Most Popular Books by Sally M Walker

Award-winning author Sally M. Walker works alongside the scientists to decipher clues from America''s colonial past. She''ll introduce you to what scientists belive are the lives of a teenage boy, a ship''s captain, An indentured servant, a colonial official and his family, and an African slave girl.

Describes the life and accomplishments of baseball star Jackie Robinson, who became the first African American in twentieth-century major-league baseball.

Meet an unusual family with some very special children: Alan, Ellen, Iris, Otto, and Ursula. Sometimes they''re visited by their very special aunt, Cyndy. As each child is born, the family becomes more complete—and each additional Vowel also makes the text easier to read! Because if you can imagine life without the Vowels, tlkng wld b vr hrd. Rdng wld b pzzlng. Are you ready to play the Vowel game?

Minerals are fascinating resources that have a variety of uses. A diamond is a mineral that is sought after for its beauty. Salt is a useful mineral that adds flavor. But do you know what minerals are made of? Or how to identify a mineral? Explore the amazing world of minerals in this book.

Solids, liquids, and gases are the three states of matter. But have you ever made matter change from one state to another? Or seen how even invisible matter takes up space? Now you can! Explore matter with the fun experiments you''ll find in this book. As part of the Searchlight Books collection, this series sheds light on a key science question How Does Energy Work? Hands-on experiments, interesting photos, and useful diagrams will help you find the answer!

Fossils give us a window to the past. Water, sediments, and pressure work together over time to preserve the shape of things that lived long ago. Studying these ancient plants and animals tells us more about our own existence. Have you ever searched for fossils? Unearth some in this book.

The sun, lightbulbs, and flickering fires all bring light to our world. But have you ever watched light rays moving? Or seen how light rays reflect off objects? Now you can! Explore light with the fun experiments you''ll find in this book. As part of the Searchlight BooksTM collection, this series sheds light on a key science question―How Does Energy Work? Hands-on experiments, interesting photos, and useful diagrams will help you find the answer!

Soil can be found almost everywhere on Earth. Sand is a soft soil that is found in deserts. Loam is soil that is great for growing plants. But how are these types of soils different? And how are they made? Explore the amazing world of soil in this book.

In the time when witches tiptoe about to have their Halloween fun, ancient Druscilla knows her creaking knees will prevent her from being sneaky and sets out to find a silent conveyance for herself, her cat, and her jack-o-lantern.

In this Early Bird title, readers learn about the physical characteristics, habitat, and behavior of the opossum.

You know that magnets hold pictures on a refrigerator. But have you ever found a magnet''s north pole? Or turned an ordinary paper clip into a magnet? Now you can! Explore magnetism with the fun experiments you''ll find in this book. As part of the Searchlight BooksTM collection, this series sheds light on a key science question―How Does Energy Work? Hands-on experiments, interesting photos, and useful diagrams will help you find the answer!

Rocks can be made of many different minerals. By looking at rocks closely, we can tell where they were formed and what conditions they were created in. How do we know these things? And how do we tell different types of rocks apart? Learn about ways to research rocks and what they can teach us about our world.

An award-winning author and illustrator join forces in an emotional retelling of Henry “Box” Brown''s famed escape from slavery that is celebrated for its daring and originality.

People, animals, machines, and wind all make sounds. But have you ever seen how sound waves move? Or made a sound wave bounce? Now you can! Explore sound with the fun experiments you''ll find in this book. As part of the Searchlight BooksTM collection, this series sheds light on a key science question―How Does Energy Work? Hands-on experiments, interesting photos, and useful diagrams will help you find the answer!

Electricity powers lights, computers, and television sets. But have you seen how electricity can make objects stick together? Or make other objects pull apart? Now you can! Explore electricity with the fun experiments you''ll find in this book. As part of the Searchlight BooksTM collection, this series sheds light on a key science question―How Does Energy Work? Hands-on experiments, interesting photos, and useful diagrams will help you find the answer!

River flowing, where’s it going? In the launch of her first board-book series, an award-winning nonfiction author brings the youngest explorers close to nature’s wonders in action. Water springs from the ground, creeks gurgle downhill, snow and rain make streams bigger, and then you have a river. But where does that river go? Step by step, Sally M. Walker’s simple, scientifically accurate narration lets the youngest hydrologists follow water’s movement from high land to the ocean, changing from a trickle to a torrent along the way. At each juncture comes the refrain: where’s it going? Kim Smith’s lush landscapes capture the water in motion and fauna nearby, from wading moose to leaping fish. A note to parents suggests bringing the learning to life by encouraging questions and observations of the natural world.

Justin Butterfield insists on bringing his pet goat Willie when his family is forced to flee the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. Includes author''s note.

