New Releases by Rebecca Stefoff

In the nineteenth century, over half a million men, women and children traveled west on the Oregon Trail. Stretching two thousand miles from Independence Missouri, to the Pacific Northwest, the Oregon Trail was the longest overland route used in the westward expansion. Crossing mountains and deserts, fighting disease, short of both food and water, pioneers endured many hardships to follow the trail west with their hopes and dreams of seeking fortunes in the unsettled west. Author Rebecca Stefoff traces the roots of the Oregon and California Trails back to the seventeenth century, telling the stories of those who left the security and comfort of their homes, to endure months of hard travel in the hope of a new life.

Takes young readers inside this fast-growing field, showing them how crime scene investigators and forensic specialists gather evidence, solve crimes, and even liberate innocent people who have been mistakenly imprisoned.

Readers of the books in Todays Writers and Their Works will learn the story behind each writers story.

Forensic Science Investigated takes young readers inside this fast-growing field, showing them how crime scene investigators and forensic specialists gather evidence, solve crimes, and even liberate innocent people who have been mistakenly imprisoned.

Forensic Science Investigated takes young readers inside this fast-growing field, showing them how crime scene investigators and forensic specialists gather evidence, solve crimes, and even liberate innocent people who have been mistakenly imprisoned.

Take a step back in time to explore the origin of humans.

Take a step back in time to explore modern humans.

Forensic Science Investigated takes young readers inside this fast-growing field, showing them how crime scene investigators and forensic specialists gather evidence, solve crimes, and even liberate innocent people who have been mistakenly imprisoned.

Nevada is... a state where American Indians have lived for thousands of years, adapting their ways of life to the resources it offered. European explorers and American pioneers, however, saw Nevada as a dry and dangerous obstacle to be crossed. Only when the land revealed its mineral riches did settlers come to Nevada. By the twenty-first century Nevada was America''s fastest-growing state. As the population boom shapes the state''s future, the influences of the land''s pioneer past and of the land itself remain strong. Book jacket.

Celebrate the richness and diversity of the United States of America in this exciting series.

This series takes readers on a journey through the evolutionary history of humans.

This series takes readers on a journey through the evolutionary history of humans.

A companion book for young readers based upon the explorations of the Americas in 1491, before those of Christopher Columbus.

Conifers range from familiar pines that grow in almost all parts of the world, to the towering redwoods and sequoias of the American West, to rare plumyews found only in remote Asian forests. these 600 or so species of evergreen trees and shrubs bear their seeds in cones and keep their needlelike leaves through all seasons. Although the conifers are greatly outnumbered by other kinds of plants in the world today, they are an ancient part of the plant kingdom. The Conifer Division explores the origins of these 310-million-year-old plants, as well as their unique physical features and roles in the environment. The Conifer Division also looks at the enormous cultural and economic importance of these plants and at the questions hanging over the fate of the world''s last great conifer forests. Book jacket.

Argues both sides of the debate on assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Monerans, the most numerous life-forms on earth, are better known as bacteria. They are prokaryotes, organisms that consist of a single cell without a nucleus. Invisible to ordinary sight, bacteria were discovered in the seventeenth century, after the invention of the microscope. Then, in the 1970s, scientists using the new tool of DNA sequencing discovered another group of prokaryotes called the archaea. The Moneran Kingdom explains the differences between bacteria and archaea-two of the three domains of life on Earth-and provides an overview of milestones in microbiology. The reader is introduced to the structure and life cycle of the prokaryotes, the role of bacteria in the origins of life on earth, and the many ways monerans influence life for human beings-from disease to digestion to decomposing waste. Bacteria may be "germs," but they are vital to our continued survival. Book jacket.

