Young children will be riveted by the story of Little Whale, a young calf who goes everywhere with his Mama. Every day as they swim through the waves, Little Whale feels happy and safe whenever he sees their shadows side by side on the ocean floor. One day, Little Whale sees a school of stingrays cruising by and he quickly races after them. He doesn't think he's gone too far when he suddenly looks down and sees only one shadow! Mama Whale is nowhere to be found...and he's stuck in a big fishing net! Now Little Whale is in deep trouble! Children will race to the end of this story to learn the outcome, discovering the real-life story that inspired this entertaining book. Little Whale in Deep Trouble includes lots of engaging facts about Humpback Whales that will encourage kids to learn more about these gentle giants. It's an excellent resource for children as they strive to meet state standards in English Language Arts. Pssst...it's a fun read

29 STORIES THAT ILLUSTRATE WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN SAFETY IS LEFT ON SHORE Sea Kayaker's Deep Trouble was a bestselling warning to kayakers: Do not let ignorance or arrogance get you hurt or even killed. Thousands heeded Deep Trouble's tales of tragedy; but even with the benefits of evolving technology and more safety options, kayakers still fall prey to human error. To renew the cautious attitude of seasoned paddlers and to instill safe practices in kayaking newbies, Sea Kayaker's More Deep Trouble presents more stories of kayaking trials, rescues, and tragedy. In these 29 stories collected from Sea Kayaker magazine, survivors and witnesses tell of their experiences with the dangers and risks of kayaking. You will feel the cold rush of water when paddlers fall in, the panic they feel when they do not know how to rescue themselves, and the anxiousness of loved ones waiting to hear any news. You will learn how whale watching could cost you your life, how life-saving electronics are only as good as the batteries you have in them, and how a float plan can initiate a timely search and rescue. End-of-story Lessons Learned summaries suggest what to do if you find yourself in similar unfortunate situations. Read these tales, understand the lessons learned in these incidents, and respect the advice given as you take your next kayaking adventure. This tome of danger and survival may ultimately save your life.

“Readers new to the work of Christopher Moore will want to know two things immediately. First: Where has this guy been hiding? (Answer: In plain sight, since he has a cult following.)...[H]e writes laid back fables straight out of Margaritaville, on the cusp of humor and science fiction.”—Janet Maslin, New York Times Whale researcher Nathan Quinn has a problem. It’s not a new problem; in fact, it’s been around for nearly 20 million years. And Nate’s spent most of his adult life working to solve it. You see, although everybody (well, almost everybody) knows that humpback whales sing (outside of human composition, the most complex songs on the planet) no one knows why. Nate, a Ph.D. in behavior biology, intends to discover the answer to this burning question—and soon. Every winter he and Clay Demolocus, his partner in the Maui Whale Research Foundation, ply the warm waters between the islands of Maui and Lanai, recording the eerily beautiful songs of the humpbacks and returning to their lab for electronic analysis. The trouble is, Nate’s beginning to wonder if he hasn’t spent just a little too much time in the sun. Either that, or he’s losing his mind. Because today, as he was shooting an I.D. photo of a humpback tail fluke, Nate could’ve sworn he saw the words “Bite Me” scrawled across the whale’s tail. . .

Magnet fun with The Snail and the Whale! Explore the deep sea and the wide world in this great magnetic book! Contains over 80 Snail and the Whale magnets, a special mini edition of the bestselling story, plus play scenes and fun activities, including Mixed-up Beasts, Match the Shadows and a Snail and the Whale quiz. With a neat clasp and sturdy carry handle, you can take the fun with you wherever you go! A perfect gift from the creators of The Gruffalo!

LITTLE MOUNTAIN, BIG TROUBLE is an inspirational story about a young boy with a big dream and the courage to chase that dream no matter the obstacles. Twelve-year-old EJ is a short, unpopular, shy, self-described loser. He lives with his mother and younger brother on the wrong side of town and spends every other weekend with his hard-to-please, deadbeat father. Because surviving school and his home life are challenging enough, EJ’s the last kid you’d expect to dream of someday climbing Mount Everest … … until he’s matched with a volunteer Big Brother. Russ is the opposite of EJ in almost every way. Despite their differences, they bond over helping EJ achieve his mountain-climbing dream. Their first goal is to hike to Minnesota’s highest point, Eagle Mountain. But when a ferocious thunderstorm strikes in the middle of their trek, EJ and Russ are plunged into a life-or-death crisis. Fighting his loser self-image with every step toward safety, EJ learns that standing tall has nothing to do with height and everything to do with determination, heart, and courage.

L.A. Cops is primarily a work of fiction; with a few exceptions, the names of my characters as well as most of the cities and counties in the San Joaquin Valley are figments of my imagination. If the reader believes that I have written about actual places, as well as real crimes, that is his right to do so. I can only say in my defense that all writers have stored in their memory-cells recollections of actual events, and frequently borrow from those storage banks ideas that eventually go together to make up a story, or even an entire novel. That’s how writers of fiction make a living; unless the work is pure science-fiction, the more closely it resembles real-life situations, the more likely it will sell, because we all experience something inside when we can relate to the characters, events, or locales in a story. I have used real situations—and in several instances—actual places in the chapters that deal with World War II. Of course, built within that framework, I’ve taken the liberty to make my characters more colorful, gallant, or tyrannical than may have been the actual case. I wasn’t old enough during that period to have had personal experiences of this nature, but some of the military individuals I’ve introduced you to may approximately match some that I ran into during my own years in the Air Force. After all, no one period in time has its own special hold on good, decent people, nor on those who have made life less than great for those they have come in contact with. You will find both types playing important roles in my book.