Non-Fiction Books
A vision of dignity and freedom and a powerful role model for girls and women of all races "This impressive picture book will delight young readers as it gives a sense of this remarkable woman and the times in which she lived." — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review) "Lasky's engaging account moves smoothly through events in Walker's life. . . . The illustrations . . . are attractive and rich in historical detail." — BOOKLIST (starred review)
"There’s a sense of wonder in the simple words and the huge, thrilling color pictures in this photo-essay about a vanishing species." — Booklist (starred review) Limp and frozen, a Kemp’s ridley turtle washes up on Cape Cod. When a boy named Max finds it, the turtle appears to be dead. But is it? Award-winning author Kathryn Lasky and photographer Christopher G. Knight take young readers on a riveting tour that begins on the icy shores of Cape Cod, where expert teams attempt to revive the Kemp’s ridley, and ends on the warm beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, where turtles of this rare breed are born and may return to lay eggs of their own. All sea turtles are threatened or endangered, but the Kemp’s ridley is the most endangered of all — and this awe-inspiring story makes it clear why we should want to protect them.
The moving story of how the first published African-American female poet regained what had been taken away from her and from slaves everywhere: a voice of her own. "We’ll call her Phillis." In 1761, a young African girl was sold to the Wheatley family in Boston, who named her Phillis after the slave schooner that had carried her. Kidnapped from her home in Africa and shipped to America, she’d had everything taken from her - her family, her name, and her language. But Phillis Wheatley was no ordinary young girl. She had a passion to learn, and the Wheatleys encouraged her, breaking with unwritten rule in New England to keep slaves illiterate. Amid the tumult of the Revolutionary War, Phillis Wheatley became a poet and ultimately had a book of verse published, establishing herself as the first African American woman poet this country had ever known. She also found what had been taken away from her and from slaves everywhere: a voice of her own.
"A useful introduction to Muir, the founding of the national parks, and the broader idea of environmentalism." — School Library Journal John Muir loved the land. Born in 1838, he was a writer, a scholar, an inventor, a shepherd, a farmer, and an explorer. But above all, he was a naturalist. John Muir was particularly devoted to the high cliffs, waterfalls, and ancient giant sequoia trees that, through his careful influence, were set aside as Yosemite, one of the first national parks in America. Here is the life story of the man who, moved by a commitment to wilderness everywhere, founded the Sierra Club in 1892, a conservation group that carries on his crucial work to this day. Back matter includes an epilogue, a bibliography, and information about the Sierra Club.
Join a researcher on a passionate hunt for poisonous spiders, captured in the engaging prose and stunning photos of a masterful team. Love them, hate them — spiders are feared and misunderstood by many, but certainly not by biology professor and arachnologist Greta Binford. Eager and willing to share her knowledge, she allowed New York Times best-selling author Kathryn Lasky and noted photographer Christopher G. Knight to accompany her on a trek to the Caribbean in search of the elusive Loxosceles — the deadly recluse spider — whose venom may hold in its DNA the answer to many scientific questions. We see firsthand her fearless search (sometimes enlisting the help of local schoolchildren), through outdoor markets, garbage dumps, and the desertlike interior of the Dominican Republic. A lively, informative narrative and intimate photos of everything from careful venom-milking in a lab to multicolored spiders in shimmering webs are likely to lure even the most committed arachnophobe.