard. Twenty experiments and activities reveal even more about bees—how to smell like a bee, understand the role of flowers and pollen, learn how bees communicate with each other through “dance,” and more. It’s the real buzz on bees, delivered in the most ingenious and interactive way.

Make your child's first forays into science fun! 52 clever and easy experiments for things that will zip, zoom, and fly, and fizz, bubble, and burst. For children ages 4 to 8. Introduce future engineers, inventors, naturalists, and artists to the physics and chemistry, biology and ecology behind everyday play. Create chemical reactions, explore gravity and friction, transform states of matter, play with air pressure, and much more through 52 simple experiments that zip and zoom, fly and fizz, bubble and burst. Geek mom Lynn Brunelle has created an interactive guide perfect for both kids and their parents: the projects will engage children, and the informative lessons will help parents when asked the inevitable question, why? The projects include: 1. The Exploding Lunch Bag: Will you get out of the way before the vinegar and baking soda react with a fizzy burst? 2. Seed Hunt: Seek out whirly, sticky, and smooth seeds for a science-filled outdoor adventure! 3. The Marshmallow Launcher: Harness energy to fling sugary treats in the name of science. 4. And many more!

Science is the ultimate parenting tool. After all, it’s really all about observing, asking questions, solving problems, making mistakes, and trying again and again and again—just like being a mom or dad! Come along with Lynn Brunelle as she initiates you into the joys of geek-style parenting. A proud geek mom herself—and an Emmy-winning writer for the show Bill Nye, the Science Guy—Lynn has had a love of science from the time she was a child. When she had her own kids, science became like a friend she could lean on for support, helping her make sense of the joy, pain, and uncertainty of parenting. Join her as she infuses her days with science, and shares it, in all its geeky wonder, with her kids.

Logic puzzles, word games, riddles, and much more to keep you thinking! Packed with over five hundred mind-enhancing exercises, this book is the ultimate tool for attaining and maintaining optimal brain health. Including word games, visual and spatial challenges, logic puzzlers, and memory boosters, the activities in this illustrated collection can improve overall mental fitness and the ability to concentrate, analyze, and problem-solve. Puzzles include Word Scramblers, Anagrams, Riddles, What's Missing?, Trivia, and more. With multiple difficulty levels and themes, this comprehensive activity book is challenging, entertaining, and a terrific way to keep those mental muscles moving and cerebral sparks flying.

"A harried-looking but willing chicken clucks through all the poses, and the net result is an entertaining take on modern yoga practice." — Yoga Journal Chickens know a few things about feeling fried. That's why they've been practicing yoga for centuries. As this hilariously illustrated guide to simple yoga poses reveals, we have much to learn from their bird-brained wisdom. Anyone who feels cooped up or stressed out by the pecking order will feel like a spring chicken in no time thanks to such postures as Chick's Pose, Snake in the Grass, and Chicken of the Sea. Sections on breathing and stretching are included, and a series of fix-it routines unscramble such problem areas as neck, thighs, and aching feet. Plus, thoughtful hen koans (why did the chicken cross the road?) and plucky affirmations invite contemplation and inspire budding yoginis to spread their wings. Googly-eyed, combs akimbo, these very funky chickens will enlighten both beginners and the adept, and are sure to make anyone feel chirpy—all for a nice cheep price.

"Want to be smarter than all of your friends? Need help acing your tests? Get caught up on facts and stats with the Scholastic 2014 Almanac for Kids. ... Packed with hundreds of facts, figures, stats, and all of the important info you need to keep boredom away and dominate schoolwork with ease"--Publisher.

Guarantee school success with the help of the No. 1selling kids' almanac! This engaging workbook is packed with educational brainteasers that will help children practice the skills needed for academic success. Activities cover all major subject areasearly reading, math, and scienceand even address school skills, such as following directions and participating in class. Exercises include recognizing letters, matching letter sounds, counting objects, and identifying animals, plants, and more. A sticker sheet adds an extra element of fun!

Humorous poems and illustrations about chickens.

The No. 1selling kids' almanac becomes a fun educational tool in these portable decks tailored by age and subject. Seventy-five curriculum-based activities encourage children to develop their comprehension of a specific subjectfrom reading and math to science and geography. The decks are packed with all-new brain-engaging games, puzzles, riddles, fascinating facts, and more. Perfect for children, parents, and teachers, The World Almanac for Kids Puzzler Decks make learning easy and enjoyable at home or in the classroom.

