New Releases by Russell Freedman

Publisher Description

Relates the experiences of a German prince, his servant, and a young Swiss artist as they traveled through the Missouri River Valley in 1833 learning about the territory and its inhabitants and recording their impressions in words and pictures.

A Newbery Honor-winning biography of the men whose experiments brought about the Age of Flight. This engaging narrative account of Orville and Wilbur Wright, two men with little formal schooling but a knack for solving problems, follows their interest from a young age in the developing field of aeronautics. Russell Freedman’s writing brings the brothers’ personalities to life, enhancing the record of events with excerpts from the brothers’ writing and correspondence, and accounts of those who knew them. Chronicling their lives from their early mechanical work on toys and bicycles through the development of several flyers, The Wright Brothers follows the siblings through their achievements—not only the first powered, sustained, controlled airplane flight, but the numerous improvements and enhancements that followed, their revolutionary airplane business, and the long legacy of that first brief flight. Illustrated with numerous historical photographs—many taken by the Wright brothers themselves—this is a concise, extremely reader-friendly introduction to these important American inventors. Includes a note on the Wright brothers’ photographs, as well as recommendation for further reading and learning.

Biographies of six Western Indian chiefs who led their people in a historic moment of crisis, when a decision had to be made about fighting or cooperating with the white pioneers encroaching on their grounds.

"The author of a splendid, Newbery Award-winning Lincoln (1987) uses a similar approach to another monumental figure. The result is a carefully researched biography, extended by a wealth of well-chosen b&w photos presented with clarity and precision . . . easily the best biography of its subject available at this level".--Kirkus Reviews, pointer review. 125 archival photos and prints. NCTE Orbis Pictus Award; ALA Notable Children''s Book; YASD Best Book for Young Adults; Booklist Editors'' Choice; Notable Children''s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies; IRA Teachers'' Choice; School Library Journal Best Book of the Year; Booklist Editors'' Choice.

More than 30 paintings and drawings by artist-adventurers who traveled West in the 1800s illustrate Freedman''s vivid account of the Great Plains Indians'' buffalo hunts. Examines the importance of the buffalo in the lore and day-to-day life of the Indian tribes of the Great Plains and describes hunting methods and the uses found for each part of the animal that could not be eaten.

A physical description of sharks and a discussion of their methods of hunting, details of birth, and their usefulness to humans.

Describes the characteristics, habits, and behavior of the rattlesnake, a type of pit viper found only in the Americas, but especially in the United States and Mexico.

Explains the recent discovery of the fossilized remains of duckbill dinosaur eggs and the young which hatched from them, and conjectures that some dinosaurs may have cared for their young.

Discusses some interesting and unusual animal behavior such as hibernation, homing instincts, and elephants'' "burial" of their dead.

Introduces some dangerous sea creatures and describes the ways they kill.

Spotlights animals that possess noteworthy abilities or physical attributes.

Describes the offspring of eleven familiar farm animals including a calf, piglet, and foal.

Discusses defense tactics used by young animals and their parents including different types of shelters, signals, camouflage, and bluffs.

An introduction to bird flight which includes a discussion of bird anatomy, feathers, and air currents and a comparison with airplane flight.

A brief description of the various ways different animals transport their young.

Discusses the child care behavior of fifteen animal fathers including the seahorse, Darwin''s frog, emperor penguin, and gray wolf.

Describes the games that different young animals play for fun and to help develop skills and strength needed for adulthood.

Describes the first days of life for a codfish, turtle, sea gull, robin, wolf, elephant, dolphin, and chimpanzee.

Discusses the history of brain research in the areas of memory, senses, thinking, behavior and sleep.

Describes the homes of insects, spiders, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

Describes scientific investigations of innate behavior patterns to determine why animals respond as they do.

Discusses the difference between animal instinct and learning and describes the various methods by which the intelligence of different animals is studied.

The history of Scouting and the exciting biography of the founder of the Boy Scout movement are told in a fast-moving story.

Describes the life of the dramatist and author who, in the 19th century, wrote of jet planes, submarines, trips to the moon, and solar energy.