Book Description

An illustrated preview to the Cassini-Huygens mission arriving at Saturn in 2004.

Exploring Saturn is a lively, informative way for students to fully appreciate and understand the Cassini orbiter's historic rendezvous with the ringed planet in 2004. It features Cassini's 4-year mission details including the breakaway Huygens probe that will plummet to Saturn's largest moon, Titan -- the only moon in our solar system with an atmosphere. The data gathered from the Cassini-Huygens mission will help scientists to unravel Saturn's many mysteries, answer questions about Earth's formation, and investigate the possibility of life on other planets.

Exploring Saturn tells the remarkable story of discovering Saturn and its moons. Ancient astronomers estimated with surprising accuracy the distance, weight, and composition of Saturn using little more than observation and elementary physics. The book includes the latest findings from NASA as well as stunning color images from the Hubble Space Telescope, Voyager and Pioneer probes.

Included are practical website resources and a six-year schedule and location guide for backyard observations of the planet. The informative text is lively and conversational-easily accessible by students and amateur astronomers. ... Read more

Book Description

These gripping accounts of adventure and danger will mesmerize readers from cover to cover! Stunning illustrations and compelling text provide an up-close look at six famous ascents of the world’s highest mountain. Detailed chapters cover the enduring mystery of George Mallory’s death on Everest; Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s triumphant first steps on the summit; the Chinese team’s scaling of the mountain from Tibet; Reinhold Messner’s two monumental climbs (one without supplemental oxygen, the other solo); the 1983 American summit via the treacherous East Face; and the heartbreaking 1996 tragedy that claimed the lives of eight climbers during a lethal storm. Sidebars provide a wealth of additional information—from Everest’s unique geography to the effects of altitude, to the Sherpa culture—while extensive backmatter includes a chronology, glossary, an Everest records chart, Everest “Hall of Fame” profiles, and other reference materials for climbing aficionados.

Book Description

Dear Reader:

The Childhood of Famous Americans series, sixty-five years old in 1997, chronicles the early years of famous American men and women in an accessible manner. Each book is faithful in spirit to the values and experiences that influenced the person's development. History is fleshed out with fictionalized details, and conversations have been added to make the stories come alive to today's reader, but every reasonable effort has been made to make the stories consistent with the events, ethics, and character of their subjects.

These books reaffirm the importance of our American heritage. We hope you learn to love the heroes and heroines who helped shape this great country. And by doing so, we hope you also develop a lasting love for the nation that gave them the opportunity to make their dreams come true. It will do the same for you.

Happy Reading!

The Editors ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Book captivates and informs childrem!
"The Vikings" is a very informative book which captivated my childrens attention! They could hardly wait for each day's new reading. My 2nd-7th grade children enjoyed learning about the exciting adventures of Leif Erikson and the Viking explorers. We all learned much from this well written introduction to America's earliest explorers and we highly recommend it! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good book
Interesting book - I enjoyed it alot ... Read more

Book Description

Juan Ponce de Leon is credited with discovering the Florida peninsula in 1513. Legend says he set about through the land to search for the Fountain of Youth. ... Read more

Book Description

In 1914 Sir Ernest Shackleton set out with his crew aboard the ship the Endurance. He wanted to sail to Antarctica, but 100 miles from the South Pole, the Endurance became trapped in a sea of ice. Against all odds, Shackleton undertook a journey that led to the rescue of this crew after almost two years of nail-biting survival. Based on a true story! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Fantastic book
Amazing, it was just amazing! I had never read anything like this before. I was surprised with the 22 men surviving on ElephantIsland and itwas surprising because this happened like a100years ago. MonicaKullingisaveryfantastic writer. JohnEdensis a fantastic illustrator. I hope that Icouldread more of the Shackleton series and I highly recommend itto all kids.

A well-done introduction to the Endurance epic
This book is a very well-written and illustrated introduction to the epic story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and the crew of the Endurance in their struggle to survive the loss of their ship in the ice. If you know a child who feels put-upon because they don't have the latest model gaming system or the right type of monsters in their card decks, get them to read this,and perhaps it will prove a useful antidote to the ennervating softness of"modern" civilization. ... Read more