Food historian Cynthia Clampitt pens the epic story of what happened when Mesoamerican farmers bred a nondescript grass into a staff of life so prolific, so protean, that it represents nothing less than one of humankind's greatest achievements. Blending history with expert reportage, she traces the disparate threads that have woven corn into the fabric of our diet, politics, economy, science, and cuisine. At the same time she explores its future as a source of energy and the foundation of seemingly limitless green technologies. The result is a bourbon-to-biofuels portrait of the astonishing plant that sustains the world.

Bear’s Halloween party gets overwhelmed by a delicious excess of popcorn in this classic picture book refreshed with new art by celebrated and award-winning author-illustrator Frank Asch. On Halloween night Sam invites all his friends to his house for a costume party. As his guests arrive, each one brings the same treat: popcorn! They make it all and soon the house is overflowing with popcorn. What will Sam and his friends do with so much of this tasty treat?

Presents a variety of facts about popcorn and includes two recipes.

Ellis loves popcorn. Who doesn't? But one day her school goes on a healthy eating campaign and her dads decide to follow suit, banning all snack foods from their house, INCLUDING POPCORN. Unfair. Ellis has got to get around that edict, so one night she pops a bag of popcorn out back in the garage...and she's met with more than just her favorite salty snack. One kernel refuses to pop, and soon it's sprouted a face, arms, and legs! He introduces himself as Popcorn Bob, and he is NOT in a good mood. (Ever, really.) He's absolutely ravenous, and no amount of food keeps him from being hangry. Bob causes no end of chaos for Ellis, and she decides to rid herself of him once and for all, except...she actually starts to like him. A chapter book for all ages, Popcorn Bob is a laugh-out-loud story about the power of friendship, and a perfect bowl of popcorn.

"Told through rhyme, the step-by-step process of how America's favorite snack is grown, harvested, and popped is explained. Back matter includes scientific facts and activities"--

This entertaining book seeks to unravel an array of pricing puzzles from the one captured in the book’s title to why so many prices end with "9" (as in $2.99 or $179). Along the way, the author explains how the 9/11 terrorists have, through the effects of their heinous acts on the relative prices of various modes of travel, killed more Americans since 9/11 than they killed that fateful day. He also explains how well-meaning efforts to spur the use of alternative, supposedly environmentally friendly fuels have starved millions of people around the world and given rise to the deforestation of rainforests in Malaysia and Indonesia.