Our story is set in 1970's Brooklyn with a backstory in the Colonial-African slave trade. As our story begins, we meet fifteen-year-old, Shelby Simmons, who dreams of someday becoming a famous author. She and her siblings, Wade and Todd, have been allowed by their parents to stay up on a balmy summer evening to view the 4th of July fireworks from their favorite spot in nearby Prospect Park.While dozing dreamily after the fireworks, they are visited by a strange boy, Mpeta (em-PEE-ta), and ...

A "captivating, informative, and often amusing" look at what birds do and why they do it ( Booklist).Both casual and serious bird watchers can take their skills to the next level with this detailed consideration of bird behavior. This book makes it possible to move beyond identifying birds to understanding some of the underpinning and meaning of what birds do, how they do it, and why. Written in an easy-to-understand style, with an abundance of photos illus...

John Muir Laws's guide to drawing birds is itself winged, soaring between a devotion not only to art but also to the lives, forms, and postures of the birds themselves.Here, artistic technique and the exquisite details of natural history intertwine, and drawing becomes the vehicle for seeing. As Laws writes, "To draw feathers, you must understand how feathers grow, overlap, and insert into the body. To create the body, you must have an understanding of the bird’s s...

"A fabulous reference book, every image in lovely color . . . with sketches of the birds and maps showing territory. It's fascinating to leaf through." ― Minneapolis Star TribuneThe Book of Eggs introduces readers to eggs from six hundred bird species—some endangered or extinct—from around the world and housed mostly at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History. Organized by habitat and taxonomy, the entries include newly commissi...

The summer forests and grasslands are vibrant and bright to rusty orange. Maybe it was a songbird perched on an old fence post in an agricultural field, whistling a sweet tune. Or maybe it was a long-beaked aquatic bird with a rough crest and a chirping call. If you need help identifying blue and orange birds, see this list of seven species that live in different habitats across North America.Do you see a blue and orange bird with a long beak? Chances are it's a kingfisher with a b...

Written in rhyme, this book will allow the listener to follow the adventures of the whimsical Burra Blad Bird as he looks for something to drink in the refrigerator, tries to vacation at the beach, creates problems at the zoo, and discovers that capturing a Larf is not very easy to do.

Audubon’s ambitious project to paint all the birds of North America resulted in a work that represents one of the greatest advances in ornithology. Not only did he identify new species, he also depicted birds within their natural habitat and in vivid poses. This impressive collection ranges from the Greater Flamingo and Bald Eagle to the Carolina parakeet. Audubon describes every species in concise texts, drawing attention the peculiarities of each bird.

The Beatles' sixth studio album, Rubber Soul, was a game changer. By December 1965, when the album was released, the Beatles had played the first arena rock show at Shea Stadium for 55 000 delirious fans, been awarded MBE (Member of British Empire) medals, and were indisputably the greatest musical phenomenon since Elvis Presley. With their first film, A Hard Day's Night, John, Paul, George, and Ringo laid down the blueprint for everyone who ever wanted to form a group. T...

The California condorhas been described as a bird"with one wing in the grave."Flying on wings nearly ten feet wide from tip to tip, these birds thrived on the carcasses of animals like woolly mammoths. Then, as humans began dramatically reshaping North America, the continent's largest flying land bird started disappearing. By the beginning of the twentieth century, extinction seemed inevitable.But small groups of passionate individuals refused to allow the con...

What the stork with an African arrow through its neck taught Europeans.How the tapping of woodpeckers in the Californian redwoods forecasts rain.Why some see the robin redbreast as a death omen.How the nightingale carried messages in a Persian tale of star-crossed lovers.Why the swifts that circle Oxford's dreaming spires were once called devil-screechers.How...

Drawing Birds for BeginnersStep by Step Guide to Drawing BirdsTable of ContentsDrawing toolsWarming upDrawing Birds with PencilKiwiPenguinParts of a bird's Wing layersDrawing with Ink (pen)HornbillPeacockOwlColoring with Color PencilsVultureLammergeyer/ Bearded VultureCassowaryKingfisherColoring with WatercolorsBlue-Winged KookaburraCassowary in water...

Developing Women Leaders in the Academy through Enhanced Communication Strategies explores the experiences, strategies, and triumphs of women who have attained leadership roles within the academy as well as the shortfalls, disappointments, and battle scars many women leaders have experienced in their quest to lead. Clear direction, focused strategies, and enhanced communication are necessary to increase the ever-growing number of women in leadership positions in the academy. Contributions ...