Thomson/Gale.Thomson/Gale 27500 Drake Road, Farmington Hills Far·ming·ton Hills A city of southeast Michigan, an industrial suburb of Detroit. Population: 81,400. , MI 48331-3535 http://www.gale.com Gale's wonderfully varied series titles for elementary grades promise much interest and reference. Joining their 'Giants of Science' imprint is Kaye Patchett's Robert Goddard: Rocket Pioneer (1567118887, $24.95), a 64-page book revealing the early pioneer's dream of spaceflight and his invention of rocket propulsion Rocket propulsion The process of imparting a force to a flying vehicle, such as a missile or a spacecraft, by the momentum of ejected matter. This matter, called propellant, is stored in the vehicle and ejected at high velocity. , resulting in the world's first liquid-fueled rocket. There's not a whole lot written about Goddard for this age group, making for a refreshing biography change for reports. Dwight Kuhn's lovely close-up photos grace Elaine Pascoe's impressive Nature Close-Up: Carnivorous Plants This list of carnivorous plants is a comprehensive listing of all known carnivorous plant species. It is based on Jan Schlauer's Carnivorous Plant Database. Extinct taxa are denoted with a dagger (†). (1410303-098, $23.70), which provides nearly fifty pages of exploration into hungry plants which attract and consume insects. These plants have been featured elsewhere, of course: the attraction lies in the very close-up action shots, accompanied by clear scientific explanations of different consumption methods. Sheila Wyborny's Parasites: Leeches Leeches Definition Leeches are bloodsucking worms with segmented bodies. They belong to the same large classification of worms as earthworms and certain oceanic worms. Leeches can primarily be found in freshwater lakes, ponds, or rivers. (0737730501, $22.45) provides a little over thirty pages of detail on leech physiology, showing them to be an efficient parasite with medicinal applications. Heather L. Miller's Bugs: Daddy Longlegs daddy longlegs, name applied to the harvestman, an arachnid, and to the crane fly, an insect. daddy longlegs or harvestman Any of the 3,400 arachnid species constituting the order Opiliones. (0737717696, $22.45) introduces the life cycle of a very common spider, providing an index, bibliography and glossary to accompany many close-up photos. All are highly recommended picks. |
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