New Releases by Susan Sales Harkins

Tells the legend of Betsy Ross, a Patriot and seamstress who may have sewn America's first flag.

A short biography of the French missionary who explored the northern extreme of the Mississippi River to see if it was the Northwest Passage

When it came time to question whether America should be independent from Great Britain, many were quiet. Fearful of committing treason against the King of England, many American colonists were afraid to speak their minds. Patrick Henry spoke when others wouldn t. When the British taxes and rules became more than the colonists could bear, Henry unleashed his contempt for the British monarchy. He even went so far as to warn that tyrants often meet with a violent end. He said what many Americans felt but were too afraid to say. Some believed he spoke treason and his words could ve led him to the gallows. Instead, his words led Americans to war, and to independence from the tyrannical King George III.

In the eighteenth century, a woman had few choices. If she was lucky, she received a decent education. Then she got married. In an era when women didnt work, Clara Barton was one of the nations first career women. Not only did she work, she did a mans job and demanded a mans wage. Some said she was scandalous, but friends and family thought she was generous and charming. The wounded from the battles of the Civil War called her the angel of the battlefield.Clara Barton is remembered not only as a nurse, but also as a woman who threw convention aside and went to the battlefields to care for the wounded and dying. Her courageous heart, personal sacrifice, and demands for better medical care for the wounded during the Civil War earned her the respect and love of the entire nation. After the war, she applied the same attributes to the founding of the American Red Cross. She is still loved today.

Sam Houston is remembered in the name of a major city in the place he loved-Texas. Not only did he defeat Santa Anna s army to free Texas from Mexico, he worked hard to make the Republic of Texas a state and, as the Civil War loomed, to keep it in the Union. He served as president of the Republic of Texas, and then as a senator and governor of the state of Texas. But that s not all. Before Andrew Jackson sent him to Texas, Houston had already been successful as a congressman and governor of Tennessee, and as a self-appointed advocate for the Cherokee Indians. He had fought bravely in the War of 1812 at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. Read all about this amazingly practical man who, above all else, heeded his mother s advice to live a life of honor.

At age nine, Tutankhamen became pharaoh, ruler of Egypt. His most important act was to reestablish his people's religion of multiple gods. Before age twenty, he was dead. For over three thousand years, Egypt's desert sand hid the tomb of Tutankhamen, and Egyptians forgot about the ancient king. Then, in 1922, archaeologist Howard Carter found a door buried in the sand. It led to the greatest ancient Egyptian treasure ever found. Tutankhamen didn't have time to become a great pharaoh, but his tomb is a modern treasure—but not just for its gold and jewels, but for the stories it holds about ancient Egypt.

Chuck Yeager loved to fly. His determination led him to be a fighter and test pilot. He flew as often as he could in any craft he could. Eventually, he became the expert on military aircraft. He knew just what each plane could do, and more importantly, what it couldnt. As important as knowing how far he could push a plane, he also knew when to pull back. His pioneering efforts in breaking the sound barrier made modern aviation and space exploration possible.

Learn all about the tall, noisy whooping cranesee it dance, follow its flight path, and watch the stages as a chick hatches and grows into a cinnamon-colored juvenile and then into a stunning white bird with black wing tips and a red head. Why is this bird endangered? Devastating loss of habitat and overhunting of eggs and of adults for their skin in the 1800s made their numbers dwindle. By 1942, there were only sixteen whoopers still living in the wild. Now the whooping crane is making a comeback. In 2007, over 300 whooping cranes were migrating between Canada and Texas. Find out what scientists are doingand what you can doto help this endangered animal.

Soviet History begins with bloodshed, oppression, and strife. Civil War stained the Russian landscape with the blood of its people after Nicholas II abdicated his throne to a provisional government. The Bolsheviks wanted Russia, and eventually they took her. Peasants became citizens with rights, but the truth is, the civil war only changed the name of their oppressor, from czar to Communist dictator. After decades of isolation and sometimes harsh living conditions, Mikhail Gorbachev ushered in an age of reform, but in doing so, he made enemies. Then, Boris Yeltsin championed reform and the rights of the people. When Communist hard-liners made one last effort to regain control, Yeltsin held his ground. Unlike its birth, the death of the Soviet Union saw little bloodshed. After seventy years, even the Communist hard-liners no longer had the stomach for killing citizens to keep control. The union dissolved in 1991.

An introduction to the life of the mathematician and philosopher, Pythagoras

Centuries ago, when the earth was still young and sorcerers and fairies were believed to roam the misty forest, a mortal man changed history. Arthur, born into a dark world of savage violence, united the Britons against their enemies at the battle of Mount Badon. For centuries, Britons shared Arthur s story around their campfires. Eventually, the story passed out of the Dark Ages and into modern literature. Follow Arthur, his wife Guinevere, and the knights of the Round Table as the story evolves from a world of warlords and bloodshed into a kingdom of mythical medieval knights, sorcerers, love, and ultimately, betrayal.

