Science – Peachtree Publishing Company Inc.

Mars Is: An Exploration of the Red Planet that’s Out of this World

Peachtree Publishing Company — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 17:30:18 +0000

Mars Is
Stark Slopes, Silvery Snow, and Startling Surprises
by Suzanne Slade

Think you know Mars? Think again!

Have you ever wondered about life on Mars? Do you imagine there could be deserts or volcanoes just like we have here on Earth? What if people could actually live there someday? You’re not alone! For centuries, people have been intrigued by the mysterious Red Planet, and over time, scientists have made some exciting discoveries. For example, Mars experiences Earth-like weather and seasons! But curious humans still want to know more.

And so NASA’s HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) camera came to be. Scientists loaded this powerful camera onto a rocket on August 12, 2005, and seven months later, it began orbiting Mars. Thanks to this incredibly advanced camera, we now have stunningly detailed photographs that can show the world what Mars really is: buried bedrock, stark slopes, mighty mesas, and more amazing than anyone ever imagined!

Join award-winning author and former mechanical engineer Suzanne Slade (Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon, A Computer Called Katherine) for a remarkable exploration of the striking beauty of Mars. This timely, photo-packed space extravaganza is a visual feast perfect for space enthusiasts, STEAM fans, and young readers following NASA’s Mars Exploration Program who can’t wait to see what future discoveries made on the extraordinary Red Planet may hold.

Start exploring the Red Planet below, and read an excerpt!

Your mission to Mars begins April 1st when Mars Is arrives at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble. And don’t forget to check out the rest of our brand-new picture books and middle grade and YA titles coming to Peachtree this season!

About Mammals and About Birds: Now in Spanish!

Peachtree Publishing Company — Mon, 21 Jan 2019 19:00:07 +0000

Sobre los mamíferos: Una guía para niños
Sobre los pájaros: Una guía para niños
Written by Cathryn Sill
Illustrated by John Sill

The award-winning About… series launches new monolingual Spanish editions with Sobre los mamíferos: Una guía para niños and Sobre los pájaros: Una guía para niños! These thoughtful first-glimpses into the world of these fascinating creatures provide young Spanish-speaking readers a chance to learn more about the natural world.

In Sobre los mamíferos, author Cathryn Sill answers the first questions of young naturalists by explaining the characteristics of what mammals, including what they are, how they live, and what they do. Noted wildlife illustrator John Sill depicts the charm of this wide class of animals―including the large Blue Whale, the small American Pika, and humans―with his beautiful realistic paintings. An afterword provides further details about the animals, inspiring young readers to learn more.

“Pre-school and primary-grade teachers will find this an attractive choice for units on mammals.” ―Booklist

“A quality book for introducing mammals, it is also well bound and worthy of addition to the young reader’s library.” ―NSTA Recommends

“The paintings draw viewers in with their warmth, charm, and accuracy…. This is ideal for storytimes…” ―School Library Journal

“This is a successful book and is to be recommended for all children’s collections.” ―Science Books & Films

In Sobre los pájaros, learn about basic information about birds with simple, easy-to-understand language. The accompanying illustrations showcases the diversity of this fascinating category, from the recognizable American Robin and Ruby-throated Hummingbird, to the Bald Eagle and the Greater Roadrunner. The afterword offers more facts about birds, and more back matter includes a glossary and sources for young readers to continue their studies.

“Exceptionally detailed and uniformly accurate…the Sills succeed admirably.” ―School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

“The full-color illustrations by wildlife artist John Sill are so lifelike that one almost expects the birds to fly off the pages…a wonderful visual introduction…” ―Booklist

“Fifteen exquisite, scrupulously accurate watercolors of birds in their habitats are captioned by a deceptively simple text…An excellent concept book that takes its young audience seriously while skillfully providing the basics of an important subject.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“An age-appropriate amount of text on each page is accompanied by beautiful, watercolor illustrations of each bird. More advanced readers and their mentors might appreciate the afterword, containing more detailed information on the birds depicted in the main body of the book.”
―NSTA Recommends

For more information and resources for the About… and About Habitats series, check out the series pages! To learn more about the creation of their beautiful and informative books, hear Cathryn and John discuss the inspiration for their work, and watch John Sill’s process of his watercolor illustrations in the videos below.

Look for Sobre los mamíferos: Una guía para niños and Sobre los pájaros: Una guía para niños on Amazon or at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble starting February 1!

Holiday Gift Guide: For the Future Engineer

Peachtree Publishing Company — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 19:15:36 +0000

Shopping for the holidays can be stressful when you’re trying to figure out the perfect gift for everyone on your list. But this year we’ve got you covered! Encourage a love of reading by giving a book this holiday. Find the perfect gift for every young reader in your life with our 2018 Holiday Gift Guide!

