Summer Reading for Early Childhood and Lower School Students 2024

It's the winter of 1924 and a diptheria outbreak is threatening the population of Nome, Alaska. The only way to stop the deadly illness from causing a full blown epidemic is to immediately deliver one million units of the diptheria antitoxin to the affected communities --a task that seems impossible given that the only way to reach any place in Alaska at this time of year is by dog sled. The stakes are high, and the snow is piling higher. Will the antitoxin make it in time? Or will the infection spread faster than they can treat it...

Follow along as Balto and Togo lead the way in this race against time to get the antitoxin and save lives.

In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed across the ocean and discovered America. Right? Wrong! Columbus never actually set foot in what is now the United States. His voyages took him to islands in the Caribbean and along the coast of South America. The truth is, when Columbus first arrived, Indigenous peoples, including the Taino, had been living there for thousands of years, raising their families, running their societies, and trading with their neighbors. He didn't "discover" the lands at all! And his name? Not even really Christopher Columbus! Available on SORA.

Get ready to roam America's amazing wild spaces and discover wow-factor facts, epic photography, and surprising secrets about all 63 US National Parks. Seek-out the world's largest tree, meet grizzly bears and fearsome bald eagles, and unearth spooky ghost towns hidden in forests. Explorers, it's time to plan your next big adventure - let's go!

Journey through the United States' most monumental landscapes with this expanded edition of America's National Parks. Get to know all of the best sights and activities to experience during a fun-filled trip like attempting an almighty howl at the moon or camping under a blanket of stars. Spot legendary animals from gators to bison, gray wolves to great horned owls, or stomp past out-of-this-world wonders including a crystal-clear lake that's deeper than the Empire State Building! This is the ultimate compendium for curious readers who want to learn more about America's wildest places.

Are you brave enough to come face-to-face with the biggest and most awe-inspiring prehistoric beasts? In this dramatic introduction to the Stone Age world, the stupendous giants that shared the earth with our human ancestors--from the woolly mammoth and the fearsome saber-toothed cat to the elephant bird and the giant wombat--leap, slither, and swoop to life on eighteen atmospheric and densely packed double-page spreads spotlighting animals from around the globe. Each lively profile is anchored to a stunning illustration by Kate Greenaway Medal winner Grahame Baker-Smith and features jaw-dropping facts about the animal's anatomy and behavior, with an emphasis on how it interacted with early humans. Sidebars highlight scientific name, weight, territorial range, and extinction dates, while a glossary and end notes offer additional color and context to round out a boldly packaged and richly absorbing journey of discovery.

This all-encompassing encyclopedia for kids offers:

- A whole collection of facts, charts, timelines, and illustrations that cover a vast range of transportation.
- Complex subjects that are explained using amazingly detailed CGIs that entice young readers to dive in and explore.
- A visual approach using illustrations, photographs and extremely detailed 3D CGI images.
Children can explore transportation as they've never seen it before, looking at groundbreaking topics like current and future craft that use green energy to transport people and goods around the world. Peer inside a car engine, feel the roar of a jet, watch a helicopter's rotor create lift, and explore below the decks of an ocean liner in this impressively detailed transportation encyclopedia.

From ancient chariots and Viking longships to racing cars, rockets, and solar-powered airplanes, our world has been changed by the pioneering development of many incredible vehicles. Take a journey through time to discover how these 50 groundbreaking inventions changed the world and how they might even shape our future . . .

A fun-filled, highly illustrated, science-based exploration into one of the universe's greatest mysteries--does life exist beyond Earth?--from bestselling and award-winning author Stacy McAnulty.
Spoiler: Scientists haven't discovered life beyond Earth, not even a single teeny-tiny organism. But there's a whole lot of outer space, and humans have searched only a fraction of a fraction of it. So do you believe in the possibility of life out there? Or do you think Earth is perfectly unique in its ability to grow organisms?
Where Are the Aliens? takes readers on a journey of theories and discoveries, from the big bang and primordial soup, to how the ancient Greeks considered the cosmos, to the technology used today to listen and (possibly!) communicate with far-off exoplanets. Packed with playful illustrations and fascinating factoids, this is the perfect book for anyone who has ever looked up and asked, "What's out there?"

Do robots have emotions? What would happen if you jumped into a black hole? Can plants ... hear things? Find the answers to these and even more far-flung questions in this quirky, super-stuffed curiosity quencher.
Some questions have simple answers. And other questions? Well, it's complicated. That's where this book comes in. We're tackling head-scratching--sometimes serious and sometimes totally wacky--questions whose answers aren't so black and white. We'll dig into the possibilities, analyze the what-ifs, and give plenty of science to back it up.
In these pages, explore the deepest depths of the ocean, the farthest edges of our universe, the ancient past, and dreams of the future. Find out what's stopping us from digging a hole right through the center of planet Earth. (And what it would be like if we could!) Tackle the ins and outs of living in virtual reality, find out whether fish feel wet all the time, and get a sightseeing checklist for a vacation to the moon. You'll also read interviews with experts wrestling big questions--like "What will the toys of tomorrow look like?" and "How do you find a dinosaur in the middle of the desert?"--and discover the truth behind myths busted. (No, your eyes won't pop out if you keep them open while you sneeze.)