New Releases by Heather Moore

Bigfoot, Nessie, and mermaids: what do these cryptids share in common? No matter how doubtful we are of their existence, a part of us persists in asking, "Could they be real?" With a skeptical tone, this title tracks the most popular cryptozoological creatures from their mythological origins to modern attempts to prove their existence. Scientific explanations-including archaeological records and alleged physical evidence-are presented and assessed. Regardless of their veracity, the place these beasts hold in television, movies, and books is a cherished one, and it merits a thorough investigation.

Geronimo was a prominent leader of the Bedonkohe Apache Indians who became known for leading resistance efforts against troops in Mexico and Arizona in the late 19th century. This historical biography explores Native American history through this fascinating figure’s life. This text was written to support elementary social studies standards, encouraging readers to draw conclusions and connections about important historical topics. Geronimo’s story comes to life through historical photographs and primary sources, while sidebars and a timeline complete a comprehensive learning experience.

Eli Whitney is remembered as a great inventor. His cotton gin was one of the most important inventions of the Industrial Revolution, and it did much to shape the course of the American economy. This biographical title explores Whitney’s entrepreneurial mind, bringing to life his inventions, innovations, and hardworking spirit. Through accessible language and detailed images, this curriculum-focused title provides an in-depth look at the Industrial Revolution, Whitney’s role in it, and how together they helped shape a growing nation. A timeline and primary sources complete a comprehensive learning experience.

What would life be like without the Internet? In this book, readers will meet Tim Berners-Lee, who is regarded as the inventor of the World Wide Web. Readers will learn about Berners-Lee’s early life and career, followed by his work developing the World Wide Web and first web browser. Readers will love connecting with this great inventor through color photographs, which are expertly paired with information-rich text. A timeline and sidebars help to deepen the reader’s learning experience. This biography is the perfect vehicle for learning STEM and is sure to be an excellent addition to social studies and science instruction.

While he is now primarily associated with the quest for the legendary Fountain of Youth, Ponce de León was not merely involved in this fruitless search. A powerful figure in the Caribbean, he became the first governor of Puerto Rico. He led the first European expedition to Florida and was responsible for giving the state its name. The title discusses Ponce de León’s treatment of Native Americans and the issues with crediting him with the “discovery” of Florida despite the Native Americans already living there and the possibility of earlier visits by Spanish slave-taking expeditions.

Before there was the U.S. Constitution, there were the Articles of Confederation. Readers discover the story behind the first written constitution of the United States—from the factors that inspired its creation to the reasons why it was replaced. The detailed main text is enhanced by informative sidebars and graphic organizers. Historical images, including relevant primary sources, allow readers to immerse themselves in this historical period. Readers are given the chance to thoroughly examine elements of the original document, making them feel like true historians. They’re sure to enjoy this fresh take on common social studies curriculum topics.

The talented and side-splittingly funny Aziz Ansari is one of today’s most popular comedians. The versatile South Carolina native has made his mark in a variety of areas. A very successful stand-up comedian, Ansari has had several successful tours, a number of which resulted in filmed specials. He has also had success as an actor, particularly as the sarcastic, cocky, and entrepreneurial Tom Haverford on Parks and Recreation. Readers will learn which comedians have inspired Ansari and how he comes up with material. They’ll read about his enthusiasm for rap music, his social media savvy, and his thoughts on where his career is headed. A great portrait of one of today’s freshest voices.

There is much more to opossums than just their well-known ability to play dead. Opossums are great climbers and scavengers, as well as protective mothers. They have a well-developed sense of smell and strong jaws. Through fact-filled text and color photos, readers will learn all about these North American marsupials, including what they eat, where they live, how they are helpful to people, and how to stay safe around them.

After the sun sets, many coyotes come out to hunt, eat, and play. Words to Know, fun facts, accessible text, and safety tips inform readers about the different ways coyotes communicate, their hunting skills, their family life, and even how to stay safe around coyotes, while full-color photos illustrate the coyoteu0092s habits and environment.

