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VIRUS HUNTERS on sale now!

Praise for virus hunters

*** A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection ***

“In this thrilling work, Cherrix breaks down the fascinating careers of scientists employed in the Epidemic Intelligence Service . . . Cherrix details instances of scientists identifying, tracking, and working to eradicate pandemic viruses as one would an Indiana Jones adventure. Each selection culminates in this highly educational work that reads like a gripping and timely whodunit.” —Publisher’s Weekly, starred review

“Written with the intensity of the best true crime, Virus Hunters proves what we've suspected all along... scientists ARE action heroes. Readers won't be able to put it down.” — Candace Fleming, Award-winning author of The Enigma Girls

“Virus Hunters reads like a face-paced action novel—I couldn’t put it down! From cholera to Covid-19, meet the disease detectives behind historic outbreaks and learn how these unsung heroes use science and perseverance to eradicate illness and create life-saving vaccines. — Lori Alexander, Sibert Honor-winning author of All in a Drop: How Antony VanLeeuwenhoek Discovered an Invisible World 

"Optimistic, informative, and inspiring for future scientists." — Kirkus Reviews

“A fascinating dive into the history of epidemiology. Using cornerstone cases, Cherrix explores the origins of the study of viruses and how scientists track down outbreaks and try to prevent global catastrophes . . . An extensive, accessible, and relevant exploration of viruses and the people whose life’s work to study them have changed the course of humanity.” —School Library Journal

Did you know that many of Earth’s animals have superpowers? These behaviors and physical traits are called adaptations, and animals use them in amazing ways. Some are expert escape artists. Others subdue their prey with electricity, or even with bubbles! Come meet these curious creatures and explore how they use their natural superpowers to survive.

This fascinating nonfiction picture book companion to Animal Architects introduces the amazing natural superpowers animals use to survive in the wild.

Praise for Animal superpowers

“This picture book continuously fascinates with glimpses of animals with astonishing capabilities. Animal lovers and nonfiction readers will delight in this compelling work and surefire hit.” —School Library Journal
"With its eye-catching cover art and appealing title, this book may well attract an audience of animal fans who are eager to be wowed." —Booklist

*** A FALL 2022 INDIE NEXT SELECTION ***

Part lullaby, part love song, this perfectly pitched bedtime book gives a nod to its classic predecessors as it champions the vibrant independent spirit of local bookstores.

Join the Little Bookstore’s friendly staff as they draw the curtain on another busy day of browsing and matchmaking. Choose a bedtime story, say your good nights, and pet the shop’s feline mascot on your way out. Snuggle up to a loved one for a read-aloud, then drift off to sweet dreams of adventure and enchantment to come. Drawing on the best tradition of classic bedtime books, Amy Cherrix’s lilting text brims with sound play, soothing patterns, and repetition, while E. B. Goodale’s bright, inclusive artwork offers people-watching at its best, conjuring the bustling, ineffable mood of a homespun hall of treasures. Penned by a bookseller and illustrated with warmth and zeal, this cozy homage to the neighborhood bookshop ends with a gallery of bookstores around the world, encouraging local engagement and offering a gentle reminder that books are gifts that keep giving, the most comforting treasure of all.

MORE Praise for

Good Night, Little Bookstore

“The artwork has beautifully established details. From the titles of the many, many books showcased on shelves, in boxes, and the hands of readers to the textured hair of the diverse characters throughout the story, there are little bits of nuanced representation that show that bookstores are for every person and every interest.”—Kirkus Reviews

”With engaging simplicity, the creators combine the intimate world of an independent bookstore with the rhythmic verse of a bedtime read. . . . an inclusive volume that celebrates the bookstore as a cozy, comfortable—and crucial—corner of community.”—Publishers Weekly

*** A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD GOLD STANDARD SELECTION ***

*** A BANK STREET COLLEGE BEST CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR ***

You’ve heard of the space race, but do you know the whole story?

The most ambitious race humankind has ever undertaken was masterminded in the shadows by two engineers on opposite sides of the Cold War—Wernher von Braun, a former Nazi officer living in the US, and Sergei Korolev, a Russian rocket designer once jailed for crimes against his country—and your textbooks probably never told you.

Von Braun became an American hero, recognized the world over, while Korolev toiled in obscurity. These two brilliant rocketeers never met, but together they shaped the science of spaceflight and redefined modern warfare. From Stalin’s brutal Gulag prisons and Hitler’s concentration camps to Cape Canaveral and beyond, their simultaneous quests pushed science—and human ingenuity—to the breaking point.

MORE Praise for

In the Shadow of the Moon

* “An arresting exploration of the Cold War space race . . . [Cherrix] presents the engineers with little personal bias, which makes her questions at the conclusion of the author’s note an exquisite ending to an exceptional account.” —Shelf Awareness, starred review

“Engrossing and painfully relevant. ” —Kirkus Reviews

“The text adds depth to the history of the space race, with thoughtful, ethical discussions of the U.S. concealing von Braun’s history to further its agenda. . . An engaging, fast-paced narrative that will delight readers of history and space technology.” —School Library Journal

“This comprehensive narrative nonfiction chronicle reveals the personalities and machinations behind the space race.… This rousing history testifies to both the romance and cost of technological advancement.” —Publishers Weekly

