National Network for Equitable Library Service

Few activities grip our attention more than animal watching. Dolphins and seals bring us much joy, and sharks and alligators hold us in awe. But animals can also prompt a variety of fascinating questions.

What if Newton had never lived' A compelling dual biography argues that Robert Hooke and Edmond Halley easily could have filled the giant's shoes-and deserve credit for the birth of modern science. Robert Hooke and Edmond Halley, whose place in history has been overshadowed by the giant figure of Newton, were pioneering scientists within their own right, and instrumental in establishing the Royal Society.

An underwater exploration that overturns myths about fishes and reveals their complex lives, from tool use to social behavior There are more than thirty thousand species of fish--more than all mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians combined. But for all their breathtaking diversity and beauty, we rarely consider how fish think, feel, and behave. In What a Fish Knows, the ethologist Jonathan Balcombe takes us under the sea and to the other side of the aquarium glass to reveal what fishes can do, how they do it, and why.

Professor Stephen Hawking is one of the most famous and remarkable scientists of our age and the author of the scientific bestseller A Brief History of Time, which has sold more than 25 million copies. In this compelling memoir, his first wife, Jane Hawking, relates the inside story of their extraordinary marriage. As Stephen's academic renown soared, his body was collapsing under the assaults of a motor neuron disease.

Elementary school teacher and author Cathryn Sill accurately answers the first questions of young naturalists by explaining what mammals are, how they live, and what they do.

In this delightful book, teacher and birder Cathryn Sill explains to children what birds are, what they do, and how they live. About Birds is a first thoughtful glimpse into the world of birds, from eggs to nest, from songs to flight. Simple and enlightening, About Birds tells children what is essential for understanding and appreciating birds.

Award-winning author and School Library Journal blogger Marc Aronson joins National Book Award finalist Adrienne Mayor on a fascinating quest to connect the ancient Greek's mythological griffin-part lion, part eagle- with their discovery of dinosaur bones.

Each of the 18 kids in Mr. Ward's inner city classroom has something important to say, but some don't even realize it. Then Mr. Ward begins to have "open mic" poetry slams once a month on Fridays. Young adult listeners will identify with the characters in Bronx Masquerade as they explore questions about life and self-expression.

People with great ideas, some famous and some not so much, invented the things we use everyday. Inventors like Ben Franklin, the Wright Brothers, Heddy Lamar, and Josephine Cochran dreamed the big dreams that led to the lightning rods, airplanes, torpedoes and dishwashers.