Readers learn about wolves and their extraordinary senses, their family life in the pack, and the dangers wolves face every day. Key details describe the life of the wolf and highlight what the future might hold for these majestic canines. Words to Know in the beginning of the text facilitates reading comprehension, and safety tips tell readers what to do if they ever encounter a wolf in real life.

Foxes, like other nocturnal canines, do their hunting and playing after dark. Through informational text and full-color photos, readers will learn what foxes eat, how they hunt, how they raise their cubs, and if they have any natural predators. In addition, a Words to Know at the beginning of the book helps readers understand new vocabulary they will come across in the text, and safety tips at the end of the book will inform them how to stay safe if they ever encounter a fox.

Through text filled with fascinating details and beautiful color photos, readers will learn about skunksu0092 behaviors, habitats, diet, family life, and struggles in the wild, as well as how to stay safe around skunks.

Full-color images, fun facts, and informational text will bring readers into the secret world of badgers, from their hunting and eating habits to where they live and how they have impacted human life. In addition, safety tips explain what to do if someone comes face-to-face with a badger.

From fur trading to gold mining to farming, Colorado’s economy has often thrived on its rich natural resources. Through accessible text, full color images, and primary source documents, this book examines how the economy of Colorado has changed through its history, focusing on which goods and industries were important at which times. It will also consider the ways in which natural, human, and technological resources have had both positive and negative impacts on growth of the Centennial State.

Bats—eek! Many people are afraid of these swooping nighttime flyers, but this book reverses that reputation to show readers how important bats really are. Readers will learn about different kinds of bats, including their anatomy, habitat, and behavior. The book will focus on the ways bats help us, from eating disease-carrying mosquitos to pollinating plants. Color photographs bring these beneficial bats to life, as readers learn about how bats are in danger and how humans can help. “Creature Clue” fact boxes and a graphic organizer supplement the main text to give readers a well-rounded learning experience.

Sojourner Truth is best known for her famous speech at the Ohio Women''s Rights Convention in 1851 in which she asked, "Ain''t I a woman?" Born into slavery in 1797, she escaped to freedom with her baby daughter by 1826. But freedom held hardships for Truth, too. Despite all odds, this extraordinary woman fought for rights for both blacks and women as well as other disenfranchised populations. This in-depth account of the fascinating life of the abolitionist is a must-read in any social studies collection.

This straightforward guide empowers those young women who are interested in working as computer and information research scientists, computer network architects, information security analysts, software developers, web developers, and video game developers and designers by offering a trove of industry insiders'' career tips. The responsibilities of each job area are described along with the specific skills and training that are required. Steps for looking for jobs, compiling a resume and writing a cover letter, interviewing, and staying at the top of the game after getting the job are all thoroughly examined.

This is an entertaining look at the vampire phenomenon. Beginning with a full-bodied history on the appearance of vampires in early literature and moving on to more modern film and television iterations, including Twilight, True Blood, and even Count von Count on Sesame Street, this book takes a bite out of vampire lore to show how readers and theatergoers have always been fascinated by these creatures of the night. It also explains how vampires have changed physically over the years?a major feat for an undead creature. The resource ends with a filmography that gives details on most major vampire films.

Amazing ecosystems are often hidden just below the ocean’s surface. A coral reef is teeming with life, and readers will explore that life with the help of a special ship that takes them up close to the fish, coral, and other creatures that call a coral reef home. From the formation of the reefs themselves to the bacteria and plants that help keep the reef healthy, readers will learn everything there is to know about the amazing and colorful creatures that make up one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems.

For a long time, aviation experts and pilots thought aircraft couldn’t fly faster than the speed of sound. They believed there was a point where the plane and pilot would just explode! They called it the sound barrier. In 1947, Chuck Yeager proved that to be untrue, and in 2012, a skydiver broke the sound barrier without a plane to fly in! From the challenges of airplane technology to daredevil parachutists, the story of breaking the sound barrier is one that will have readers on the edge of their seat. Full-color images and detailed sidebars take history to new heights.

