Most Popular Books by Richard Platt

How many rivets and bolts hold the wings of a Boeing 777 plane together? Why does an astronaut''s spacesuit have a layer of liquid-cooled underwear? Who puts the jam in doughnuts? Find out the answers to these questions and much, much more in Stephen Biesty''s Incredible Cross-Sections of Everything. His intricate artwork will have children and adults alike poring over every detail, whether it''s following the production line of a factory making newspapers or exploring the insides of the Saturn V rocket. Taking you through every stage of each process is Chester the Tester, a character who helps explain how things are made, along with his sidekick Hector the Inspector. Written with humor and fascinating facts to guide you through the illustrations, this book is a glorious way to learn about the world around you. First published 25 years ago, Stephen Biesty''s Incredible Cross-Sections series has been updated for the silver anniversary, bringing delight to a whole new generation of curious young readers.

Enter through the keep and be transported back in time to everyday life in a medieval castle. The format draws readers into this hive of activity in realistic and compelling detail - the luxurious apartments of the lord and the lady of the manor, the squalor of the cesspit cleaner, and prisoners left to rot in the secret dungeons, all embellished by text with odles of astonishing facts.

A guide to The curse of the Black Pearl and Dead man''s chest featuring facts about the characters, ships, and locations.

An introduction to pirates discusses life aboard a pirate ship, examines the tools of the trade, and portrays famous pirates.

"Not many, if any, children’s books on the Middle Ages and castles contain the wealth of information found in this fresh, appealing offering." -- SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review) What was it really like to live in a castle? Step back to the Middle Ages with CASTLE DIARY: THE JOURNAL OF TOBIAS BURGESS. Eleven-year-old Toby’s vivid diary entries offer an insider’s view of day-to-day castle life, including tips on etiquette (where do you spit at a feast?) and exciting descriptions of hunting, jousting, and harvesting. Complete with glossary, index, and detailed endnotes, this is a rich look at medieval life that informs as much as it entertains.

Explore the history of espionage with the DK Reader Spies! Meet the famous and the infamous - the agents and the double agents. Infiltrate the FBI, CIA, and KGB and follow the evolution of the tools of the trade, including industrial spying and computer hackers. Packed with full-color photographs, lively illustrations, and engaging, age-appropriate stories to introduce young children to a life-long love of reading. These amazing stories are guaranteed to capture children''s interest while developing their reading skills. Perfect for reading together! The playful images in this eBook are enhanced with entertaining animations and surprising sounds to bring this story to life.

Set in the future (2098), five school children have won an international competition to visit outer space. They will journey to the distant star system of Alpha Centauri on the spaceship Argo to find a new home. Dramas unfold on the trip before they finally discover a new planet with great potential for human life to survive. These 128-page books are perfect for elementary and middle grade students who can read alone confidently. The narrative and dialogue are fictional and read like the novels this age group is just beginning to discover, but the books are filled with nonfiction facts and information about the topic at hand. Interspersed throughout are genre spreads that make this a true DK book. Photographs and illustrations throughout the book engage and interest readers as they access information and develop their reading comprehension skills. Presented in chapters, the books in the DK Adventures series are perfect choices for kids who like to read for pleasure and need to read for class.

As One Devil to Another is an astonishing debut work that C. S. Lewis’s biographer and foremost Lewis authority Walter Hooper calls “a stunning achievement, the finest example of the genre of diabolical correspondence to appear since this genre was popularized by C. S. Lewis.” Enter into this chilling and diabolical tale, one that reveals the very tricks and strategies of Hell. Through a series of letters between devils created by Platt, senior devil Slashreap trains his young protégé, Scardagger, to win an individual soul away from Heaven and into their clutches. As the devils plot their way to triumph, they reveal the spiritual dangers and risks we face in today’s society. Their frighteningly accurate perspective on issues such as contemporary technology and sexual mores is interwoven with timeless matters such as the power of prayer, the purpose of suffering, and the promises held out by Heaven . . . and Hell. Destined to become a modern classic, As One Devil to Another is a brilliantly written, deeply unsettling perspective on twenty-first-century society . . . a glimpse of ourselves through the eyes of those who have embraced their underworldly existence.