“An explosive exposé on the scandals and lies behind the race to the moon! I learned so much I didn't know. This exciting, fact-filled page-turner will have you rethinking everything you thought you knew about the heroes and villains of the Soviet-American Space Race.” —Alan Gratz, New York Times bestselling author of Allies and Refugee

“This is a fascinating and complex story I knew nothing about! I learned so much, and I know readers will, too.”—Deborah Heiligman, award-winning author of Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of “The Children’s Ship”

“[A] suspenseful, engaging narrative.... [An] eye-opening look into a typically venerated aspect of American history.” —The Horn Book

“The cherchez les hommes approach used so successfully by Steve Sheinkin in Bomb works just as effectively here, offering readers a brightly defined trail to follow through the morass of historical machination. YA history readers frustrated by an information gap between the race for the bomb and the race to the moon will find this the essential—and thrilling—infill they’ve missed.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

*** A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD GOLD STANDARD SELECTION ***

Did you know the natural world is a construction zone? All over Earth, on land and at sea, animals are building the most amazing things. From tricky trapdoors to undersea cities to palaces of pebbles and more, come see the incredible creations of animal architects.

This fascinating nonfiction picture book about animal construction projects will captivate young scientists and naturalists—and have them looking for more in their own backyards! It’s the first in a series about the world’s most amazing animals!

MORE Praise for animal architects

Sasaki's lush, digital artwork is resplendent, with swift-moving strokes that produce lively movement on the page. Cherrix's prose is peppered with facts that describe what readers are seeing, while also evoking awe of the complex, often beautiful, structures, and just how talented these architects of the animal world are. Children will enjoy meeting new animals and learning their behaviors. Back matter includes further reading to keep young naturalists intrigued. VERDICT An appealing choice for story times.-Jessica Schriver, Rutgers Univ., Camden, NJ. —School Library Journal

*** A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST MIDDLE GRADE BOOK OF 2018 ***

*** A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD GOLD STANDARD SELECTION ***

***A FALL 2018 INDIE NEXT PICK ***

*** A SOUTHERN INDIE BOOKSELLERS ALLIANCE “OKRA PICK” ***

What happens when wildlife conservation efforts work a little too well? It’s a question facing the residents of Asheville, North Carolina, where the black bear population is growing at a surprising rate. That wasn’t always the case. Wildlife biologists stepped in to support a bear comeback in the 1970s, rescuing the animals from disappearing statewide. Their numbers were restored, but now, thanks to rapid urbanization and other environmental factors, the bears’ habitat is changing once again.

This time their numbers are rising faster than anyone predicted. As a result, these resilient, opportunistic animals have established, what appears to be, a population of urban black bears living in and around Asheville!

Join the expedition to meet the researchers and citizen scientists at the forefront of this amazing ecological story. With maps, graphics, and world-class wildlife photography, Amy Cherrix brings you face-to-face with black bears, one of nature’s most misunderstood animals.

Then travel around the globe to see where other types of unusual wildlife are claiming urban spaces, because the story unfolding in Asheville is not an isolated case. From Boston to Berlin, and Honolulu to Mumbai, some of the world’s most famous cities are facing a new and wilder frontier.

MORE PRAISE FOR BACKYARD BEARS

*Cherrix writes with affection about her hometown…an inviting example of scientific field work in a consistently appealing series. Starred review—Kirkus Reviews

The book capably combines the you-are-there immediacy of charting bear behaviors with surprising facts about bears… and illuminating information about how humans can best coexist with bears…many kids will be intrigued to contemplate this kind of coexistence and learn more about the science behind the scenes."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"[An] encouraging case study of efforts to manage black bear populations."—The Horn Book Magazine

"Useful introduction to a field of scientific study that will only grow in importance."—School Library Journal

*** 2018 AAAS/Subaru Prize Finalist, for excellence in science books ***

***A Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year ***

A single hurricane releases the energy equivalent of 10,000 nuclear bombs. In the United States alone, ten million Americans live in hurricane danger zones. The key to surviving these storms is getting out of harm’s way, but how do we know if or when to evacuate? Predicting when a storm will strike is not enough. We must also predict how strong a hurricane will be in order to save lives. The cause of hurricane intensification is one of Mother Nature’s deadliest secrets. But a daring NASA earth science mission may have finally found a way to crack the hurricane code. 

NASA research meteorologists of the the ambitious Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel mission (HS3) are on the case. But it’s their methods that make this project extraordinary. For the first time, a re-purposed military drone called Global Hawk will fly over hurricanes. At the breathtaking altitude of 70,000 feet, the drone carries a belly full of remote controlled instruments designed to study storms. While a former Top Gun pilot flies the drone from the ground, HS3 scientists gather data that could rewrite the science of hurricane prediction. It won’t be easy. The stakes are high and time is running out on the HS3 mission. There are many questions still unanswered and one mistake could spell disaster. 

Amy Cherrix introduces readers to the groundbreaking NASA mission studying one of nature’s most awe-inspiring storms. In the first Scientists in the Field book entirely about weather, meet the people on the cutting edge of meteorological field science. With stunning photos, detailed maps and sidebars, as well as infographics, take a trip into the eye of the storm to discover the future of the hurricane forecast.

MORE PRAISE FOR EYE OF THE STORM

"The team’s mission unfolds in such a gripping fashion that readers will be hooked. This book will be particularly eye-opening to those with an interest in severe weather." —Booklist

"Well-researched and engagingly written...Fascinating." —School Library Journal