When we look up at the night sky you can see millions of stars, but what do you think we could see in space if we left Earth? If we could hop into a special ship and blast off, traveling billions of miles away from Earth, we’d see the Milky Way galaxy. In this book, readers take an incredible journey through that galaxy, exploring the universe and learning how it was formed and what will one day happen to these enormous groups of stars. From mysterious dark matter to the black holes at the center of galaxies, readers will also dive into the mysteries of the universe scientists have spent years trying to decipher.

Auto racing is known around the world for its high speeds and long races. Readers discover the drivers who’ve gone the fastest and won the most races as they learn about this sport’s most famous records. They’re introduced to different styles of auto racing, including open-wheel racing and stock car racing, with colorful photographs of cars and drivers. Stat boxes allow readers to compare information about the best drivers of the past and present using math skills. The best drivers are also discussed in informative sidebar biographies.

Veronica Roth published her first book at the age of twenty-one and had the pleasure of seeing it quickly become a best-seller. Her dystopian trilogy about Tris Prior has made Roth a favorite with fans around the world. It inspired a series of hit movies and helped feed the current appetite for YA novels with strong female protagonists and tense, exciting plots. Readers will learn about Roth’s childhood and college years, how she got published, and where she gets some of the ideas for her novels. A treat for her many fans!

When we look up at the night sky you can see millions of stars, but what do you think we could see in space if we left Earth? If we could hop into a special ship and blast off, traveling billions of miles away from Earth, we’d see the Milky Way galaxy. In this book, readers take an incredible journey through that galaxy, exploring the universe and learning how it was formed and what will one day happen to these enormous groups of stars. From mysterious dark matter to the black holes at the center of galaxies, readers will also dive into the mysteries of the universe scientists have spent years trying to decipher.

Earth is one of the four rocky inner planets. Scientists have been studying Earth’s neighbors since ancient astronomers traced their paths in the night sky and named them after gods. Today, we know much more about the rocky planets thanks to modern telescopes and space probes. This volume presents a close-up look at the solar system’s rockiest planets in a fun and exciting way. Readers will be amazed with the images of our nearest solar neighbors, and colorful diagrams help aid comprehension.

From the walls of the Shaanxi Province in China to the murky red waters of Ireland’s peat bogs, scientists and archaeologists have found spine-chilling evidence of scary sacrifices and rituals. Throughout history, cultures have found some very creative ways of torturing their enemies and pleasing the powers that be. But some of these ghastly practices happened far more recently than we would like to think! This riveting volume offers age-appropriate insight into some of history’s mysterious and gruesome practices. Scintillating sidebars and “Grave Matters” fact boxes highlight details about surprising sacrifices and eye-opening executions.

Computer programming can be intimidating for anyone, particularly a beginner. Making that task a bit easier is Ruby, an open-source programming language that is becoming increasingly popular among middle school and high school students. Readers are introduced to the many facets of Ruby, including the language''s history, the basics of operation, and implementation of the system''s application framework, Ruby on Rails. Discussions of less than optimal aspects of the system and user concerns ensure that the coverage is well-rounded. The accessible text is as easy to understand as Ruby itself. Get to know Ruby!

It has been said that good things come in small packages. Such is the case with Arduino. Using the Arduino programming language, users operate microcontrollers, which are essentially mini-computers that trigger physical systems such as lights and motors. This book introduces readers to one of the most popular programming platforms, taking computing beyond the computer. The text covers the particulars of Arduino''s hardware and software, its capabilities, pros and cons of the platform, and examples of the creativity its use engenders.

Provides information about Easter Island and its moai statues, including such facts as that its largest volcano can be seen from space and that some moai wear red "hats" for special rituals.

Readers can consider careers as a gardener, sculptor, tailor, carpenter, and even doll maker. Not only can they learn how to break into these fields, but each section has a listing of resources to further their research.