Mary Griffin

"The huge corpse flower rarely blooms, sometimes once every ten years. When it does, it gives off a strong scent-the stink of a rotting corpse! The gross smell has a purpose, as readers of this fascinating volume will learn. It has everything to do with a main subject of the elementary science curriculum: pollination. Other science topics covered include plant life cycles and structures. Fact boxes add even more expert information, while full-color...

"Plants only make their own food-right? Not pitcher plants! Most pitcher plants draw in insects with their sweet-smelling nectar and slowly digest them. There is one kind of pitcher plant that likes to snack on tree shrews, too. The bizarre eating habits of the pitcher plant are sure to fascinate and delight readers as they learn how this plant's digestive system works, its habitat, and more. Full-color photographs and simple explanations allow readers...

The Black Death sounds like the name of a creepy movie, but it was an actual historical event. It was the term for the pandemic of plague throughout Europe and Asia in the 14th century. Before it was over, tens of millions of people had died. Readers will be enthralled to learn of the disturbing details of this gruesome disease and how it spread. They'll learn how people coped, how the world changed, and that plague still exists. Historical images...

In 1095, Pope Urban II ordered Christians to capture Jerusalem from the powerful Muslim forces that held it. This war would become known as the First Crusade, and many more crusades followed as Muslims and Christians contended for territory in the Middle Ages. Fascinated readers will find out why these wars were waged as well as the lasting effects they had on the Western world. Maps and a timeline help them follow the action, while stunning historical...

"Deserts aren't home to many plants. Those that live in such dry, hot environments need special adaptations to survive and thrive. Many species of cacti do just that! Readers of this beautifully designed book explore the ways cacti conserve water in their habitat, the features that make them similar and different than other plants, and why they're such vital parts of their ecosystems. Full-color photographs, interesting fact boxes, and a graphic organizer...

"Wide, flat, long-toed, hairy-animal feet can look different from one creature to the next. In this fun book, readers use their knowledge of animals to guess which animals' feet are shown in the beautiful photographs. They'll turn the page to see if they're correct and learn more about the animals. The low-ATOS text meets readers at their level, while the question-answer format allows readers to hone their fluency. The inviting text also provides...

"Long, wet, pointy, flat-animal noses can look quite different. In this fun book, readers use their knowledge of animals to guess which animals' noses are shown in the close-up photographs throughout the text. They'll turn the page to see the entire animal and find out if they're correct. The low-ATOS text meets readers at their level and gives more facts about each animal, while the question-answer format allows readers to hone their fluency. The...

"Small or large, long-lashed or no lashes at all-animal eyes can look very different. In this lively book, readers use their knowledge of animals to guess which animals' eyes are shown in the beautiful photographs. A simple turn of the page is all they'll need to see if they're correct. The question-answer format allows readers to hone their fluency, while the low-ATOS text provides further information about animals and their body parts. This volume...

"The periodic table is the way scientists have organized the 118 known elements. But up-and-coming scientists can learn much from the periodic table as well. In this book, they'll learn how to read the periodic table, including what an element's atomic number means and what the rows and columns signify. They'll gather facts about common and interesting elements and even discover how they can predict how elements might chemically react from their position...