The No. 1 selling kids' almanac becomes a fun educational tool in these portable decks tailored by age and subject. Seventy-five curriculum-based activities encourage children to develop their comprehension of a specific subjectreading, math, history, and geography. The decks are packed with all-new brain-engaging games, puzzles, riddles, fascinating facts, and side-splitting jokes.

When the kids are having a meltdown, savvy parents will keep their cool with this fun compendium of silly games, unexpected stunts, and wow-inducing facts designed to entertain little ones aged 27. This book features more than 100 clever ideas for simple and inexpensive activities that are appropriate for restaurants (Impressions with Straws), the supermarket (Go Fish), and long plane rides (Crush a Bottle Without Even Touching It!). Whether they're making raisins dance or whistling with an acorn, kids will beamazed (and distracted) by their Mama . . . thanks to her Little Book of Tricks.

Provides information and advice on camping gear, setting up camp, food, useful wilderness skills, weather, exploring nature, crafts, games, and other topics for a safe, environmentally sound, and entertaining camping experience.

Set of portable question and answer cards on U.S. history and geography for children ages 9-11.

There's lots of beary cute stuff to make and activities to try in the newest interactive play set from the popular Build-A-Bear Workshop(R). Let's Make Treasure Boxes comes with everything craft-loving kids need to design and create their very own treasure boxes, including three specially-shaped boxes, press-on jewels, stickers, paints, and patterns. There's also a 32-page illustrated book that includes complete instructions for lots of adorable projects like the Castle Box (perfect for little princesses), the I Love Animals Box (for aspiring vets), and the Sparkly Heart Box (for glamourpusses). An easy-to-follow "How-To" section covers techniques like decoupage, using patterns, mixing paint, and -- parents rejoice! -- how to clean up when you're finished.

This new craft kit from Build-A-Bear Workshop includes all the ingredients for making jewelry: alphabet beads, charm beads, pony beads, embroidery thread, ribbon, felt, and more. The kit also comes with a 32-page book filled with lots of fun projects as well as the basic sewing and beading skills youngsters need to create their own jewelry. Each project features easy step-by-step instructions, close-up photos and how-to illustrations, and pictures of the finished jewelry. Projects include Bear-aided Friendship Bear-acelets, Spiral Swirl Chokers, Letter and Charm Necklaces, and Tropical Flower Hair Ornaments.

Earthquakes are terrifying natural disasters that can destroy entire cities. In Earthquake! The 1906 San Francisco Nightmare, students will live through one of the worst earthquakes in U.S. history through the narrative stories of those who survived the quake-and those who didn't. Readers will learn the causes of earthquakes, and discover scientific and technological advances in earthquakes research and safety procedures since the 1906 San Francisco disaster.

It's pure bottled magic! A complete kit that ingeniously marries science and fun, Pop Bottle Science presents 79 easy, hands-on experiments. The Pop Bottle bottle is a perfect miniature science lab-see-through, flexible, air-tight when necessary, made out of a durable, shatter-proof plastic and designed with a removable top that doubles as a funnel. The Pop Bottle book is a lively, fully illustrated 96-page guide to astonishment. Each experiment begins with a challenge and ends with an explanation of the scientific principles involved. Kids can design a volcano and watch it erupt. Create a tornado-maker and see how twisters work. Make quicksand-is it solid or liquid? Plus, turn the bottle into a barometer, a thermometer, walkie-talkie, trombone, compass-or a groovy lava lamp.

Discusses viruses, including their physical characteristics and some of the diseases they can cause.

Describes the appearance, characteristics, and behavior of bacteria, the most common lifeform on earth.

Introducing a whole new way to learn science! Start at the end and work backwards! You flick a light switch in your house and lights go on. But how did that happen? There are actually many steps that lead up to that final result. Many complex processes need to take place, and many components need to function properly. How does the light switch make the electricity flow? How does the electricity get into the house? How does it get into the neighborhood? Where is the electricity actually generated? Step Back Science answers these questions with detailed text, fun engaging sidebars, and great photos and graphics as it ties together elements from science, design, and engineering.

Illustrations and text present the history, geography, people, politics and government, economy, and social life and customs of Indiana, whose motto is "The Crossroads of America."

"The Science Guy" from "Late Night with David Letterman" dishes up his "ooh-aah science" in a book and science kit that demonstrates the key principles of liquids and gases. Includes a plastic beaker, plastic eyedroppers, plastic tubing with a connector joint, a plastic square, and kid-size safety goggles. Full color.

A collection of Christmas stories, poems and carols set in the Hundred-Acre Wood.

Winnie the Pooh and his friends enjoy crafts, recipes and stories about Christmas.