For: The Future Engineer

Izzy Gizmo
Written by Pip Jones
Illustrated by Sara Ogilvie

Izzy Gizmo’s inventions are marvelous, but often malfunction. When she finds a crow with a broken wing, she just has to help! Izzy tries again and again to build a new pair of wings, but nothing is working. Can Izzy overcome her failures?

This feisty tale of determination, ingenuity, and friendship is sure to capture the imaginations of aspiring young inventors and lovers of all things STEAM! Read an excerpt here.

Countdown
2979 Days to the Moon
Written by Suzanne Slade
Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced that the United States would try to land a man on the Moon. During the 2979 days that followed his speech, 18 astronauts climbed into spaceships; eight rockets soared into space and 400,000 people―engineers, technicians, scientists, mathematicians, and machinists―joined Project Apollo in hopes of making the dream a reality.

With powerful free verse and stunning illustrations, this story of the successes, failures, triumphs, tragedies, and lessons learned from the Apollo missions will captivate and inspire young readers while educating them about an amazing decade of U.S. space exploration. Read an excerpt here.

Seven and a Half Tons of Steel
Written by Janet Nolan
Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez

After September 11, 2001, a beam from the World Trade Center Towers was given to the U.S. Navy. The beam was driven from New York to a foundry in Louisiana, where the seven and a half tons of steel, which had once been a beam in the World Trade Center, became a navy ship’s bow.

Powerful text and striking illustrations make up this inspiring story of how shipbuilders, engineers, electricians, mechanics, welders, carpenters, painters and plumbers worked together to build something remarkable. Read an excerpt here.

Uncharted Waters
Written by Leslie Bulion

Instead of joining the swim team like he told his uncle, Jonah hangs around the local marina working on boat motors, hoping to buy his own motorboat one day. When budding marine biologist Sumi asks him to be her research assistant, he jumps at the chance to make some money. But soon he will have to face his greatest fears and give up his secrets forever.

Enhanced by a rich ensemble of supporting characters, interesting facts about marine life and boat motor mechanics, and a text that perfectly captures the special rhythms of small town seaside living, Bulion’s novel is sure to capture the imaginations of aspiring young scientists and future mechanical engineers. Read an excerpt here.

Find these titles and more at your local indie bookstore or Barnes & Noble. Still looking for more great ideas? Our 2018 Holiday Gift Guide has even more gift recommendations for your little readers this holiday season!

Countdown Giveaway: Limited Signed Print

Peachtree Publishing Company — Fri, 10 Aug 2018 16:00:07 +0000

This month we are counting down to September 1st, and the publication of Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon! From the team of former mechanical engineer Suzanne Slade and New York Times best-selling illustrator Thomas Gonzalez, this book tells the true story of the monumental American effort to land the first man on the Moon.

To celebrate the upcoming publication and give readers a glimpse of the truly stunning illustrations, we are offering the chance to win 1 of 2 special limited prints of incredible art from Countdown, signed by illustrator Thomas Gonzalez. The giveaway will run until August 20th, and all you need to do is leave a comment below to be entered to win! (And be sure to connect with us on Facebook and Instagram for more entry opportunities!)*

*No purchase necessary to enter or win. Open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and Washington, D.C. who are 18 years of age or older as of date of entry. Three entries maximum per individual; one entry per platform, per individual. Giveaway will run on Peachtree’s blog, Facebook profile, and Instagram profile. Void where prohibited.

About Woodpeckers: A First Guide for Budding Birders

Peachtree Publishing Company — Wed, 18 Jul 2018 19:00:27 +0000

About Woodpeckers
A Guide for Children

Have you ever noticed the sound of persistent pecking on your house or a nearby tree? About Woodpeckers written by Cathryn Sill and illustrated by John Sill gives young readers a first look at the fascinating and surprisingly diverse world of woodpeckers.

In this newest addition to the About… series, author Cathryn Sill provides information about the common characteristics of these special birds and offers details about how and why they use their beaks to drill and peck at hard surfaces. With the help of beautifully detailed illustrations from noted wildlife instructor John Sill, About Woodpeckers brings 19 different species of woodpeckers to life. An afterword, glossary, and list of resources provide more details about the woodpeckers portrayed in the illustrations. From depicting their various habitats to the kinds of materials that each type of bird likes to peck, this informative read is sure to capture the interest of all curious young minds and budding birders.

“Transports the reader directly into the lives of these amazing forest carpenters…the images are worthy of framing. A delightful read.”
—Stephen A. Shunk, author of the Peterson Reference Guide to Woodpeckers of North America

Take a peek at some of the beautifully detailed illustrations below, and don’t forget to check out the About… series page for more books in this award-winning series and the series Teacher’s Guide for ideas on how to use the information in the classroom!

