Most Popular Books by Steve Murrie

Susan Lucci, Al Gore, and the Buffalo Bills all received top billing by coming in second. But that''s not normally the case--most runners-up dwell in obscurity. Finally, there''s a book that celebrates the many unsung qualities of those who faltered on their way to the top! Inside, you''ll discover little-known second-acts with entries that highlight their worthy achievements, such as: The second highest homerun hitter The second man to set foot on the moon The second most dangerous animal in the world The second-largest car rental chain (whose motto is fitting: "We try harder") With more than 200 accounts of almost-claims-to-fame, this book leaves trivia junkies of all ages feeling like they won a gold medal--not a booby prize.

A fascinating compendium featuring over 70 unusual animal species. What''s in a name? This lively, illustrated celebration is jam-packed with creatures notable for their bizarre, baffling, and just-plain-funny names. Meet the White-Bellied Go-Away Bird, whose cry sounds like someone screaming, "Go away!" Or the Aye-Aye, whose name means "I don''t know" in Malagasy because no one wants anything to do with this bad-luck creature. Some are obvious, if still weird––gues what the Fried Egg Jellyfish looks like. Others sound like an inside joke: It''s easy to figure out what was on the taxonomist''s mind when he christened a fly he discovered Pieza Pie. Along the way you''ll learn all about these curiously named animals'' just-as-curious habits, appearances, and abilities.

A whole day is plenty of time to finish your homework or go to the park, but did you ever imagine that in a single day you take around 8,000 steps; 100,000 of your taste buds are replaced; a bat eats up to 1,000 insects; 27,000 trees are cut down just to make toilet paper in the United States; and a mayfly lives its entire life? Here are presented almost 200 incredible facts like these.

Did you ever wonder what a zebra looks like up close? The head of a mosquito? What about snake venom or slug slime? Get a good look at the tiny hairs on a Venus flytrap and the massive mouth of the blue whale while it''s feeding. From a man-of-war''s deadly tentacles to fiery volcanic lava, zoom in on the planet''s most amazing things with pages of vibrant, full-colour photographs. Leave your binoculars at home and explore the wonders of Earth like never before!

Every minute on Earth: 10 000 pieces of skin will be lost from your body, 21 000 pizzas will be baked, 954 camera phones will be sold worldwide, the International Space Station will travel 465 kilometres in its orbit around the Earth, there will be 6000 lightning strikes, and 1000 kilograms of popcorn will be eaten. The content for EVERY MINUTE ON EARTH is organised into eight chapters: Earth, Space, The Human Body, Technology, Animals, Food, Sports, and Pop Culture. Each page contains an illustrated fact.

A large, lush paper-over-board edition bringing together the best of the Planet Earth series: award-winning content, groundbreaking photography, and a whole new look at the world around us.

Young readers can discover the amazing things that happen around the world while they are asleep. Full color.

These activities are designed to be used in science classes from grades 3-9 ... and contains over 300 activities in all science disciplines.