New Releases by Mary Budzik

From the deepest, darkest depths of the Atlantic Ocean to the cacophonous canopies of the Amazon rain forest, Basher History: Legendary Creatures brings to life the weirdest, creepiest, and most amazing beasts rumored to have roamed our planet. Featuring well-known creatures like Bigfoot, Mermaids, and Vampires, Legendary Creatures invites you to journey to the forests of Uganda to discover the fierce Ndalawo, a leopard with a hyena-like cry, or to travel through Mayan ruins to meet the ominous Camazotz, a night-flying hybrid of man and bat. Basher’s distinctive, colorful illustrations bring these magical mythological beings to life, all the while keeping kids in-the-know about the diverse range of folklore across the world. For fans of mythical creatures, also check out Basher History: Myths and Legends and the rest of the Basher History series!

The myths and stories of the gods and goddesses of the ancient world have a timeless appeal that captures the attention of generation after generation of children. Basher History: Mythology is an information-packed introduction to Greek/Roman, Norse and ancient Egyptian mythologies. Meet Zeus, father of the Greek gods (and learn that the Romans knew him as Jupiter), Norse Freyja, goddess of love, beauty, war and death, and Egyptian Bastet, goddess of cats, along with many others. This unique and upbeat guide is a legend in the making.

Basher''s unique atlas creates an unforgettable cast of characters that bring to life the world''s countries and other territories.

Basher Basics: Punctuation created and illustrated by Simon Basher, Written by Mary Budzik: With its lively, creative approach, this is a unique and highly memorable one-stop guide to using punctuation marks correctly. Each mark is each represented by its own character – from unassuming Semicolon to loud-mouthed Exclamation Mark – who explain in their own words what makes them tick and how they are used. "Do''s and "Don''t"s provide practical advice to help every child unravel the rules and regulations of the English language.

From the bestselling illustrator whose friendly take on science has revolutionized our understanding of everything from the periodic table to the universe, comes a fresh take on creative writing as only Basher can do it. Meet Plot, one of the many ''Schemers and Dreamers'' who keeps a story running and its events moving in the right order; Atmosphere, known as a ''Scene Setter'' because her job entails filling a scene with suspense, drama, or comedy; a cast of ''Heroes and Villains'' including Protagonist and Narrator; and chatty, talkative Wordsmiths like Dialogue to name one in particular. Basher Basics: Creative Writing is a persuasive guide that includes tons of detail on the building blocks of narrative and what makes creative writing work.

The myths and stories of the gods and goddesses of the ancient world have a timeless appeal that captures the attention of generation after generation of children. Basher History: Mythology is an information-packed introduction to Greek/Roman, Norse and ancient Egyptian mythologies. Meet Zeus, father of the Greek gods (and learn that the Romans knew him as Jupiter), Norse Freyja, goddess of love, beauty, war and death, and Egyptian Bastet, goddess of cats, along with many others. This unique and upbeat guide is a legend in the making.

The myths and legends of the ancient world still fascinate and entertain people the world over. Stories of gods and goddesses have a timeless appeal that captures the attention of generation after generation of children. ''Mythology'' gives a fresh look to some of the key characters from famous myths and legends - meet Zeus, father of the Greek gods; Norse Freyja, goddess of love, beauty, war and death; and Egyptian Bastet, goddess of cats, along with many many others. A spread about Roman gods provides a handy key to the relationship between Greek gods and their Roman equivalents.

Uses cartoon-style characters to explain basic concepts in grammar, discussing such topics as parts of speech, sentence structure, and grammatical agreement.