West, David

What really goes on inside the body of a reptile? Curious readers will find answers to that and other questions in this fascinating book. Each reptile, including animals such as the chameleon, lizard, and snake, is introduced with a brief summary explaining some basic information, followed by a simple diagram showing the animal's insides. Each diagram includes labels and captions explaining the key components of the reptile's internal structure. Colorful illustrations accompany stimulating text that will engage and excite animal lovers and other inquisitive minds.

Simple text and illustrations introduce numbers using dinosaurs.

Describes the dinosaurs of the lower Jurassic period, including the Lesothosaurus, Cryolophosaurus, Dorygnatus, and more.

Describes the dinosaurs of the upper Triassic period, including the Coelophysis, Ichthyosaurus, Thecodontosaurus, and more.

Describes the dinosaurs of the upper Jurassic period, including the Allosaurus, Diplodocus, Brachiosaurus, Ceratosaurus, and more.

Describes the dinosaurs of the lower Cretaceous period, including the Utahraptor, Deinonychus, Amargasaurus, and more.

Presents the Spinosaurus and other dinosaurs and reptiles from the Upper Cretaceous.

Ten exciting stories feature dangerous voyages of famous explorers traveling on the high seas in search of fame and fortune. Feature boxes and maps add additional details and help readers better understand the explorers journey and the time period in which the expedition took place. RELUCTANT EXPLORER (986) North America is first discovered by Bjarni Herjolfsen who is looking for his parents, who have moved to Greenland from Iceland. Despite his crew s urging to make landfall he resists becoming the first explorer to land on the New World s shores. SHIPWRECKED (1493) Columbus s great exploration and discovery nearly ends in disaster when his ship strikes a reef in the Caribbean. He survives this and two storms to make it back to Spain with news of his discovery. THE FIRST CIRCUMNAVIGATION (1521) Magellan is killed in a battle with natives in the Pacific on the first voyage around the world. MAROONED (1541) Maguerite de la Roche is marooned on the Isle of Demons during Cartier s last voyage. Or the true story of Alexander Selkirk, the true-life Robinson Crusoe (1704). CAPTURED TREASURE (1579) Drake s capture of the Spanish treasure ship, Cacafuego, during his swashbuckling voyage around the world. MUTINY (1611) Hudson is cast adrift on a voyage to discover the Northwest passage, never to be seen again. Or Captain Blyth s famous trip to civilization, after being cast adrift in a small boat by a mutinous crew (1789). ATTACKED BY MAORIS (1642) Tasman discovers Tasmania and New Zealand where he survives an attack by Maori warriors. ADVENTURER EXTRAORDINAIRE (1700) The amazing life of William Dampier, a real-life swashbuckling adventurer. THE DEATH OF JAMES COOK (1779) The famous discoverer of Australia is killed by natives during an incident in the Pacific. THE KON-TIKI (1947) Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl s 1947 expedition across the Pacific Ocean, from South America to the Polynesian islands.

Ten exciting stories tell of the success and failures of many famous inventors and pilots in the quest for flight. Stories include: the first hot-air balloon to carry people, the Wright brothers and the first airplane, Charles Lindbergh s nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, Amelia Earhart s attempt at a round-the-world flight, breaking the sound barrier, and Felix Baumgartner s skydive from space. Feature boxes add additional details and simple maps help readers better understand the flight paths. THE FIRST MANNED FLIGHT (November 21, 1783) The first flight in a balloon is made by Pilatre de Rozier, together with an army officer, the Marquis d Arlandes. Pilatre later becomes, along with Pierre Romain, the first known fatalities of an aviation crash. ARRIVING BY DIRIGIBLE (1901) Alberto Santos-Dumont is famous for his pioneering aviation feats. THE FIRST FATAL AIRPLANE CRASH (1908) The Wright brothers make history by claiming the first controlled flight in a heavierthan- air machine in 1903. By 1908, the Wright brothers are travelling across the United States and Europe in order to demonstrate their flying machine. Everything goes well until that fateful day on September 10. LOST IN FOG OVER THE ENGLISH CHANNEL (1909) Louis Bleriot s world record of crossing the English Channel nearly comes unstuck as he becomes disorientated in thick fog... ACROSS THE ATLANTIC (1919) Alcock and Brown s transatlantic record nearly ends in disaster as Brown climbs out onto the wing to chip off the ice... NEW YORK TO PARIS (1927) Charles Lindbergh faces many challenges, including skimming over both storm clouds at 10,000 ft (3,000 m) and wave tops as low as 10 ft (3 m), fighting icing, flying blind through fog for several hours, and navigating only by the stars (whenever visible), and dead reckoning before landing near Paris. LOST IN THE PACIFIC (1927) Amelia Earhart disappears on her flight around the world...THE SOUTHERN CROSS (1935) The famous plane flown by Kingsford Smith has more than its fair share of glory. THE SOUND BARRIER (1947) Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier in a rocket plane, despite having two broken ribs... FALLING FROM SPACE (2012) Felix Baumgartner s record-breaking sky dive from the edge of space.

Ten exciting stories feature famous explorers and their dangerous jungle adventures. Stories include: Gonzalo Pizarro s search for the city of El Dorado, Mary Kingsley's fall into a pit of stakes, Percy Fawcett and the lost city of Z, Henry Walter Bates adventure in the Amazon, and Captain Barth Blake's search for Inca gold in the Amazon. Simple maps and feature boxes add additional details and help readers better understand the time period in which the explorations took place. IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO (1541) Gonzalo Pizarro s ill-fated mission to find the legendary city of gold. DRESSED TO SURVIVE (1893) Mary Kingsley survives falling into a pit full of sharp stakes in the African jungle thanks to her voluminous skirt. CAPTURED BY RIVER PIRATES (1830) The Lander brothers are captured while exploring the Niger and held to ransom... WALLACE AND THE SNAKE (1859) Wallace has a close encounter with a poisonous snake as he sleeps in his canoe in the jungles of S.E. Asia... PERCY FAWCETT AND THE LOST CITY OF Z (1906) Fawcett s last expedition in the Amazon jungle with his son and son s friend ends in their disappearance. IN THE HANDS OF CANNIBALS (1555) Hans Staden, a German soldier and explorer, is held captive by the Tupinamba people of Brazil who are going to eat him... . MUNGO PARK S JOURNEY DOWN THE NIGER (1805) The harrowing tale of Park s final voyage down the Niger, fighting off native attacks in canoes, finally ends with him diving into the river as his boat becomes stuck midstream... A NATURALIST IN THE AMAZON (1848) Henry Walter Bates comes across two children with a spider on a string lead, while travelling in the Amazon rainforest collecting samples. EMIN PASHA RELIEF EXPEDITION (1886 1889) Led by Henry Morton Stanley, the expedition becomes both celebrated, for its ambition in crossing darkest Africa , and notorious, for the deaths of so many of its members. CAPTAIN BARTH BLAKE AND VALVERDE S GOLD (1887) The search for missing Inca gold in the Amazon...