Author Interview: Pip Jones

Peachtree Publishers — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Izzy Gizmo’s inventions are marvelous, magnificent—and they often malfunction. But when she finds a crow with a broken wing, she just has to help! Izzy tries again and again to build a new pair of wings, but nothing is working. And that makes Izzy really cross! Can Izzy overcome her failures? Or is her friend destined to live as a crow who can’t fly? We asked Izzy Gizmo author Pip Jones about what sparked this feisty tale of determination, ingenuity, and friendship, and why Izzy Gizmo will resonate with aspiring young inventors.

Q: Where did your inspiration for Izzy Gizmo come from?

A: I often procrastinate and allow my mind to wander, and I’m always having silly ideas for (really BRILLIANT) machines. One morning I wrote a lengthy post about one of my ideas on Facebook (the Egg Tap—it would have required serious commitment from the government, if I’m completely honest, to install a nationwide network of underground pipes). I think I wrote about 850 words, going into all the details of how it would work and replying to various responses from friends. But then I read a comment from my friend Sarah (also an author, and she knows her stuff), who wrote something like: “OMG, Pip?! You’ve just written practically a day’s word count about an Egg Tap! DO. SOME. WORK.” So I laughed, logged out of Facebook… and wrote the first draft of Izzy Gizmo.

Q: Were you a little inventor as a child? If so, what were your favorite tools?

A: I was more a writer as a child. I’d decided by the age of seven that I wanted to be an author for a living. I spent all of my weekends hand-writing stories and poems. Possibly one of my best ever gifts was a typewriter, so I guess you could say that was my favorite ‘tool’. That said, my Grandad Bill was a bit of an inventor—he was always making funny little machines and gadgets in his garage and my sister and I loved being in there with him.

Q: STEM and STEAM are critical components of today’s education curriculum, as is the growing makerspace movement. Were you thinking about those trends when you wrote Izzy Gizmo?

A: Oh yes, it was part of it, of course—I have children who are experiencing more STEM/STEAM in school, and in life. But it was also Izzy’s personality that drove it. I don’t like to write saccharine girls. I loved the image I had in my mind of Izzy: a kid with her very own tool bag. Not the clichéd geeky inventor girl, and not a tomboy either—simply a girl who’s feisty and bold and real. It’s not at all unusual for little girls (as well as boys) to like hitting things with sticks, climbing trees, making Lego airplanes, and playing with tool kits—whether or not they wear skirts. I have two of those girls myself! It does seem crazy that side of all these normal little girls’ personalities has been under-represented. Not any more though, I think—and STEM/STEAM and the makerspace movement are already helping with that hugely.

Q: The theme of trial and error and failure runs throughout Izzy Gizmo. Did that theme come first or did it develop naturally while writing the story?

A: That theme was there from the outset, yes—for comedy value as much as anything else! I love that Izzy gets all enthused for making her crazy inventions, and then they go hilariously wrong, making her absolutely furious. Again, that’s just real life; it’s frustrating when things go wrong. Sara Ogilvie’s art is just incredible for capturing all that. I couldn’t possibly have imagined Izzy’s life better than Sara drew it.

Q: How important do you think the concept of failure (and trying again) is in children’s books?

A: Oh, very. You know, one of the most fascinating things I discovered when I had my own children is how very base tiny human beings are at the outset. You know how babies and toddlers HATE to share? Sharing is learned behavior, it’s not instinctive behavior. Part of our job as parents (apart from the obvious feeding them, clothing them, and keeping them safe) is to socialize children, and to encourage them to fulfill their potential. Unless we are faced with, say, starvation or danger, and our life depends on us pushing ourselves to the limit, it’s ever so natural to take the easy option and decide: “Nah. Tried it, can’t do it, too hard!” But of course, to actually fulfill our potential, we have to learn to push ourselves, which in some ways is challenging when you’re tiny and learning. So, yes, I think it’s an important message for little people!

Q: Izzy’s inventions are certainly wild! If you could invent anything beyond your wildest dreams, what would it be?

A: I’ve already invented it, I just haven’t made it yet: the Blink-Tastic. So, you stick a pinhead-sized miracle to your eyelid, and then you can just blink yourself anywhere in the world, at any moment (without crashing into anything, including other Blinkers). It’d be so handy—I’d never be late ever again. And I’d be able to just go and spend my lunch hour in the Maldives for some relaxation, or the edge of the Grand Canyon for some exhilaration, and then be back in plenty of time to pick the kids up from school. I mean, how great would that be?!