Two of every five mammals on Earth are rodents, yet most people know little about this amazingly diverse order of animals. Rats and mice may be all too familiar, but what about gundis and degus? And did you know that porcupines are rodents, but rabbits are not? The Rodent Order explores the world of rodents, from prehistoric guinea pigs the size of horses to the Laotian rock rat, a "living fossil" recently found alive in the forests of Southeast Asia. The Rodent Order also examines the long relationship between people and rodents. For thousands of years, rodents have influenced human life as pests, food, pets, and carriers of disease. Today human activities are threatening the survival of some rodent species, but other rodents are flourishing-sometimes right under our noses. Book jacket.

Mammals originated on land. Millions of years ago, some of them adapted to life in the sea. They were the ancestors of today''s sea mammals: whales, manatees, seals, otters, and more. Sea Mammals explores the origins and history of marine mammals, then looks at the many varieties that exist today, from the blue whale-the largest animal that has ever lived-to the vaquita, the world''s smallest and most endangered sea mammal. It also focuses on the role of sea mammals in human life, the questions that fascinate marine mammal researchers, and the future of these creatures that share the oceans with fish and reptiles but are biologically closer to bears and elephants. Book jacket.

The arachnids include some of the planet''s most feared creatures, such as venomous scorpions and deadly funnel-web spiders. Other arachnids-like the tiny house dust mites that live by the millions in all of our homes-are among the world''s smallest and most successful animals. The Arachnid Class explores the origins, scientific classification, and biology of arachnids, from familiar garden spiders to less common creatures such as wind scorpions and the rare, cave-dwelling "living fossil" spiders of Southeast Asia. The more than 80,000 known species of arachnids play important roles in the world''s ecosystems. As The Arachnid Class shows, these creatures also affect human life in a variety of ways. Book jacket.

Provides a brief history of robotics, describes tasks for which robots are useful, and suggests future development.

Enormous underground mushrooms and microscopic molds belong to an immensely varied group of organisms that occupy a unique branch in the tree of life. The Fungus Kingdom traces the history of this half-billion-year-old kingdom and explores its diversity, as well as its complex reproductive methods. The Fungus Kingdom also examines the effects of fungi on human life, which are both helpful and harmful. From poisonous mushrooms and disease-causing spores to life-saving penicillin and the yeasts used in making food and drinks, fungi are woven into the fabric of life in important, and sometimes unexpected, ways. Book jacket.

"A critical exploration of ghosts and haunted houses"--Provided by publisher.

"An exploration of the origin, development, and societal impact of the camera"--Provided by publisher.

Explores the past, present, and future to shed light on complex, high-priority public policy. Offers the pros and cons of each issue with opinions from social policy experts.

Barking frogs, giant cane toads, six-foot-long Chinese salamanders, and tiny dwarf sirens-all these and many more are amphibians who live in the two worlds of water and land. The Amphibian Class describes the origins and ways of life of the three main kinds of amphibians, with a look at many weird and wonderful species. It covers the amphibian life cycle from tadpole to tree frog, introduces the strange and seldom-seen creatures called caecilians, and even answers the age-old question: What''s the difference between a frog and a toad? The Amphibian Class also explains why many scientists fear that these ancient animals are in serious trouble today and looks at some of the things being done to help them survive into the future. Book jacket.

Examines the 1972 Supreme Court case Furman v. Georgia in regard to the death penalty.

Explores the folklore and facts connected with vampires, zombies, and shape-shifters such as werewolves.

Did you know that half of all the animals in the world that have backbones are fish? There are more kinds of fishes than there are amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals added together. And scientists are discovering more species of fish almost weekly. Brilliantly colored or camouflaged, as big as a whale or smaller than a little fingernail, fishes are found almost everywhere there is water. The Fish Classes explores the origins of the first fishes, with a glimpse of some of the extraordinary varieties that became extinct long ago. The book also examines the five classes of modern fishes, surveys their physical features, habitats, and ways of life, as well as some of the threats they face today. Book jacket.

"A summary of the life cycle, diet, behavior, anatomy, and conservation status of deer"--Provided by publisher.

Discusses monarchies as a political system, and details the history of monarchies throughout the world.