Delve into the many technologies that we use to share information. From making calls on satellite phones to sending e-mails, this is an exciting look at the developments that have revolutionized communication.

How does the body protect itself from infections? What makes your tummy rumble? Are you taller at the beginning or end of the day? This extraordinary book actually takes you inside - and around - the human body to see how it works, with the help of some truly unique illustrations and some very small people! Explore your brain, your bones, and everything in between in incredible cross-section drawings of all the body systems. Inside each one are teams of tiny characters busy at work, and explaining what''s going on. Every page is packed with jaw-dropping facts. Did you know that the skin is your largest organ - in an adult, it''s 2 sq m (22 sq ft). Have you ever thought about how heavy the brain is? Well, it''s about 1.4 kg (3 lb) and is crammed with 100 billion nerve cells that help you think and move. And by the time you turn 75, your heart will have pumped blood around your body 4,000 million times! With the challenge of finding two tiny explorers making their way through the body, learning about anatomy has never been so much fun!

"A fresh, lively voice. . . . Replete with details of daily life." — Kirkus Reviews The year is 1464 BC, and Nakht’s family is moving to the city of Memphis. Nakht, who is studying to be a scribe, keeps a journal of the many sights and sounds of the bustling city — temples and pyramids, cargo ships, a hippopotamus hunt, even a tomb robbery. Presented as a lively diary, here is an invitation for readers to witness firsthand what life was like for one boy in Egypt 3,500 years ago.

This children ebook explores the innermost workings of some extraordinary buildings and machines. From helicopters to submarines, skyscrapers to coal mines, open up a fascinating world packed with unique and detailed cutaway drawings. Whether it''s a Spanish galleon or a medieval castle, each cross-section slice or exploded view reveals what''s going on inside. See the people swarming inside the Empire State Building, the workers busy backstage at the opera house, and where the crew sleep on a jumbo jet. Included also are two impressive fold-outs showing an ocean liner and a steam train. There are lots of fun facts to be discovered, and curious details are highlighted and explained. Did you know one of the funnels of the Queen Mary liner was fake, and used for storing deckchairs? And in almost every scene there''s the challenge to find a man on the toilet! With more than a million copies sold, Stephen Biesty''s award-winning illustrated books are as fascinating today as they were when first published, in 1992. Incredible Cross Sections is the ultimate way to see how things work.

"Platt weaves vast quantities of nautical information into a text as lively as it is absorbing." - Publishers Weekly (starred review) Curious about life on a pirate ship? Check out PIRATE DIARY: THE JOURNAL OF JAKE CARPENTER, an account of adventure on the high seas as told by a feisty nine-year-old carpenter’s apprentice, circa 1716. Historically accurate illustrations of ship and crew, a map of Jake’s travels, and a detailed glossary and index vividly reveal the fascinating - and harsh - life of a pirate in the eighteenth century. Ships ahoy!

Tells the fascinating story of exploration by many different explorers facing different hardships.

History comes alive in this incredible children''s illustrated book about castles. Slicing through different areas of a medieval fortress, extraordinary views reveal the people busy inside, preparing for battle as an enemy army approaches. Packed with facts, you''ll find out what it takes to build a massive 14th-century castle, dress a knight in armor, or prepare a feast fit for a king or queen. From the drawbridge to the dungeon, Cross-Sections Castle swarms with the people who keep the castle going--the workers, craftsmen, and servants. And, as you pore over every page, look out for the villainous spy. Is he in the well... the keep... the moat? No? Keep looking, he''s there somewhere! Back in print after 20 years, you can now cheer on jousters, be entertained by a troubadour, and witness the gory details of a traitor''s demise. This unique illustrated book for kids is not just the story of a castle; it brings medieval history to life.

Recounts the true-life adventures of 30 unique human beings such as Marco Polo and Amelia Earhart.

Cut-away illustrations and explanatory captions explain how such diverse objects as chocolate bars and cathedrals, false teeth and tanks are made.