Wonder Science

Born to parents who were enthusiastic naturalists, and linked through his wider family to a clutch of accomplished scientists, Richard Dawkins was bound to have biology in his genes. But what were the influences that shaped his life and intellectual development? And who inspired him to become the pioneering scientist and public thinker now famous (and infamous to some) around the world?

A new wonder drug has the unexpected side effect of making people happy. But should people be happy all of the time? Suppose being happy required you never to disappoint anyone, no matter what they're requesting.... Then there was the energy source for every home that would free the country from its dependence on foreign oil - except that the prototype was rushed into production a bit too fast. Back on the bright side, another device not only couldn't possibly work, but didn't have any obvious uses. Then alien invaders landed and suddenly the crackpot device was the world's only hope.

Have you ever struggled to concentrate because there are SO many questions buzzing around your brain? Here are answers to seventy-one of the most bamboozling questions and curious queries that you can think of. How many stars are in the night sky? Why don't animals wear clothes? Do plants have feelings? This book will define, debunk, and demystify the trickiest of questions and open your eyes to amazing facts you have never even thought of!

How much of the earth’s surface do you think is volcanic in its origin? Have you any idea of the difference between a shield volcano and a stratovolcano? And do you know which 10 eruptions were the largest in human history? Join Charles King as he talks us through all of these things and more and discover 101 amazing facts about volcanos. Whether you’re studying the subject at school or are simply interested to find out more about one of nature’s most impressive and dangerous sights, then this is the perfect book for you.

Pirates were thieves and murderers. But even these criminals had to follow certain rules. And if they broke the rules, they faced severe punishments. Listen to learn about the pirate code and how it guided everyday life on a pirate ship.

Do you embrace mystery? Or do you need to see it to believe it? This series will challenge your position as you explore the unexplained.

Frankenstein's Monster was dreamt up over 200 years ago, and the story still haunts people today. Learn more about how this creepy monster was made in a science lab.

We are a people of stories. We use them to entertain, to teach, and to instruct. Sometimes they warn us of the dangers of wandering too far into the woods, or they can be a detailed story to explain how magnificent landscapes came to be. Story has always been the way we pass time, the way we connect to each other, and most importantly, how we promote our values. Parables, especially, have a dual purpose. Not only do they keep us entertained, but they also make a point. Consider Aesop’s fables—tales of talking animals who learn valuable life lessons.

Can you find your way out of any maze, even blindfolded? You can, if you know this one simple secret.

When a ghostly figure is sighted in the murky tunnels beneath Edinburgh, Zinnie and her sisters suddenly find their underground home filled with curious visitors. Among them is the owner of a new museum - the House of Wonders - who seems to know more about the ‘ghost’ than he should.

Wonder World: Part 3, The Adventure Continues is the third book in Robert W. Williams' series for tweens and young adults. This series is about a group of five teens who travel through a wormhole to the other side of the Sun. Having found themselves stranded on a humanless world full of strange creatures and incredible plants, the team of five explore this new world with the help of their alien walking stick friends, their air balloon backpacks, and the mysterious wheel controlled by the sound beings from another dimension.

"WA" is a Japanese word that describes, or encompasses, the “essence” of what it is to “be Japanese”. This spirit is intricately woven throughout these stories as fantastic creatures, fearsome monsters, animals that are all too human, and people that are, well, all too human too. They make choices and fateful decisions that'll take each character on journeys that are terrifying and miraculous, whimsical and thought-provoking, mysterious, magical, and uniquely Japanese. Come along and join them, as life’s lessons are learned, or sometimes not.

There is a major revolution sweeping astronomy as amateur astronomers, linked by the Internet, make important discoveries that are the envy of the professionals. In Seeing in the Dark, Timothy Ferris invites us all to become stargazers, capturing the exquisite experience when ancient starlight strikes the eye and incites the mind.

John Farrell takes kids on a rhyming tour of the night sky, from A to Z, with facts about the wonders of space. From distant Andromeda, a galaxy made up of billions of stars, to the constellation of the zodiac, Farrell covers the high points of outer space. How do you find Jupiter or Venus? How does the Moon cause the tides of Earth's shores? How can you find the North Star, and why do all other stars seem to go around it? The answers to these and many other questions are contained in this beautiful volume of science that will delight a young listener's imagination.

Did dinosaurs land on the moon 66 million years before us? Is the Loch Ness monster really a ghost? Should cats be in charge of protecting countries from Earthquakes? Are imaginary friends mysteriously turning into real people? Investigate the weird, the wacky and the downright weird questions you've always wanted to know the answers too (and some you hadn't even thought of!) with podcaster and fact-detective Dan Schreiber.

Dispatched overseas — far, far overseas — we're in hot water. Again. Following in the footsteps of a long-lost king, we're on the road to the mysterious Vales of Wonder. The upside? It's a hot-bed of magickal marvels, the likes of which we've literally never seen before. The downside? Danger. Because who ever said adventure would be easy? Fortunately, we have help. One reviled but aggravatingly handy beast specialist: check. One world-famous, awe-inspiring, purple-clad troll scholar: check. One perambulatory, half-mad house with a crush on Jay: check.

W Is for Wonder collects the first 10 episodes of the adventures of W, a superhero like no other, who struggles between the hunger for justice and the need to use violence to achieve that very ideal of justice. Through the episodes, the listener follows W, a shadow running in the darkness of lonely NYC corners, chasing criminals, helping lost souls. Some nights are memorable for W and they are filled with successes in fighting crime; some nights W holds on to the daytime identity of Guinn McGovern, trying to deal with a normal social existence and the struggles of modern dating.

In Nerdy Babies: Rocks, follow our intrepid babies to the center of the earth. Check out the variety of landforms that occur around the world. Plus, learn about the layers of rock that make up the ground we walk on in this simple text written in question-and-answer format.

Get spooked as you compare and learn about some of the scariest monsters on the planet. Fun facts will keep kids listening, interested - and scared!

The second book in the Wonder World series, for children ages 9-14, which follows the ongoing adventures of a group of five teens that find themselves stranded on an Earthlike planet on the other side of the Sun. Hear about their travels with the walking-stick aliens they befriend as they explore ancient alien cities and study the interesting life that can only be found on Wonder World.