Q: Which is your favorite of Izzy’s failed creations? Why? A: Izzy has lots of inventions, some of which don’t appear in the book—but from this story, it has to be the Swirly-Spagsonic. I find it funny that a little kid would spend so much time building an absolutely colossal machine… just to eat spaghetti with!Q: Izzy’s grandpa is a key figure in the book. Did your grandparents have any influence on your writing and creativity? A: I’ve been very lucky—I knew all my grandparents into my adulthood and every one of them was wonderful and inspiring. In fact, I still have my paternal grandfather—Grandad Bill is 104! Certainly both of my grandfathers were creative people and I must have inherited all sorts of genes, as we all do. Grandad Bill is not published, but he loves to write, and he always encouraged me. A few years ago he handed me an envelope of everything of mine he’d he kept since I was about six! That was lovely.Q: The crow is another character we immediately fell in love with at Peachtree, but crows can often carry a bad rap in the animal world. Did you choose a crow for a reason?

A: Crows are so clever! I love them. They talk to you, and they look at you right in the eye. The crow wasn’t featured in the first draft of Izzy Gizmo—but he actually existed before she did. I imagined him a few years ago, when I’d been commissioned to write some books under a pen name. The stories—set in a magic school for animals—had been mapped out by the editors, and my job was to simply write the chapters. I never put him in those stories, but he was a very strong character for me—a crow, called Fixer, living in a ramshackle shed, mending old bits of machinery with his beak. In the second draft of Izzy Gizmo, I decided Izzy’s inventions weren’t the whole story, and she would like very much to have a friend, a sidekick. Then of course, who fluttered out of the depths of my memory? I’m so glad I’d squirreled Fixer away, because he and Izzy were just the perfect fit. I love them so much together.

Q: What do you hope readers take away from Izzy Gizmo?

A: The obvious message is one of perseverance and as I said, that’s really important. But I’d also like readers to feel warmed by Izzy’s relationship with her Grandpa, and to feel the strength of her friendship with Fixer. Grandpa gently pushes Izzy, but in the end it’s also the emotion she feels for the heartbroken bird that drives her to keep trying. I mean, just look at the pictures. I’m totally in awe of how Sara injected so much sadness/frustration/determination/joy into a beaked creature! Of course Izzy was driven by that, who wouldn’t be? So yes, what I really hope readers also take away from the book is what I put (albeit less obviously) at the heart of the story: love.

Get your copy of Izzy Gizmo at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble starting March 1!

Leaf Litter Critters: the Perfect Blend of Science and Poetry

Peachtree Publishers — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 18:00:00 +0000

Leaf Litter Critters

written by Leslie Bulion

illustrated by Robert Meganck

Nineteen poems in a variety of verse forms with accompanying science notes take readers on a decomposer safari through the “brown food web,” from bacteria through tardigrades and on to rove beetle predators. Glossary, hands-on investigations, and resources are included in the back matter.

★ “The poems are expertly crafted in a variety of forms (identified in the backmatter). The language is lively and the imagery appropriate. With alliteration, internal rhymes, and careful rhythm, these will be a delight to read aloud and learn…. Meganck’s engaging digital drawings give each creature pop-eyes and attitude…. A delightful, memorable introduction to an unsung ecosystem.”—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

“Bulion stuffs her poems with scientific detail and puts even more into accompanying “science notes.” Meganck’s cartoons strike sillier notes…balancing all of the information Bulion provides with hefty doses of fun.” —Publishers Weekly

Check out the 5-stop blog tour for Leaf Litter Critters!

Mrs. Knott’s Book Nook

And if you want to learn more about the hidden ecosystem right at our feet, don’t miss author Leslie Bulion’s poetry prompts for educator poets and their students! Wax poetic about some of the creatures that just couldn’t fit into Leaf Litter Critters, and learn all about them along the way.

Look for Leaf Litter Critters at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble March 1!

Enter to win Where is Baby?

Peachtree Publishers — Fri, 11 Oct 2013 14:11:00 +0000

Enter to win a copy of Where is Baby? by entering your info below! Easy! I’ll contact winners next week!

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Where is Baby? How animals hide!

Peachtree Publishers — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 15:35:00 +0000

Today we’re kicking off a new blog tour for Where is Baby? the newest picture book from Kathryn Galbraith (author of Planting the Wild Garden and Arbor Day Square)!

Babies love to hide – beneath blankets, under tables, and behind chairs. And some babies are found in unexpected places. Like baby deer, who disappear in dappled spring sunlight. Or baby leopards, who scramble high in the African trees. Or baby elephants, who fade behind a forest of legs. But all babies, no matter where they are, can always be found – by their loving parents.

Be sure to check out our stops and enter our giveaway contests!

Monday

Blue Owl Reviews

Tuesday

A Word’s Worth

Wednesday

Kid Lit Reviews

Maestra Amanda’s Bookshelf

Thursday

Gidget’s Bookworms

Friday

Check back right here for your chance to win!