Special Collections

Inuit Indians

Turn the pages of this book to learn about Inuit Indians. Find out how the Inuit live through cold arctic winters. Discover the sun goggles that they used to wear. Read about how the Inuit build snow houses, or igloos. In this book you will see how the Inuit hunt for seals, learn about the dog sleds that the Inuit use, discover how the Inuit use string figures to tell stories.

Date Added: 08/15/2018

The Inuit Thought Of It

Today’s Arctic communities have all the comforts of modern living. Yet the Inuit survived in this harsh landscape for hundreds of years with nothing but the land and their own ingenuity. Join authors Alootook Ipellie and David MacDonald as they explore the amazing innovations of traditional Inuit and how their ideas continue to echo around the world. Some inventions are still familiar to us: the one-person watercraft known as a kayak still retains its Inuit name. Other innovations have been replaced by modern technology: slitted snow goggles protected Inuit eyes long before sunglasses arrived on the scene. Andother ideas were surprisingly inspired: using human-shaped stone stacks (Inunnguat) to trick and trap caribou. Many more Inuit innovations are explored here, including: * Dog sleds * Shelter * Clothing * Kids’ stuff * Food preservation * Medicine. In all, more than 40 Inuit items and ideas are showcased through dramatic photos and captivating language. From how these objects were made, to their impact on contemporary culture, The Inuit Thought of It is a remarkable catalogue of Inuit invention.

Date Added: 07/06/2018

Jacques Cartier

Born in a small fishing town in France, Jacques Cartier became an expert navigator and was chosen by King Francis I to lead an expedition in search of the elusive Northwest Passage. In this beautifully illustrated book, students will follow Cartier as he travels to Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and down the St. Lawrence River to the Iroquois village of Stadacona, which is now known as Quebec.

Date Added: 08/15/2018

Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet

A biography of the French explorers whose primary goal was to find the Northwest Passage, but who made their mark on history by exploring and charting the Mississippi River.

Date Added: 10/16/2018

The Kids Book Of Aboriginal Peoples In Canada

Canada's Aboriginal peoples have shaped this country in countless ways. Their story is central to the nation's identity --- indeed, the word ?Canada? is derived from the Huron-Haudenosaunee word ?kanata,? which means ?our village.? This title in the acclaimed Kids Book of series is a balanced, in-depth look at the cultures, struggles and triumphs of Canada's first peoples.

Exhaustively researched and reviewed by specialists in the field, this groundbreaking book is by far the most comprehensive of its kind. The detailed illustrations based on museum artifacts, written records of long ago and contemporary scholarship help bring the traditional ways to life for young readers.

Date Added: 08/29/2018

The Kids Book Of Canadian Geography

This installment in the critically acclaimed and bestselling Kids Book of... series is a landmark event in Canadian publishing. The Kids Book of Canadian Geography, the only trade book of its kind, is an indispensable resource.

Writer and illustrator Briony Penn takes a fresh approach by showing how Canada's landscape, life forms, ecosystems and climate yield clues to help youngsters understand the ever-changing story of geography.

What does a huge rock in the middle of a plain tell us? What makes spruce trees adapted to the north? What does the star-nosed mole tell us about woodlands? These and many other clues are explained to help youngsters ?decode? and understand their environments. This book traces the continents' formation and explains how they arrived at their present state, touching on ancient landscapes, evolving climate, continent shaping and life on the land, including human settlement. Then, kids get a richly detailed and illustrated tour through the eight geographical regions of their country.

Date Added: 08/29/2018

The Kids Book of the Far North

The Far North is a region shared by Canada, the U.S. (Alaska), Russia, Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Iceland, Sweden and Finland. For those who don't live there, the region appears to be a bleak, desolate place of snow, ice, glaciers and bitter cold. But the Far North is home to many plants, animals and people who have developed remarkable ways of adapting to one of the harshest climates on Earth. This book in the Kids Book of series examines the region's fascinating history, modern life and fragile ecosystem with facts, stories, legends, illustrations, timelines and maps.

Date Added: 10/17/2018

La Salle

Rene-Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle devoted his life to the discovery and exploration of the Mississippi River. He believed that the great river would provide him with an easier route to China, where he could find valuable silks and spices. His revised goal was to create a French empire in North America that would stretch from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. This book follows La Salle on his tireless expeditions and teaches readers the value of persistence even when no one else believes in the cause.

Date Added: 09/04/2018

Life in the Far North

Describes the Native nations that have lived for thousands of years in the northernmost part of present-day North America, where the frigid climate impacts every aspect of daily life for such groups as the Init, Yupik, and Inupiat.

Date Added: 10/17/2018

Mesopotamia

Travel back to the land where human history was first recorded—the land of kings, queens, gods, goddesses, nomads, and scribes. Be an eyewitness to the "land between the rivers," from the first Sumerian city-states to the mighty Babylonian empires. Featuring a pull-out wall chart and its own clip-art CD, Mesopotamia provides a detailed look at where the first cities, states, and empires rose. Richly detailed full-color images and photographs of ancient artifacts, architecture, and maps combine with a comprehensive overview of the Sumerian, Assyrian, and Babylonian civilizations. See incredible works of Mesopotamian art, meet the warriors and innovators living ahead of their time, learn how to read ancient inscriptions, and much, much more!

Date Added: 10/17/2018

Mexico

Join National Geographic's quest to find the heart and soul of Mexico. Journey through a land of incredible biodiversity, from the Rio Grande to the Sierra Madre. Visit Mexico City, the vast metropolis built on an ancient lake bed. Study the country's history of earthquakes and volcanoes and its current struggles to protect animal habitats.

