Books » Children's Science & Nature Books

This bestselling guide answers all the questions growing girls have about their bodies - from hair care to healthy eating, bad breath to bra buying, pimples to periods. It offers guidance about basic hygiene and health without addressing issues of sexuality. Over 1 million copies sold!

"Once there was a tree . . . and she loved a little boy." So begins a story of unforgettable perception, beautifully written and illustrated by the gifted and versatile Shel Silverstein. Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk . . . and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave. This is a tender story, touched with sadness, aglow with consolation. Shel Silverstein has created a moving parable for readers of all ages that offers an affecting interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another's capacity to love in return.

A board book for babies or toddlers and their parents, featurig a well-known nursery rhyme and interactive text.

Where are Baby's hands?
Under the bubbles!

Where are baby's eyes?
Under her hat!

Karen Katz's adorable babies play peekaboo in this delightful interactive book. The sturdy format and easy-to-lift flaps are perfect for parents and children to share.

Bestselling author and columnist Carl Hiaasen returns with another hysterical mystery for kids set in Florida's Everglades.
 
Bunny Starch, the most feared biology teacher ever, is missing. She disappeared after a school field trip to Black Vine Swamp. And, to be honest, the kids in her class are relieved.
 
But when the principal tries to tell the students that Mrs. Starch has been called away on a "family emergency," Nick and Marta just don't buy it. No, they figure the class delinquent, Smoke, has something to do with her disappearance.
 
And he does! But not in the way they think. There's a lot more going on in Black Vine Swamp than any one player in this twisted tale can see. And Nick and Marta will have to reckon with an eccentric eco-avenger, a stuffed rat named Chelsea, a wannabe Texas oilman, a singing substitute teacher, and a ticked-off Florida panther before they really begin to see the big picture.
 
That's life in the swamp, kids.

The Pig family takes a road trip to the beach for a picnic. The road is packed with hundreds of cars and trucks, vans and motorcycles, tractors and buses. The Pigs find chaos and adventure on the way to the beach and the opportunity to see vehicles they have never seen before. It's an exciting day!

A bright, science-minded boy goes to the beach equipped to collect and examine flotsam--anything floating that has been washed ashore. Bottles, lost toys, small objects of every description are among his usual finds. But there's no way he could have prepared for one particular discovery: a barnacle-encrusted underwater camera, with its own secrets to share . . . and to keep.In each of his amazing picture books, David Wiesner has revealed the magical possibilities of some ordinary thing or happening--a frog on a lily pad, a trip to the Empire State Building, a well-known nursery tale. This time, a day at the beach is the springboard into a wildly imaginative exploration of the mysteries of the deep, and of the qualities that enable us to witness these wonders and delight in them.

"An outstanding book. . . . Meets the needs of those in-between or curious kids who are not ready, developmentally or emotionally, for IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL." - BOOKLIST (starred review)

How does a baby begin? What makes a baby male or female? How is a baby born? Children have plenty of questions about reproduction and babies - and about sex and sexuality, too. IT'S SO AMAZING! provides the answers - with fun, accurate, comic-book-style artwork and a clear, lively text that reflects elementary-school children's interest in how things work, while giving them a healthy understanding of their bodies. Created by the author and illustrator of IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL, this forthright and funny book - newly updated for its fifth anniversary - covers similar territory but with an eye toward younger children's concerns.

A toddler's graduation from diapers to the potty is always a very important moment--and one to make parents and toddlers proud! In this book, Hannah needs to have her diaper changed so she can go out and play. Then Mom and Dad bring a big box home, and Hannah is anxious to open it up and see what's inside. Is it a rocking chair? A bed for Teddy? No, it's a potty--which means it's time for Hannah to graduate from diapers. This gentle and humorous little story is charmingly illustrated and told in verse. Little girls will enjoy looking at the pictures and having the story read to them. Meanwhile, they'll start getting the idea that it's time for them to grow up, exactly like Hannah. So that at last, they'll be able to say: "I'm off to the potty, No more diapers for me! And I feel great, I am proud of ... ME! Here's a pleasant and effective new way to begin a child's toilet training. Barron's also publishes a potty book for a little boy, starring Henry. (Ages 1-4)

"What a big boy you are!"

Potty training can be fun. With warmth and sensitivity, Joanna Cole and Maxie Chambliss guide young boys though the challenges and rewards potty training--from the first steps to the joy of graduating to big boy underpants! A helpful "Note to parents" is included.