This story is about a missing thirteen-year-old schoolgirl Gillian Walters, who was presumed to have been abducted from her home in 1977. Thirteen years had passed and she was presumed dead as the 'girl's body' had not yet been found. The local police in charge of the enquiry had passed this cold case over to a special secretive division which incorporated officer David Whoot, the detective Doctor and Jeremy Ashman. These were no ordinary officers as they possessed special abilities. They were able to forecast future events as well as communicate with other existences. This case takes the pair on a series of international thrilling adventures in the hunt to reveal the truth... but are they going to get more than they bargained for?

Using the history of the concept of extinction with the dodo as a case study, Pinto-Correia carefully weaves together story fragments to give a cohesive eye-opening view of 17th century exploration and the grave ramifications it had for the survival and extinction of many species. More importantly, she shows us the intellectual underpinnings of the old view that it was acceptable for some animals to die out. Within this narrative, we can see what the modern view of the dodo tells us about the history of our changing understanding and valuation of nature and our place in it. Strong writing, powered by lively historical anecdotes and sober insights into human behavior, makes this beautifully illustrated book a page-turner to the end.

In the “fast-paced, frightening” (The New York Times Book Review) sequel to Bird Box, the inspiration for the record-breaking Netflix film starring Sandra Bullock, bestselling author Josh Malerman brings unseen horrors to life. NOMINATED FOR THE BRAM STOKER AWARD • “Malorie is even more of a psychological thriller than Bird Box, and all the scarier for it.”—The Wall Street Journal Twelve years after Malorie and her children rowed up the river to safety, a blindfold is still the only thing that stands between sanity and madness. One glimpse of the creatures that stalk the world will drive a person to unspeakable violence. There remains no explanation. No solution. All Malorie can do is survive—and impart her fierce will to do so on her children. Don’t get lazy, she tells them. Don’t take off your blindfold. AND DON’T LOOK. But then comes what feels like impossible news. And with it, the first time Malorie has allowed herself to hope. Someone very dear to her, someone she believed dead, may be alive. Malorie has already lost so much: her sister, a house full of people who meant everything, and any chance at an ordinary life. But getting her life back means returning to a world full of unknowable horrors—and risking the lives of her children again. Because the creatures are not the only thing Malorie fears: There are the people who claim to have caught and experimented on the creatures. Murmerings of monstrous inventions and dangerous new ideas. And rumors that the creatures themselves have changed into something even more frightening. Malorie has a harrowing choice to make: to live by the rules of survival that have served her so well, or to venture into the darkness and reach for hope once more.

Founded on the premise that zoos are ‘bilingual’—that the zoo, in the shape of its staff and exhibits, and its visitors speak distinct languages—this enlightening analysis of the informal learning that occurs in zoos examines the ‘speech’ of exhibits and staff as well as the discourse of visitors beginning in the earliest years. Using real-life conversations among visitors as a basis for discussion, the authors interrogate children’s responses to the exhibits and by doing so develop an ‘informal learning model’ and a ‘zoo knowledge model’ that prompts suggestions for activities that classroom educators can use before, during, and after a zoo visit. Their analysis of the ‘visitor voice’ informs creative suggestions for how to enhance the educational experiences of young patrons. By assessing visitors’ entry knowledge and their interpretations of the exhibits, the authors establish a baseline for zoos that helps them to refine their communication with visitors, for example in expanding knowledge of issues concerning biodiversity and biological conservation. The book includes practical advice for zoo and classroom educators about positive ways to prepare for zoo visits, engaging activities during visits, and follow-up work that maximizes the pedagogical benefits. It also reflects on the interplay between the developing role of zoos as facilitators of learning, and the ways in which zoos help visitors assimilate the knowledge on offer. In addition to being essential reading for educators in zoos and in the classroom, this volume is full of insights with much broader contextual relevance for getting the most out of museum visits and field trips in general.

They had been in space a long time. They had examined every planet within their trajectory as ordered. There had been six planets in their path that they examined as possible sites for colonization and a nebula off in the distance. The nebula was very beautiful, kind of purple and dark blue. But, their orders were not to examine nebulas, but to fi nd a class M planet that could be adaptable to humans. This was defi antly a class M planet all the readings were perfect. But, with all the experts on board no one could fi nd the source of the intelligence it took to make these amazing gardens that circled the planet. Some fairly large birds had been seen. But, there were no land animals with brains large enough to make these gardens. They had to be gardens, gardens with uniformed rows of growing crops. There were uniformed rows of trees as well and lines of shrubs or hedge which divided the garden areas. This planet was placed between three suns just right so as to have one side always warm. The temperature was around 70 to 80 degrees and at night near 50 degrees. The suns were orbiting in a slightly arched line with this small planet. The planet and its two moons orbited around the larger sun. The smaller suns being further away gave little light and a small amount of warmth just enough so the other sides of the planet were not in total darkness at any time. It had water and oxygen, breathable oxygen that meant no suits or helmets. This planet was just what they were looking for. It was a small green pearl in the vast darkness of space.

If animal behavior is mostly instinctual, why do animals need to communicate? Is it possible that there is a universal language spoken and understood by all animals on earth, including humans? Do barks, growls, rumbles, chirps, yips, and meows have communicative meanings? "No matter what species," writes acclaimed science journalist Tim Friend, "we're all concerned with the same topics of conversation -- sex, real estate, who's boss, and what's for dinner." In Animal Talk, Friend draws upon years of field research, interviews with preeminent scientists, and lively personal anecdotes to find out how our animal neighbors communicate and what their languages mean. From bird calls to whale songs, laughing hyenas to rattling snakes, an elephant cry in the jungle to the bark of a Chihuahua in his own backyard, Friend tells the grand story of animal communication through the sounds, stripes, scents, and signals of the animals themselves.