Lakes can be as small as ponds or as large as Lake Superior. They collect and supply the world's freshwater, supporting much of the life on our planet directly or indirectly. Kids will learn how lakes gather water from their drainage basins and the different types of underwater life lakes support.

Kids might think it's amusing to hear that gorillas sleep in the same type of home as a bird, yet that's exactly what gorillas do: they make nests in trees or on the ground out of available vegetation. Unlike birds, though, most gorillas make a new nest every night. This book illustrates this fascinating and surprising behavior for young readers.

Almost every child has seen a squirrel, and most children know they live in trees, but how do they live in trees? What do they keep in their hollows? This book will engage young readers with easy-to-understand descriptions of the hidden lives of these familiar rodents.

Unusual bodies of water, bayous are most commonly found along the Gulf Coast of the United States. They are slow-moving or stagnant bodies of water famous for their flora and fauna, including alligators, crayfish, cypress trees, and moss. Kids will enjoy learning about this strange ecosystem.

Marshes, swamps, and bogs can seem remote and even impenetrable to kids. Yet these ecosystems host a diverse range of plants and animals. This book explores the importance of wetlands, and why some people are concerned that they are often threatened or destroyed by human development.

Size and shape are fundamental properties kids use to identify objects. Many objects are made from basic shapes, like triangles or squares, that are extended to three dimensions. In this book, colorful photographs show familiar objects and define their shapes, such as how a ball is a sphere. Further, kids might be surprised to learn that we can quantify how much space any object takes up, regardless of its shape.

Bison live in herds scattered across the Great Plains. Some children will be amazed that these huge animals roam free in the United States. Some herds live in mountainous regions and come to lower valleys for the winter, seeking grass and water. This book will show kids the annual movement patterns of these large animals, using simple language and strong supporting photographs.

Texture is one of the most readily experienced properties of an object for kids, and that's because we can perceive it through two senses: touch and sight. With close-up photographs revealing the details of different textures, this book describes basic distinctions, such as rough versus smooth. It also explains the qualities of matter that make up certain textures, like fur.

It's surprising that insects as small as termites can create such huge earthen structures. Yet the hundreds of thousands of termites that can exist in a colony have a clearly defined biological order that allows them to be successful. Kids will learn about how termites live, the different roles termites fulfill, and how their colonies can become colossal.

Foxes dig their dens, sometimes using burrows already made by other animals. The dens provide the foxes safety and also a place to birth and raise their cubs. Kids will be intrigued by these beautiful animals and encouraged to understand the text by strong photographs, including some of adorable fox cubs.