Presents a brief biography of Richard I who ruled Englandfrom 1189 to 1199 and provides information on his family the time he spent fighting in the Third Crusade and how he came to be known as Richard the Lionheart.

William the son of a duke and a peasant spent his childhood in hiding raised among the Norman peasantry. Lords owing fealty to him would have murdered him if they had found him. He spent his early adult years fighting rebel lords for his birthright. As Duke of Normandy he claimed the throne of England after the death of Edward the Confessor King of England who William said had promised to name him heir. When England refused him he built a huge fleet sailed across the channel and killed Harold the newly crowned English king at the Battle of Hastings. One by one English towns fell to William and his Norman army as they marched toward London. Cowering in fear Londoners had no choice they opened the gates and made William the Conqueror their first Norman king.

Examines the life and times of the Revolutionary War hero, as well as his role in American history and his important naval battles.

In 1606, 105 men left England for Virginia. They were adventurers hoping to get rich. Most died, but the English kept coming. Land and opportunity were worth the risks of death from disease, starvation, or hostile natives. By 1621, Jamestown had 1,200 settlers. Women and slaves turned the tide, providing stability and free labor. By the middle of the century, small farmers were pushing west and everyone was growing tobacco. Large plantations dotted the riverbanks and a new aristocracy of landowners ran the colony. One hundred and seventy years after the English founded Jamestown, Virginians led the charge for independence. Patrick Henry’s words fanned the flame of freedom, Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence, and George Washington commanded the patriot army that defeated England.

It was one of the most auspicious and ambitious colonial plans. Unfortunately, the well-meaning and charitable Trustees didn't really know what they were doing. They chose crops that wouldn't grow in the Georgia climate and soil. They prohibited slaves, and while that decision was progressive for those times, it put the settlers at an economic disadvantage. They simply couldn't compete with the other colonies for new settlers and continued financing. Georgia wasn't a failure, but its settlers worked harder than any others to survive.

In 1606, one hundred and five men left England for the western shores of the Chesapeake Bay. They were looking for adventure, land, and treasure. Instead of gold and silver, the men found a dark and mysterious wilderness. A few, like John Smith, found friendship with the local natives. Others found new lives, hacked out of the Virginia wilderness. Most, however, found disease, starvation, and eventually death. Two-thirds of the original Jamestown settlers died within the first year. Still, the English kept coming. Land and opportunity were worth the risks. By 1621, Jamestown had grown to 1,200 settlers, and people from the first successful English colony began to branch out and settle other towns. The Building America series tells the story of the early years in which America struggled to become an independent nation. Jamestown: The First English Colony details the extraordinary circumstances and often harrowing experiences overcome by the persistent Englishmen who wanted to settle in Virginia.

What would you do to survive? Most modern Americans never have to answer that question. In 1846, the members of the Donner Party did it. For months, they walked across the Great Plains. They spent the hottest months of the year using chains and ropes to pull their wagons over mountains. In a hurry to get to California and following bad advice, they forged into unknown territory, hoping to find a quicker route than others had taken. When the winter snows came early to the Sierra Nevada, they were trapped. They were exhausted, with no food and no shelter. One by one, they began to die of starvation and disease. With no rescue in sight, all but one family did the unthinkable—they ate the flesh of their dead companions in order to survive. Read the harrowing tale of the early pioneers’ survival and persistence.

Who can resist a soft, cuddly rabbit? If your parents can but you can’t, you’ll need to learn as much as possible about this pet to convince them you can take care of one. The key to raising healthy and happy rabbits is knowing what they need. You might be surprised to learn that they need a lot. They need a quiet place to live—indoors—where they feel safe. (Yes, rabbits can be litter trained!) It’s amazing how much they eat, and they should be fed twice a day. Most important, they need your love. A happy rabbit has a human that spends time with it every day. If you’ve got plenty of time and the love, a rabbit might just be the right pet for you. Can you convince your parents to agree?

Color adds an irresistible dimension to any yard. Put a pair of wings on that color and suddenly your yard is alive with life! Butterflies live all over the country, so you’re likely to see them no matter where you live. To attract butterflies to your backyard, you need to provide the things they like: nectar, water, sun, and shelter. For most of us, this is as easy as planting some wildflower seeds in a sunny spot. In just a few months, the tiny seeds have grown into huge, beautiful flowers that butterflies just can’t resist. A butterfly log house for shelter is also easy to build. Everyone wins—you enjoy the butterflies, and the butterflies get a satisfying home.

