Animals Nonfiction

Zip! Something darts through the air. It’s a dragonfly! Young listeners will get the fast facts on these speedy insects, including their body parts, habitats, and life cycles. Along the way, they also will uncover surprising and fascinating facts!

In 2014, Flint, Michigan, was a cash-strapped city that had been built up, then abandoned by General Motors. As part of a plan to save money, government officials decided that Flint would temporarily switch its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Within months, many residents broke out in rashes.

Do you love cats? Do you ever wish you could talk to them? You may be surprised to learn that your pet cat talks to you all the time! This book will teach you what your cat’s body language is saying to you, whether kitty is twitching her tail, showing her belly, or even just blinking at you. Meow!

Chew some grass. Flick a tail. Cows are at home on the farm.

Learn how green sea turtles live in the ocean, meet their friends, and see their natural habitat.

Bearded dragons don’t breathe fire, but they do have spikes to scare away predators! Listeners will learn all about this real-life dragon that lives only in Australia.

As part of an elite team of Marines, Craig Grossi was sent on his most dangerous assignment to the Sangin District of Afghanistan. He expected to face harsh conditions and violence from Taliban fighters.

The Komodo Dragon is the world’s largest lizard! Listeners will learn all about this real-life dragon that roams only a few small islands on Earth.

Hi, there! I'm a monarch butterfly. You’ve probably seen me fluttering around, but have you ever stopped to think about where I came from? Learn more about my life cycle and how I went from a tiny little caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly.

There's so much more to elephants than their enormous size! Have you heard about their excellent memory or their adorable sense of humour? Did you know that they actually walk on their tippy toes? And wait till you see who their cousins are – you're in for a surprise! Elephants can live until the age of 70 and are Earth's most intelligent giants, with incredible communication and relationship-building abilities.

There's more to snakes than them being venomous and cold-blooded. Did you know a snake can still grow even when it hasn't eaten for months? Or that snakes have flexible jaws that allow them to eat prey that's much larger than them? Or that snakes are masters of disguise? With more than 3700 sub-species around the world, there's a snake to delight and frighten every kind of listener, from Australia's deadly Eastern brown snake to the green anaconda, the heaviest snake in the world. Not to mention the teeny-tiny Barbados thread snake, which is half as long as a pencil!

What is the longest venomous snake in the world? The king cobra! It can grow longer than a limousine. Its deadly bite can even take down an elephant. Young listeners will enjoy learning more about these fascinating reptiles.

Could griffins have been real? When Adrienne Mayor carefully read the ancient Greek and Roman descriptions, this mythic hybrid of a lion and an eagle sounded like something people had actually seen. What could explain that evidence? After a decade of hunting through myths, poring over old maps, and tracing the discoveries of modern dinosaur hunters, she found the answer: awesome dinosaur fossils observed by ancient gold hunters in the Gobi desert.

It’s a cat’s world! In the United States and Europe, there are even more cats kept as pets than dogs. All of these cats mean there are also millions of owners who need to care for them! Young listeners will learn the ins and outs of daily cat care, symptoms of some common illnesses, and countless tips for how to keep cats in tip-top shape.

Capybaras are at home on land and in the water. Learn about these round-bodied rodents and their habitats in Capybaras.

Is your child always asking questions about the world and wanting to learn more about it? Isn’t it amazing how quickly children learn when they’re younger? Their brains are like little sponges, absorbing all the information around them. Your heart swells with pride when they tell you something new and exciting that they’ve learned. Perhaps it’s the ability to recite the names of all the planets in our solar system, or maybe it’s being able to solve a complex math problem. Wherever their passions lie, our Trivia for Smart Kids will keep their curiosity growing.

It’s the week before Christmas, and Eric is already bored with his vacation. His parents have to work, his friends are out of town, and the city is snowed under. Then he opens his apartment door for an exterminator, and is dragged into the adventure of his life. Anje Gabrail carries a crossbow and lives for his work. When he discovers a rat in the basement of Eric’s apartment building, he asks the boy to help him kill it. At first Eric agrees, after all, he doesn’t have anything better to do. But as the week progresses, Eric finds himself in a fight to save not only the rat but himself as well.

Woof! Woof! Dogs make fun pets. Some are tiny and some are tall. Some have curly hair and others have straight hair. Young listeners will learn about the appearance, behavior, and abilities of pet dogs, and discover why these playful pals make amazing pets.

Sometimes a therapy dog can lift a person's spirits just by being in the same room. Other times, the dogs take more active roles, acting as companions. Therapy dogs help people who are ill or sad feel better. Learn more about these amazing animals, including how they are chosen, the training they go through, and the work they do.

Did you know that there are over 393 million pets in the United States alone? Two out of every three households own a pet. That is a lot of pets! In this book, you will learn the most interesting and amazing facts and behaviors of eight of the most popular pets and the reasons why people love to have these animals in their homes.