Brief rhymes for each letter of the alphabet, accompanied by longer explanatory text, present features of Maryland.

Located just below the Mason-Dixon line, Maryland is flavored with both northern and southern culture and tradition. Defined by the largest estuary in the United States (The Chesapeake Bay), Maryland's historic sites/sights include capital city Annapolis and the U.S. Naval Academy, Muddy Creek Falls, and the running of the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore. Noteworthy residents include Harriet Tubman and Francis Scott Key.Shirley C. Menendez grew up in Staunton, Virginia, and graduated from Mary Baldwin College. She earned a master's degree in library science from Drexel University. Before joining the administrative staff of Georgetown University, she was a librarian in the Prince George's County Memorial Library System in Maryland and the Westchester Library System in New York. Shirley lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland, with her husband, who is also a writer. Laura Stutzman graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and in 1984 formed a studio called Eloqui with her husband, illustrator Mark Stutzman. She has created imagery for books and magazines, corporations, non-profit organizations, and privately commissioned portraits. Laura teaches a weeklong camp each year for children grades 8 through 12 who are serious about art. She makes her home in Mountain Lake Park, Maryland.

5O No-Sketch Projects That Bring the Ocean to Life Dana Fox, author of Watercolor with Me: In the Forest and founder of Wonder Forest, provides fifty new marine-themed projects in this beginner-friendly watercolor guide. Known for her whimsical art style and straightforward instruction, Dana leads you through three major watercolor techniques: wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, and ink-and-wash. Best of all, there’s no sketching required, so you can focus on each painting method. Bring adorable sea creatures like octopuses and otters to life on high-quality art paper. Start simple with shading in a monochromatic orca, experiment with adding depth to color with a bright bobbing seahorse and practice stylizing your subject in a charming lighthouse scene. With inspired art and step-by-step instruction, it’s easy to pick up a paintbrush, break out your palette, and create something beautiful.

Two blue crabs feed together, mate, and see their offspring grow up to continue the life cycle.

Chadwick, a Chesapeake Bay crab, yearns for adventure and finds it in a most dangerous form, prompting the birds and marine animals who share the Bay to come to his rescue on the mainland.

Find out what would happen if a lobster and a crab got in a fight and who would win. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Beginning Readers is an imprint of Spotlight, a division of ABDO.