Melissa Raé Shofner

The playground is a great place to hang out with friends. Fun and games at the playground are even better when everyone uses good manners. In this book, readers will learn about taking turns on the slide, sharing snacks, and making new friends. Familiar situations and bright illustrations will keep reluctant readers interested. Age-appropriate text and a picture glossary foster reading comprehension skills. Young listeners and early readers will want...

People have accumulated a frightening and environmentally devastating amount of garbage-even in outer space! This book rips from the headlines the powerful stories of some of the world's worst dumps, including Mumbai in India, Dandora in Kenya, and more. Fact boxes chronicle the legal changes made-and not made-in each place with regard to waste management. Statistics presented in sidebars on each spread illuminate the problem for readers using frighteningly...

Tina Fey, one of the most prominent women in comedy, is well known for her work on shows such as Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. As a writer and actress, she has changed the way people see female comedians and altered the "boys club" mentality that characterized the working environment of Saturday Night Live. Readers are presented with fascinating details about Fey's life, from the childhood experiences that inspired Mean Girls to her rise to stardom....

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) includes major life skills that all students need to get along with others and live happy, healthy lives. This book delves into the essential SEL skill of teamwork, an integral component of the SEL core concept of relationship skills. Readers will learn how to work together as part of a team. Accessible text paired with vibrant full-color photographs will allow readers to connect with the concept, and gain a deep...

The sea horse is commonly included in the menagerie of many aquariums and animated fish movies, so most readers can recognize their distinctive shape easily. But what do they really know about the sea horse? This book provides the perfect opportunity to dive into the wonderful world of the sea horse, that peculiar fish we've all come to recognize. Using incredible, full-color photographs and understandable, curriculum-based text, this book plunges...

Web developers build websites, but they also look at feedback from people who use websites so they can make improvements to their work. This book introduces readers to the world of web development. Readers will learn about the skills needed to work in this exciting tech career, including computational thinking and computer coding. STEM concepts addressed in the Next Generation Science Standards are supported by full-color photographs and informational...

Camouflage isn't just a type of clothing that hunters and soldiers wear to blend into natural surroundings. Animals have camouflage, too. Camouflage often relies on colors, but patterns help animals blend in, too. The leaf-tailed gecko uses the color and patterns on its body to conceal itself from predators. Its body mimics the leaves of the trees in which it lives. Many predators use camouflage to sneak up on their prey. This book explores the many...

Ouch! Bullet ants cause a sting that actually hurts like a gunshot. If that is not scary enough, these feisty ants can live in a colony of 3,000. Full-color photographs show off in vivid detail how these insects live, with maps and other amazing graphics to wow every one of your readers. Readers get to explore the science of why the sting hurts so much and why it lasts for hours.

Boom! Dynamite can blast away mountainsides and bring down buildings. This powerful explosive was discovered over 150 years ago, but it wasn't always safe to use. That's because dynamite contains nitroglycerin, a very dangerous explosive. In the late 1860s, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel accidentally invented dynamite while he was working on a way to make nitroglycerin safer to handle. This book takes an in-depth look at the science behind dynamite,...

Kwanzaa is a seven-day festival that begins on December 26th and is celebrated until the first of January each year. It celebrates African American culture as well as family and community. Families gather to eat delicious foods, exchange gifts, and honor their heritage and traditions. Using age-appropriate language, this book explores Kwanzaa's roots and the social significance of its founding. Colorful images allow readers to visualize the celebration...