Explore Mexico's history as the center of the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec civilizations in Beth Gruber's lively text. Learn how the country’s borders once extended north to Southern Wyoming, west to California, and east to Louisiana. Witness the cultural and political aftereffects of Spanish Catholicism and discover how the hacienda system of agriculture led to revolution. The author also explains the importance of family and traditions in Mexican culture and the country's rich artistic heritage.

Finally, readers will come to understand the disappointments of the Revolution, the limits of the single-party system, social inequalities, the economy, emigration to the United States, and the effects of the tourist boom on the environment.

Date Added: 08/15/2018

Mexico

Mexico is a country with many unique traditions and people. This book describes what is like to live in Mexico, and gives insight into its history, beliefs, economy, environment, and geography. The book also includes photographs that correspond to the text to help readers better understand concepts.

Date Added: 09/11/2018

Mexico

Brilliant new photos highlight Mexico's deserts, plains, rainforests, and mountains in this newly revised edition. Mexico's agriculture, industries, overpopulation, and Mayan and Aztec roots are featured along with a new map and new information on free trade and immigration.

Date Added: 08/13/2018

Mexico In Pictures

The new, completely revised and redesigned 2nd edition of the highly acclaimed Visual Geography Series reveals the history and government, economy, people, geography, and cultural life of countries from around the world. With comprehensive text, beautiful, crisp photography, intriguing sidebars, and up-to-date resources including downloadable photos and maps at www.vgsbooks.com, these colorful editions take a look at how key events helped to shape various nations. Perfect for reports, finding fast facts, and geography buffs, the Visual Geography Series takes readers on a fascinating trip around the world (passport not included). Supports the national curriculum standards Culture; Time, Continuity, and Change; People, Places, and Environments; Individual Development and Identity; Individuals, Groups, and Institutions; Power, Authority, and Governance; Production, Distribution, and Consumption; Science Technology and Society; and Global Connections as outlined by the National Council for the Social Studies.

Date Added: 09/04/2018

Mexico the Culture

This book explores Mexican culture, including the Mayan, Aztec, and Spanish influences, and covers arts and crafts, music, dance, literature, folklore, holidays, sports, and food.

Date Added: 09/17/2018

The Mongols and Global History

The volume opens with a brief original essay by Morris Rossabi, one of the world's foremost scholars on the Mongols. Rossabi's essay gives a historical and interpretive overview of the Mongols and charts their invasions and subsequent rule over the largest contiguous land empire in world history. Following is a rich collection of primary sources translated into English from Armenian, Arabic, Chinese, Franco-Italian, Italian, Korean, Latin, Persian, Russian, Syriac, and Tibetan that will give students a clear sense of the extraordinary geographic and linguistic range of the Mongol Empire as well as insight into the empire's rise, how it governed, and how it fell. Each primary source includes a headnote and study questions. The volume ends with a list of further readings. About the series: The Norton Casebooks in History provide students with everything they need for in-depth study of select topics in major periods studied in American and world history. Each volume consists of an introductory essay by the editor on the topic, primary sources, and recent essays by historians that explore different interpretations. Each volume combines the most authoritative text available with contextual and critical materials that bring the topic to life for students.

Date Added: 08/27/2018

Montreal

Great Cities of the World takes you on a trip around the globe to discover the world's largest, most important and prominent cities. Each title explores the history, landmarks, culture, and economy of a city and introduces readers to the people who live there. In addition to informative text illustrated with up-to-date, full-color photography, Great Cities of the World titles feature time lines, statistics, excerpts from primary sources, and sources of further information.

Date Added: 08/27/2018

The Mysterious Ancient Maya

Why don't we know more about this mysterious ancient culture?

Date Added: 09/12/2018

National Geographic Reading Expeditions World Regions

Take a look at the dramatically different environments in South America, the towering Andes, the grasslands, the Amazon rain forest, and the varied coastal areas. Examine how elevation and latitude affect the land and its vegetation and wildlife.

Date Added: 07/06/2018

New World Continents and Land Bridges

Contents include: North America: landforms; North America: climate, plants and animals; North America: history and culture; Introducing South America; South America: landforms; South America: climate, plants and animals; South America: history and culture; Continental connections and plate tectonics; Land bridges: the narrow link; Land bridges: dropping seas.

Date Added: 08/27/2018

Places In Time

A tiny whaling village along the Pacific in 1490, New Plymouth as the Pilgrims settled in, Fort Mose as it welcomed African Americans escaping from slavery, Gettysburg on the day that decided the Civil War . . .

Places in Time offers a bird’s-eye view of twenty sites where American history was made. Each page opens an unforgettable window to the past, where you can find out just what it was like to live in one place on one day in our nation’s history.

Date Added: 08/28/2018

Puerto Rico

Discusses the geography, history, government, people and economy of the island nation of Puerto Rico.

Date Added: 10/17/2018

Samuel de Champlain

Champlain s search for fruitful areas of the New World to colonize for France is the foundation for this biography. An accomplished cartographer, author, and navigator, Champlain created some of the most valuable maps of the New World. He eventually discovered the lake that bears his name and founded the Canadian city of Quebec. Richly illustrated with the explorer s own drawings, maps, and words, this title brings Champlain s world to life.

Date Added: 08/27/2018

Samuel De Champlain

A biography of the French explorer who founded Quebec, discovered Lake Champlain, and was called the Father of New France.

Date Added: 10/17/2018

Separate Is Never Equal

Almost 10 years before Brown vs. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez and her parents helped end school segregation in California.

An American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage who spoke and wrote perfect English, Mendez was denied enrollment to a "Whites only" school.

Her parents took action by organizing the Hispanic community and filing a lawsuit in federal district court.

Their success eventually brought an end to the era of segregated education in California.

2015 Jane Addams Younger Reader Award,

2015 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book

2015 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book

Date Added: 07/06/2018