curiosities and wonders

A collection of questions and answers, lists, and trivia offers facts in an ultra-accessible format.

Featuring photographs that illustrate and educate, this visual encyclopedia is packed with images that bring more than one million things to light.

The author of National Geographic's "Gory Details" blog takes a dark yet humorous look at the gory side of nature, human bodies, and the mind. Interviews leading scientists to discuss murderous animals, facial mites, insects, delusions, and other topics.

"There is a wild world of very random information out there! This second volume of the beloved Totally Random Facts series rounds up another 3000-plus of those surprising, strange, and striking nuggets of information. Covering everything from cuddly pets to venomous spiders and exoplanets to undersea trenches, this uber-giftable hardcover showcases amazing photography, cool design, and weird-but-true information. If your trivia-phile is interested in it, there's a Totally Random Fact about it!"--.

"In this search-and-find adventure, inquisitive readers will explore all the tantalizing collections in the Curiosity Shop. Could the mountains of items and optical illusions throughout the pages actually be contained in one miniature building? Readers of all ages will welcome the twelve exciting photographs with fascinating objects, along with the challenging rhyming text with lists of items to seek and find"--.

Did you know that sinkholes can form anywhere in the United States? Florida gets more sinkholes than any other U.S.state.

Arranged alphabetically, The Awesome 50 States takes readers from the mountains of Maine to the coasts of California, stopping along the way at every weird and wonderful place a kid could imagine.

"A colorful information book filled with 100 fascinating and mind-blowing facts. Scientists and historians have discovered a lot about our past, our future and how the world works, but SO MUCH remains unknown. What is dark matter? How fast could a T. rex run? How did Mary Queen of Scots keep her dying wishes secret from her enemies? This exciting book explores the edges of human knowledge and the vast world of science just waiting to be uncovered"--Publisher's description.

"What's it like to be the first to enter an Egyptian burial chamber that's been sealed for thousands of years? What horrifying secret was found among the prehistoric ruins of the American Southwest? Who really was the infamous the Monster of Florence? Douglas Preston's journalistic explorations have taken him from the haunted country of Italy to the jungles of Honduras. He was granted exclusive journalistic access to the largest tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, broke the story of an extraordinary mass grave of animals killed by the asteroid impact that ended the Cretaceous period and caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, and explored what lay hidden in the booby-trapped Money Pit on Oak Island. When he hasn't been co-authoring bestselling thrillers featuring FBI Agent Pendergast, Preston has been writing about some of the world's strangest and most dramatic mysteries. The Lost Tomb brings together an astonishing and compelling collection of true stories about buried treasure, enigmatic murders, lost tombs, bizarre crimes, and other fascinating tales of the past and present"--.

Offers kids an illustrated look at rare sights from around the world provided by National Geographic. Features color photographs and facts about natural wonders, unique animals, historical landmarks, engineering feats, cosmic curiosities, and technological inventions.