It's going to be a very busy day for the Animal Mechanics - a lorry full of ice cream has shed its load on the motorway, and everyone's getting very hot and bothered! Full of warm, witty details, A DAY WITH THE ANIMAL MECHANICS is the perfect picture book for any child who loves cars, engines - and ice cream! Other titles in the series: A DAY WITH THE ANIMAL DOCTORS, A DAY WITH THE ANIMAL FIREFIGHTERS and A DAY WITH THE ANIMAL BUILDERS.

You've met the Animal Doctors and the Animal Firefighters-now meet the Animal Builders, as they construct the penguins' dream home. It's going to be amazing, with an ice rink, a helter-skelter and a swimming pool on the roof. But the builders have got a new apprentice. It's Donkey-and he's turning out to be a bit of a disaster.

"Insects walk on water, snakes slither, and fish swim. Animals move with astounding grace, speed, and versatility: how do they do it, and what can we learn from them? In How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls, David Hu takes readers on an accessible, wondrous journey into the world of animal motion. From basement labs at MIT to the rain forests of Panama, Hu shows how animals have adapted and evolved to traverse their environments, taking advantage of physical laws with results that are startling and ingenious. In turn, the latest discoveries about animal mechanics are inspiring scientists to invent robots and devices that move with similar elegance and efficiency. Hu follows scientists as they investigate a multitude of animal movements, from the undulations of sandfish and the way that dogs shake off water in fractions of a second to the seemingly crash-resistant characteristics of insect flight. Not limiting his exploration to individual organisms, Hu describes the ways animals enact swarm intelligence, such as when army ants cooperate and link their bodies to create bridges that span ravines. He also looks at what scientists learn from nature's unexpected feats--such as snakes that fly, mosquitoes that survive rainstorms, and dead fish that swim upstream. As researchers better understand such issues as energy, flexibility, and water repellency in animal movement, they are applying this knowledge to the development of cutting-edge technology. Integrating biology, engineering, physics, and robotics, [this book] demystifies the remarkable mechanics behind animal locomotion"--Page 4 of cover.

Nee-naw! Nee-naw! Nee-naw! It's the Animal Firefighters to the rescue! New recruit, Firefighter Moose, is desperate to drive the fire engine, but he's not allowed to until he's got Experience. First he must learn to climb ladders, grapple with fire extinguishers - and go on a number of daring missions. His finest moment comes when he rescues twenty-seven guinea pigs from a top-floor flat. He wins an award for his Bravery and Initiative and at last he's allowed to drive the fire engine, too!