Rolling boulders here and there . . . In the launch of her first board-book series, an award-winning nonfiction author brings the youngest explorers close to nature’s wonders in action. Mighty mountains reach up high, until craggy cliffs tumble and boulders settle everywhere. But how do big, jagged rocks turn into the soft sand we love at the beach? Step by step, Sally M. Walker’s simple, scientifically accurate narration lets the youngest geologists learn how rocks weather over time, transforming from cobbles to pebbles to the tiniest grains of sand. Kim Smith’s lush landscapes capture a wide range of fauna over geologic time, from dinosaurs and mammoths to bunnies and gulls. A note to parents suggests bringing the learning to life by encouraging questions and observations of the natural world.

Tells the story of the 1909 coal mine disaster in Cherry, Illinois, that killed hundreds of men, left more than four hundred children fatherless, inspired the first worker''s compensation laws, and helped bring about changes in child labor practices.

Why do some things heat up quickly while others don’t? How can heat cause matter to change form—from solid to liquid to gas and back again? Heat cannot be seen, but it can easily be felt. Looking at different objects’ molecular makeup, this book describes the fundamentals of heat and furthers understanding through a series of easy experiments.

Looks at what heat is, and examines how it interacts with different types of matter.

High in the sky, Bessie Coleman could soar like a bird. She was free—at least until she landed. As a black woman in the 1920s, she wasn''t allowed to learn how to fly. Forced to travel to France to learn, she became the first African American woman to earn her pilot''s license. Whether she was wing-walking, giving a speech, parachuting, or flying, Coleman inspired people with her bravery and resolve.

In 1638, John Lewger made a home in the wilderness of the New World, in a place called Maryland. He named his house St. John''s, and for nearly eighty years, it was the center of an ambitious English plan to build a new kind of community on American soil. Men and women lived and worked within its walls. Babies were born. Last breaths drawn. St. John''s walls witnessed the first stirrings of the great struggles that would dominate the continent for the next three centuries: The unimaginable wealth of the New World''s crops and natural resources. The promise of religious tolerance under a new model of government. The injustice of slavery. The betrayal of native peoples. The struggle for equality between men and women. If St. John''s walls could have talked, they would have spoken volumes of American history. And then the walls crumbled. One hundred years after it was built, St. John''s House had been abandoned. The buildings slowly deteriorated, returning to the Maryland soil to be plowed under by generations of Maryland farmers. St. John''s walls were silent for more than two centuries, little more than ghosts haunting the historical and archeological records. But they weren''t lost. Not entirely. Award-winning author Sally M. Walker tells the story of how teams of scientists and historians managed to hear the ghostly echoes of St. John''s House and, over the course of decades of painstaking work, made them speak their stories again.

Describes the 1938 discovery of the coelacanth, a fish previously believed to be extinct, and subsequent research about it.

Winner of the Sibert Medal, Secrets of a Civil War Submarine is a fascinating look at the world''s first combat sub. On February 17, 1864, the H. L. Hunley made history as the first submarine to sink a ship in battle. Soldiers on the shore waited patiently after seeing the submarine’s return signal. But after several days, the ship had failed to return. What had gone wrong? In 1995, after more than 130 years of searching, the H.L. Hunley was finally found buried off the coast of South Carolina. Follow author Sally M. Walker on a fascinating journey through the workings of the famous submarine, its voyages, and the difficult obstacles that were overcome to recover, excavate, and conserve the ship. Praise for Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: "[Walker] really hits her stride, though, in explaining the complex techniques and loving care used in raising the craft, recovering its contents, and even reconstructing models of the crewmembers'' bodies. Thoroughly researched, nicely designed, and well illustrated with clear, color photos, the book will serve as an informative guide to anyone interested in the Hunley or intrigued by archaelogy."—Booklist, Starred review "The archaeological process is well documented in both words and pictures, and the conclusions are interesting and even surprising. Highly recommended for school and public libraries."—School Library Journal, Starred review

What a discovery! Deep under the Atlantic Ocean, divers found a shipwreck like no other. It was the H. L. Hunley, a submarine that had sunk during the Civil War! A team of scientists from all over the world came to work on the discovery. How would they raise the Hunley from the ocean floor? How would they open the submarine? And what would they find inside?

Text and pictures describe the Earth''s caves, including their different types, animal life, and how people explore them.

Introduces these aquatic mammals by describing their physical characteristics, life cycle, behavior, relations with humans, and threats to their survival.

Introduces Antarctica, describing the history of its exploration and the current research efforts underway to investigate its geography, climate, and fossils of the past, and monitor the effects of global warming on its glaciers.