For Kids of All Ages

Gross is back and viler than ever! From the author of Oh, Yuck! the perennial bestseller about science with over 610,000 copies in print, comes OH, YIKES!, an illustrated encyclopedia of history’s messiest, dumbest, grossest, wackiest, and weirdest moments.

If kids think pus and gas are fun, wait until they hear the lowdown on the real Dracula, samurai, gladiators, guillotines and vomitoriums, pirates, Vikings, witch trials, and the world’s poxiest plagues. Impeccably researched, deliciously wry, and subversively educational (check out the toilet-paper timeline), OH, YIKES! covers people, events, institutions, and really bad ideas, alphabetically from April Fool’s Day to zany Zoos. Here are the Aztecs, sacrificing 250,000 people a year for the gods—and for food. Fearsome Attila the Hun, scourge of the steppes whose spinning eyes terrified his friends and whose mastery of horses terrorized his enemies (how does someone so evil die? Nosebleed!). Saur, the 11th-century dog-king of Norway (and not too bad as kings go). Henry VIII and his marital problems, the story of the Abominable Snowman and the Loch Ness Monster, why sailors in the old days preferred eating in the dark (hint: you can’t see what’s crawling in your food), and the answer to the question, “How did knights in armor go to the bathroom?”

Topped off with hundreds of illustrations and photographs along with hands-on activities that bring the past to life, OH, YIKES! puts the juice in history in a way that makes it irresistible.

Children eight and up will enjoy this conversational but information-packed introduction to astronomy and stargazing, which includes the achievements of the great scientists, the history of space exploration, the story of our solar system, the myths behind the constellations, and how to navigate the night sky. Whimsical color illustrations on every page and handy definitions and sidebars help engage younger readers and develop their interest. The special star wheel helps locate stars and planets from any location at any time of year. This is the third in Black Dog & Leventhal's successful series including The Story of the Orchestra and A Child's Introduction to Poetry.

Kids love science-especially when it's hands-on-and kids love yucky stuff. The Owl Puke Book and Owl Pellet brings the best of those two worlds together in a unique package that follows directly in the tradition of The Bug Book & Bug Bottle and The Bones Book & Skeleton (which together have 3.3 million copies in print). What is an owl pellet? It's the football-shaped object regurgitated twice a day by owls, which contains the skeleton of at least one owl meal, be it a mouse, vole, shrew, or small bird. Used in elementary schools to teach the food web--but virtually unavailable at retail--a professionally collected, heat-sterilized owl pellet is now married to a lively, two-color illustrated book filled with facts and related activities about these most amazing birds. And what a story the Owl Puke Book tells--of the food chain, animal anatomy, life in the forest; of a bird that could read the bottom line of an eye chart from one mile away; and of a fierce hunter that swallows its prey headfirst and digests everything but the bones, which it spits back up in a pellet. As for the story the pellet tells, kids need only a toothpick to find out. The package includes a tray to hold the bones and a chart to help identify the pellet's contents.

It's a hoot.

At 96 pages and in full color, Pajama Party! is a guide to every step of the process: how to find a theme; how to make your own invitations, party favors, goodie bags, and decorations; what to serve, including fun recipes; plus games and crafts.

In all, a treasure trove of ideas for keeping the party going all night long. (Hey, who ever sleeps at a pajama party anyway?)

Stationary set: Eight fabulous notecards with mismatching envelopes. Use them as invites or thank-yous.

Truth or Dare Spinwheel: What PJ Party would be complete without a Truth or Dare game? Includes enough thoughtful, thought-provoking truths and outrageous fun dares to keep your guests laughing all night long.

Scrapbooking Paper: Sixteen sheets of mismatched patterns and colors.

Cootie Catchers: Eight cootie catchers with lots of room for crazy fill-ins of your choice.

Autograph Album: Have your guests fill out the pages of this keepsake album.

Stickers: Six sheets of alphabet and party stickers for labeling scrapbooks, notebooks, anything!

Kids love to be outdoors, to spend time wandering down leaf-carpeted paths, turning over rocks, and experiencing the different textures of moss, tree bark, and prickly shrubs. Written by an expert naturalist, WOODSWALK offers guided tours for all four seasons and all regions of North America, highlighting special creatures, conditions, and events every step of the way. Aspiring young naturalists will learn how to see beyond their own noses, "read" the woods for signs of the presence of animals, interpret sounds, and identify odors. They will also be instructed what NOT to touch or taste in the wold. With enough identification information on trees, terrain, plants, and wildlife for a hundred walks in the woods, this book is the complete first primer for the inquisitive young naturalist. Includes a cut-off, pocket-sized leaf and tree spy guide.