Traveling Wild

The Arctic is the opposite of a vacation destination. In this unique book, diary entries of a fictional explorer present exciting glimpses into what it takes to reach the Geographic North Pole. Each entry is accompanied by related scientific and historical information, offering a well-rounded examination of the Arctic climate and landscape. Polar explorers face dangers such as hypothermia, frostbite, whiteouts, and polar bear attacks. However, they also experience the stark beauty of a frozen wilderness. Various kinds of fact boxes and vivid photographs add veracity and interest to this daunting expedition.

The Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia is the world's largest living structure. Its magnitude is matched by its importance as an ocean habitat. Readers follow along on an exciting journey from one end of the reef to the other. They'll learn about issues that threaten this "rainforest of the sea" and the diversity of marine life found there, including venomous jellyfish, gentle dugongs, and aggressive sharks. Safety tips and fact boxes offer beneficial information, and beautiful photographs capture the qualities that make this one of the natural wonders of the world.

With more than 600 tree species and 10,000 animal species, the world's second largest rainforest, the Congo rainforest in Central Africa, is truly a lively place to be. In this thoughtful text, various settlements, villages, and indigenous peoples are introduced to readers as well as fascinating, and sometimes dangerous, forest creatures. In fact, hippos cause the most human deaths of any large animal in Africa! The narrator of this Congo adventure explores not just this wild landscape but also safety tips, natural history, and conservation concerns about this important part of the world.