"The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his groundbreaking podcast, John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet-from the QWERTY keyboard and Staphylococcus aureus to the Taco Bell breakfast menu-on a five-star scale. John Green's gift for storytelling shines throughout this artfully...

Featuring a day in the life of early humans as they paint woolly mammoths on the walls of a cave, a fierce gladiator battling in the Colosseum and a codebreaker at Bletchley Park during World War II. And not forgetting the animals of history - from a day in the life of Hannibal's war elephant marching over the Alps and an Egyptian cat (worshiped as a god, of course) to a Galapagos tortoise who meets Charles Darwin on his famous voyage of the Beagle...

"Do you wonder...how many times a black bear's heart beats each hour?... What happens when you keep placing zeros at the ends of numbers? The answers are all in this book--along with many more incredible facts that involve the numbers zero to nine and power of ten numbers ten to nine billion. Be prepared to cuont and get curious as you fall in love with numbres and with the world around us."--

"Perhaps the most significant meals in the world have been consumed at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue by the presumptive leaders of the free world. Thomas Jefferson had an affinity for eggplant and FDR for terrapin stew. Nixon ate a lump of cottage cheese topped with barbecue sauce every day and Obama regularly had arugula. Now, Alex Prud'homme takes us to the dining tables of the White House to look at what the presidents chose to eat, how the food was...

"The complete story of the universe and absolutely everything in it (minus the boring parts). Despite our clever linguistic abilities, humans are spectacularly ill-equipped to comprehend what's happening in the universe. Our senses and intuition routinely mislead us. The Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything (Abridged) tells the story of how we came to suppress our monkey minds and perceive the true nature of reality. Written with wit and humor,...

"We all know that numbers go on forever, that you could spend your life counting and never reach the end of the line, so there can't be such a thing as a 'biggest number.' Or can there? To find out, David Darling and Agnijo Banerjee embark on an epic quest, revealing the answers to questions like: are there more grains of sand on Earth or stars in the universe? Is there enough paper on Earth to write out the digits of a googolplex? And what is a googolplex?...

"Written in plain English, The biology book is packed with short, pithy explanations of some of the most momentous ideas in science, from cell theory to evolution by natural selection and the discovery of DNA. Simple graphics, such as timelines and mind maps, support the text and make the explanation easy to follow"--

When Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, travels from his world of Halloween Town to Christmas Town, he learns that celebrations and holidays don't just appear out of thin air. Every party takes time and work to make it unique, and this book will help you achieve a party of which both Jack Skellington and Santa Close would be proud. There are ideas in each chapter for decor, crafts, and favors, but the book is designed to inspire readers to make an...

From the acclaimed Ojibwe author and professor Anton Treuer comes an essential book of questions and answers for Native and non-Native young readers alike. Ranging from "Why is there such a fuss about nonnative people wearing Indian costumes for Halloween?" to "Why is it called a 'traditional Indian fry bread taco'?" to "What's it like for natives who don't look native?" to "Why are Indians so often imagined rather than understood?", and beyond, Everything...

"On his regular walk one morning, Spike Carlsen realized there was an entire world outside his front door that he knew nothing about. How does that fire hydrant work, he wondered? Why are street lights shining more brightly than ever before? And, on a more personal level, why does an easy stroll around the neighborhood always leave him feeling more creative and spry, better able to take on the day? A simple walk around the block set Carlsen off on...