Everyone loves a garden filled with bright colors, soft textures, and lovely smells. Add a little water to the mix and you have the perfect spot to relax and enjoy the best of nature. Relaxing by your water garden is the end of a long but rewarding process. Follow these step-by-step instructions for finding the best spot in your yard for a healthy water garden, designing and digging it, choosing water flowers, and adding fish. You can even build a toad house to attract wild visitors to your backyard. When all the designing, digging, lining, planting, and stocking is done, you can sit in your own private oasis and enjoy nature’s gorgeous bounty. Color, movement, scent—it all adds up to life!

Pocahontas was just a child when her world changed forever. White men from across the ocean built a fort near her village. Most likely, Pocahontas had never seen a white man before. Some of her people feared the settlers, but Pocahontas wanted to know more about them. She took the settlers food and taught Captain John Smith her language. Find out how this bright, brave young girl became an ambassador for her people, helping to keep the peace between them and the settlers—at least for a while. Discover how she charmed all of England, and why she still captures the hearts of Americans.

SQL: Access to SQL Server is more than just a comprehensive reference tool for Access developers. You'll also find efficient SQL solutions for common Access problems and tasks, as well as helpful hints and warnings about what to avoid. Learning Jet SQL is an important step from just using Access to developing with Access. In addition to learning Jet SQL, readers will embark on a journey into the world of SQL Server 2000. The journey starts when you learn how to install SQL Server and ends with an introduction to XML and ASP. Along the way, using Access Data Projects, you'll see features new to SQL Server 2000, including functions that return tables, instead of triggers and gotchas with upsizing. The authors highlight not only the enormous opportunities awaiting you as an Access developer, but also the potential challenges and pitfalls you may face as you move from Access to SQL Server 2000.

In the story of Perseus, the hero, rejected and feared by his grandfather, is cast into the sea with his mother to die. Fortunately for Perseus, fate has other plans for them. Perseus kills a gorgon, a giant, and an angry sea monster; marries a beautiful princess; turns a crowd to stone; and saves his mother from a vengeful king. His destiny takes him back to his birthplace in search of his grandfather. Only then does he finally fulfill his fate and live happily ever after.

A biography of Clara Barton, a nurse who founded the American Red Cross.

Some events so strongly affect the world that people remember exactly what they were doing when they heard the news. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy was one of these events. Ask almost any American who was alive at the time where he or she was when his death was announced, and you will get an answer. A Democrat with plans for social reform, President Kennedy was both loved and hated. Despite the political friction his ideas generated, no one would have predicted the events of November 22, 1963, when, supposedly, a lone gunman changed the course of history. Most of Kennedy’s idealistic platform went to the grave with him. Almost half a century after his death, the United States continues to battle these same issues.

When we think of bravery at sea, we can't help thinking of John Paul Jones. Numerous times, the enemy outgunned him, but he outthought them and outmaneuvered them. Born in Scotland to servants, going to sea as a young boy was an opportunity to change his place in life-something rarely accomplished in the mid-1700s. From the son of a gardener, he rose to the rank of commodore of the newly established Continental Navy of the United States of America. When he wasn't capturing enemy ships, he was charming the ladies of American and French society. So great was his reputation that Catherine the Great in far-off Russia sent for him to run her navy. Jones's victories made him one of the greatest American heroes. Book jacket.

Building America tells the story of the early years in which America struggled to become an independent nation. Highlighting the Colonial Times, Building America presents a complete overview including daily life, politics, religion, general society, and important leadership figures. Designed in full color, each book details a vital piece of American History.

A Comprehensive Guide to Microsoft's New Express Edition of its Bestselling Database Server Microsoft's SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is the perfect fit if you're a small business owner, trainer, or student who doesn't need all the bells and whistles of the full version of SQL Server 2005. In this comprehensive guide written by two SQL Server experts, you'll find step-by-step explanations and simplified management tools for using SQL Server Express in smaller-scale but still mission-critical situations. With a focus on practical tasks, the book thoroughly covers both database administration and development, smoothly moving you from beginner to advanced subjects. Coverage Includes * Understanding basic database concepts * Getting to know database types: file server, client server, relational and more * Learning Structured Query Language (SQL) and SQL Server's Transact-SQL * Creating efficient and useful databases * Writing queries and stored procedures to explore your data * Automating the administration of your databases * Developing database applications with Visual Basic(r) Express * Using SQL Server Management Studio Express * Sharing data between multiple servers * Monitoring and optimizing SQL Server Express Featured on CD CD includes Microsoft(r) SQL Server Express and Visual Basic(r) Express! Leverage the Experience of Experts through Real-World Examples Increase Your Own Productivity with an Entire Chapter on Troubleshootng Discover Practical Solutions to a Database Administrator's Needs Reduce Complexity and Build Simple Data-Driven Applications