The award-winning cartoonist offers “a witty history of the planet” for young readers—covering everything from the Big Bang to climate change (Publishers Weekly). Almost 14.5 billion years ago, it all started with a Big Bang. What began as a cloud of gas, dust, and rock eventually took shape and bloomed into a molten sphere. Battered by asteroid collisions, ice ages, and shifting tectonic plates, our fledgling planet finally pushed forth continents. But if you think the earth has calmed down since then—think again! In this illustrated history of earth, the Sibert Honor medalist Don Brown teams up with geologist Michael Perfit to tell the strange-but-true saga of our planetary home. A knowlegeable groundhog and his earthworm sidekick take young readers through a wide range of topics—from solar energy and liquid magma to the ozone layer and the formation of mountains. Plus mini-biographies of scientists are included throughout. “A guaranteed hit with science lovers and a best bet for convincing skeptics that science is indeed a grand and exciting adventure.” —Kirkus Reviews

Presented in graphic novel format, this book discusses historical geology, earth science, and the Earth's origins.

A Horse in the House? Things are hard for eleven-year-old Yonder. Her mother died and her father has sunk into sadness. She doesn't have a friend to her name . . . except for Dirt, the Shetland pony next door.Dirt has problems of his own. He's overweight, he's always in trouble, and his owner is the mean Miss Enid, who doesn't have the patience for a pony's natural curiosity. His only friend is Yonder, the scrawny girl next door.So when Miss Enid decides to sell Dirt for horsemeat, Yonder knows she has to find a way to rescue him. Even if that means stealing Dirt away and sneaking him into her own house. What follows will make you worry, will make you cry, and will ultimately fill you with hope, love, and an unshakable belief in the power of friendship. Especially the four-legged kind.

Delve Into the Fascinating World of Dirt Dirt is a matter of opinion, according to public health and hygiene authority Terence McLaughli. In this engaging, thoroughly-researched, and often humorous study of the “imperfections” of human existence and our relationship to them, McClaughlin dissects human attitudes about the slime, mud, stench and filth which has accompanied society through history. Our notion of cleanliness has a marked cultural aspect. For instance, McLaughlin cites Old Testament examples of cleanliness which, unbeknownst at the time, helped protect observant followers from the plague. The famous baths of ancient Rome were seen as progress for personal hygiene, and later scorned by Christians who rejected all things Roman. McLaughlin recites a long litany of examples of how we accept or reject substances, exploring why we dislike sensations such as stickiness and sliminess. Cultural attitudes about everything from factory smoke to personal hygiene are constantly shifting with the economic and political exigencies of the era. In this age of pandemic viruses, there has never been a more important time to observe how people think about the possible contaminants around us. Dirt is a key resource for anyone wishing to understand humanity’s role in shaping our environment.

I Love Dirt! presents 52 open-ended activities to help you engage your child in the outdoors. No matter what your location—from a small patch of green in the city to the wide-open meadows of the country—each activity is meant to promote exploration, stimulate imagination, and heighten a child's sense of wonder. Jennifer Ward is the author of numerous acclaimed parenting books and books for children, inspired by nature. "Jennifer Ward has created a book that will serve to gently introduce parents to nature, even as parents are using it to help guide a child into the narural world. Children—and parents—learn to observe, as well as appreciate, the basic joys of getting their hands dirty and feet wet. Discoveres become shared experience."—from the forword by Richard Louv

Brief text explores how soil is formed, its layers, and its importance as a natural resource that living things need to survive.