Synopses & Reviews
Human beings have always looked at the heavens and asked: Are we alone? Is there life elsewhere in the universe? What is that life like? Unfortunately, people canand#8217;t actually travel to other solar systems. Even the closest stars are too far away to visit.
Today, astrophysicists such as Jill Tarter are looking for other ways to search for extraterrestrial life. Jill is the director of Project Phoenix at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. SETI stands for and#147;Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.and#8221; Twice a year, Jill and her team travel to the mountains of Puerto Rico where they use the worldand#8217;s largest radio telescope to examine nearby stars. They search the sky, listening for radio signals that, if found and verified, would provide strong evidence that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe.
Author Ellen Jackson and photographer Nic Bishop introduce us to a dedicated scientist and her thrilling, rigorous, and awe-inspiring work in the field.
Review
"[This] handsomely designed volume displays the joys of being fascinated by one's work.and#8221; 6/1-615/2008 Booklist, ALA
and#8220;Thoughtful design adds to the pleasure of this splendid invitation to explore darker corners of the universe." 5/1/08 Kirkus Reviews, Starred
"[A] sense of adventure that readers will feel as they join a team of researchers on science's biggest frontier." School Library Journal
Review
Winner of the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award
* andquot;This behind-the-scenes look at the first Apollo moon landing has the feel of a public television documentary in its breadth and detail.andquot;
andmdash;Publishers Weekly, starred review
* andquot;This beautiful and well-documented tribute will introduce a new generation to that triumphant time.andquot;and#160;
andmdash;Kirkus Reviews, starred review
andquot;This dramatic account will mesmerize even readers already familiar with the event-andmdash;and also leave them awed by the level of care and dedication it took to surmount so many daunting technological challenges.andquot;and#160;
andmdash;School Library Journal
andquot;Thimmesh gives names and voices to the army that got Neil Armstrong and company to the moon and back. The result is a spectacular and highly original addition to the literature of space exploration.andquot;and#160;
andmdash;Horn Book
andquot;Catherine Thimmesh tells us the stories of the 400,000 people it took to make...that and#39;one giant leapand#39;...Their collective devotion to an exciting goal comes across strongly.andquot;and#160;
andmdash;Chicago Tribune
* andquot;Kids . . . probably feel they know quite a bit about the first manned moon landing. But until theyand#39;ve read Thimmeshand#39;s breathless behind-the-scenes account, they know zip.andquot;and#160;
andmdash;Bulletin, starred review
andquot;An edge-of-your-seat adventure . . . lavishly illustrated . . . this exhilarating book . . . will captivate.andquot;and#160;
andmdash;Chicago Sun-Times
andquot;Thimmeshand#39;s enthusiasm for her subject is palpable, and the sense of excitement she brings is as vital to Team Moonand#39;s success the bookand#39;s very premise.andquot;
andmdash;Chris Barton, author of Shark vs. Train
An NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
AAAS/Subaru SBandF Prize for Excellence in Science Books
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
An ALA Notable Childrenandrsquo;s Book
and#160;
Synopsis
A Sibert Honor Book An ALA Notable Book A John Burroughs Nature Book for Young Readers A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year A 2005 Outstanding Science Trade Book for Kand#150;12 A Kirkus Reviews Editorand#8217;s Choice List * and#147;Superb color photos abound in this spectacular series addition. . . . This is a vivid look at an enthusiastic scientist energetically and happily at work. . . . A treat, even for arachnophobes.and#8221;and#151;School Library Journal, starred review
Synopsis
The universe is rapidly expanding. Of that much scientists are certain. But how fast? And with what implications regarding the fate of the universe?
Ellen Jackson and Nic Bishop follow Dr. Alex Fillippenko and his High-Z Supernova Search Team to Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii, where they will study space phenomena and look for supernovae, dying stars that explode with the power of billions of hydrogen bombs. Dr. Fillippenko looks for black holes--areas in space with such a strong gravitational pull that no matter or energy can escape from them--with his robotic telescope. And they study the effects of dark energy, the mysterious force that scientists believe is pushing the universe apart, causing its constant and accelerating expansion.
Synopsis
By following the footsteps of several bug scientists, we take a closer look at the extraordinary bugs that crawl, swim, and whiz past us. We travel from an outdoor classroom in Indiana to the rain forests of Costa Ricaand#151;all in pursuit of a better understanding of bugs, glorious bugs.
Synopsis
It looks like a bear, but isnt one. It climbs trees as easily as a monkey but isnt a monkey, either. It has a belly pocket like a kangaroo, but whats a kangaroo doing up a tree? Meet the amazing Matschies tree kangaroo, who makes its home in the ancient trees of Papua New Guineas cloud forest. And meet the amazing scientists who track these elusive animals.
Synopsis
More than three quarters of all land animals fly, from butterflies and birds to beetles and bats. Some birds can stay airborne for hours with only an occasional flap of their wings, flies can hover and perform split-second turns, while bats can execute their precise maneuvers in total darkness. How do they do it? Find out the secrets of animal flight - the principles that keep fliers as different as ladybugs and eagles aloft. And discover some puzzles that scientists haven't yet been able to solve - nature's mysteries of flight.
Synopsis
A riveting account of the dedication, ingenuity, and perseverance of the greatest team everandmdash;the team that worked to first put man on the moon.
Synopsis
Here is a rare perspective on a story we only thought we knew. For Apollo 11, the first moon landing, is a story that belongs to many, not just the few and famous. It belongs to the seamstress who put together twenty-two layers of fabric for each space suit. To the engineers who created a special heat shield to protect the capsule during its fiery reentry. It belongs to the flight directors, camera designers, software experts, suit testers, telescope crew, aerospace technicians, photo developers, engineers, and navigators.
Gathering direct quotes from some of these folks who worked behind the scenes, Catherine Thimmesh reveals their very human worries and concerns. Culling NASA transcripts, national archives, and stunning NASA photos from Apollo 11, she captures not only the sheer magnitude of this feat but also the dedication, ingenuity, and perseverance of the greatest team everand#151;the team that worked to first put man on that great gray rock in the sky.
About the Author
Travel to the corners of the universe with Ellen Jackson and Nic Bishop as they follow Dr. Alex Fillippenko and his High-Z Supernova Search Team to Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii. There they study space phenomena and look for supernovae, dying stars that explode with the power of billions of hydrogen bombs. Dr. Fillippenko looks for black holesand#8212;areas in space with such a strong gravitational pull that no matter or energy can escape from themand#8212;with his robotic telescope. And they study the effects of dark energy, the mysterious force that scientists believe is pushing the universe apart, causing its constant and accelerating expansion."[This] handsomely designed volume displays the joys of being fascinated by one's work.and#8221; 6/1-615/2008 Booklist, ALA
and#8220;Thoughtful design adds to the pleasure of this splendid invitation to explore darker corners of the universe." 5/1/08 Kirkus Reviews, Starred
"[A] sense of adventure that readers will feel as they join a team of researchers on science's biggest frontier." School Library JournalEllen Jackson is the award-winning author of more than fifty fiction and nonfiction books for children. Like her father, an amateur astronomer, Ellen has been interested in planets, stars, and galaxies since she was a child. She remembers family "star parties," at which neighbors were invited to gaze through her father's telescope at an eclipse of the moon or other astronomical objects.