Bats
Bats are among the world's most misunderstood animals. This Parents' Choice Award book gives readers an inside look at the earth's only flying mammals. Readers discover how bats can pluck insects from the air, fish from the water, and help giant trees and other tropical plants to reproduce, among other fascinating facts. Featuring stunning illustrations, this is a great introduction to an extraordinary mammal.

Crows
You see them feeding along the sides of roads or flying to the tops of trees. They are known as common crows, but there is nothing common about them. The familiar sound of "caw, caw, caw" is just one of at least twenty-five distinct sounds crows make in order to communicate with one another. Laurence Pringle examines these remarkable creatures in a fact-filled text that explores how crows talk, behave, and survive. With beautifully detailed illustration by Bob Marstall, young readers get a fascinating look into the world of one of the smartest birds on earth in this winner of the John Burroughs Nature Books for Young Readers Award.

Cicadas
Discover why cicadas are all the BUZZ. Every year, annual cicadas emerge and pierce the air with their buzzing calls. Also every year, at least one brood of thirteen-year or seventeen-year cicadas emerges in some part of the eastern or central United States. In the spring of 2011, a giant brood will hatch in parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Just in time, renowned author Laurence Pringle and accomplished nature illustrator Meryl Henderson have created the most complete, comprehensive book for kids about these noisy but harmless insects. This is the story of an insect that deserves to be protected.

Owls
From the tiny elf owl that weighs less than two ounces to the Eurasian eagle owl that can have a wing span of over five feet, each individual species is described and masterfully pictured in vivid detail through clear, informative text with accompanying artwork. Various facets of the owls’ lives are discussed, including their habitats, diet, mating habits, vision, physiology, digestion, and parenting. This miniature encyclopedia, complete with a glossary, index, and further resources, offers a wealth of knowledge to aspiring avian enthusiasts and contains enough factoids to allow even fledgling readers to soar to new heights.

Scorpions
We have been taught to fear scorpions in any form. But scorpions usually sting either to subdue their prey or to protect themselves. In fact, Earth has two thousand scorpion species, but only a few dozen are deadly to humans. With vivid descriptions of scorpions’ life cycle, body structure, habits, and habitat and beautiful, realistic illustrations, this new entry in the popular Strange and Wonderful series explores one of nature’s feared and misunderstood creatures.

Snakes
Can you climb a tree without using arms or legs? Can you smell odors by wiggling your tongue in the air? Snakes can! Beginning with these simple questions, award-winning author Laurence Pringle invites readers to explore the remarkable abilities and lives of snakes. Snakes are legless reptiles, but thanks to their powerful muscles and hundreds of rib bones they can coil, creep, climb, and swim. Some can even glide through the air. Join Laurence Pringle in this NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book as he takes a look at some of the more than two thousand snakes that are found almost all over the world. A lively and informative text, joined with Meryl Henderson's bold and realistic art, explains how snakes hunt for food, move, shed their skin, give birth, and play important roles in nature. While snakes may look strange, this fascinating book shows why they are also wonderful creatures.

Alligators and Crocodiles
Meet Earth's largest living reptile. Crocodile-like animals lived on Earth more than two hundred million years ago. They outlived the dinosaurs. Today their descendants are found on five continents. They belong to a special group of reptiles called crocodilians. These animals are strange and wonderful indeed. For example, ferocious-looking mother alligators treat their hatchlings with tender care. Crocodilians may seem awkward on land, but they can move quickly. Usually they wait and watch from the water, then ambush their prey. From baby alligators that call to "Mom" from inside their eggs to grown alligators and crocodiles that bellow and roar, Laurence Pringle takes readers into the world of nature's largest—and noisiest—living reptiles. Bold, realistic illustrations by Meryl Henderson show every crocodilian species as well as details of their bodies and fascinating behavior.

Frogs
Are kids going to love this book? Is a frog waterproof? The latest title in the popular Strange and Wonderful series delivers the awe-inspiring variety of the world’s hoppiest amphibians. The goliath frog is more than a foot long. The tiny gold frog could sit on a dime. Some frogs have camouflage. Others wear bold colors warning their enemies that they are poisonous. Some frogs leap, others hop, one is a runner, and a few glide from tree to tree with their big, webbed hands and feet! Laurence Pringle’s knack for choosing and presenting surprising facts and Meryl Henderson’s gift for beautiful, realistic nature illustrations come together once again in a celebration of one of nature’s most fascinating marvels.

Penguins
Laurence Pringle's fascinating and informative book, with stunning illustrations by Meryl Henderson, introduces young readers to the life and behavior of one of nature's most remarkable—and most popular—birds. The seventeen species of penguin come in all sizes and live in a surprising range of habitats. Readers familiar with the emperor penguin that stands almost four feet tall and lives in the Antarctic may be surprised to encounter the little blue penguin that’s only about sixteen inches high and hops ashore into the green forests of southern Australia and southern New Zealand. This book is packed with such a wealth of information, even penguin enthusiasts are bound to learn something new.

Whales
From the tiny cookiecutter to the great white, the world's oceans are home to hundreds of species of marvelous and mysterious sharks. There's the giant whale shark - longer than two school buses but gentle enough to swim with humans; and the swell shark, which can wedge itself into a hideout and then swell so that it cannot be pulled out. There are sharks that lay eggs and sharks that have live babies. Some are small enough to fit into the palm of your hand, and some have teeth bigger than your fist. Join acclaimed author Laurence Pringle on a fascinating exploration of the wide variety of fish classified as sharks. Together with Meryl Henderson's beautiful and realistic illustrations, young readers will be taken on an unforgettable journey deep under the sea.

Sharks
From the tiny cookiecutter to the great white, the world's oceans are home to hundreds of species of marvelous and mysterious sharks. There's the giant whale shark - longer than two school buses but gentle enough to swim with humans; and the swell shark, which can wedge itself into a hideout and then swell so that it cannot be pulled out. There are sharks that lay eggs and sharks that have live babies. Some are small enough to fit into the palm of your hand, and some have teeth bigger than your fist. Join acclaimed author Laurence Pringle on a fascinating exploration of the wide variety of fish classified as sharks. Together with Meryl Henderson's beautiful and realistic illustrations, young readers will be taken on an unforgettable journey deep under the sea.

Octopuses
Did you know that octopuses can eject ink in the shape of a ghostly octopus or detach a wiggling arm while jetting away to safety? Or that their skin can change color for camouflage? Octopuses are the subject of this latest installment of the successful Strange and Wonderful series. Covering the entire life cycle of these mysterious ocean dwellers and their anatomical details and behavioral quirks, Laurence Pringle’s investigation of octopuses is both a comprehensive and
accessible introduction and resource.