Meet Katherine Johnson, the mathematical genius who helped make the historic Apollo 11 moon landings possible and made sure that Apollo 13 returned home safely when the mission was in critical danger. Counting on Katherine is a beautiful biography, sure to inspire young readers. Winner of the information book category of the UKLA Book Awards 2020. As a child, Katherine loved to count. She counted the steps on the road, the number of dishes and spoons she washed in the kitchen sink, everything! Boundless, curious, and excited by calculations, young Katherine longed to know as much as she could about maths, about the universe . . . Helaine Becker interviewed Katherine and her family for this authorized biography. From Katherine's early beginnings as a gifted student to her heroic accomplishments as a prominent mathematician at NASA, this is the true story of a groundbreaking African-American woman who went above and beyond what was expected of her in the 1960s, saving lives and making enormous contributions to history. Featuring Dow Phumiruk's gorgeous full-colour illustrations throughout.

Emmy Noether is not pretty, quiet, good at housework or eager to marry - all the things a German girl is expected to be in her time. What she is, though, is a genius at maths. Bestselling and award-winning author Helaine Becker has crafted an engaging look at the life of Emmy Noether, a contemporary of Einstein's and one of the most influential, though little known, mathematicians of the twentieth century. Despite the obstacles she faced as a woman in a male-dominated field, and as a Jew who had to flee the Nazis, Emmy still accomplished a great deal.

As scary as it may seem, supersized, insect-like creatures used to roam the Earth long before humans. In this peek into prehistory, award-winning science writer Helaine Becker introduces seven of these megabugs, the ancestors of modern-day insects, spiders, crabs and other arthropods, which lived from 480 million to 47 million years ago. The book explores when, where and how they each lived, why they grew so big and what caused their extinction. Highly realistic illustrations show each megabug in its habitat. The end of the book includes a few supersized critters that are still around today!

Joseph Malin loves his grandmother's fried fish, which she makes according to an old family recipe. It's so good, he thinks he might be able to make some money from it; money that his immigrant Jewish family desperately needs. He takes it into the marketplace of 19th Century London's East End and calls out to passers-by: 'Fresh from the ships, Hot n' tasty fried fish'. Before long, people are coming from far and wide to try the delicious snack. But his success inspires a rival. Annette, the greengrocer across the street, sees an opportunity to hawk her own family favourite: Belgian-style fried potatoes. "Piping hot chips!"/So crisp, so delish", she calls. And they're a hit too. The competition between Joseph and Annette heats up as they try to outsell each other at the market. And then one day... crash! The two collide. Chips slip. Fish fly. It's a disaster. Or perhaps not... This is the playful account of how the real-life Joseph Malin, a poor Jewish immigrant, invented fish and chips, the iconic British fish and chips dish.

An inspiring story of Zheng Yi Sao, the real-life pirate queen who took control of her life - and the South China seas - in the early 19th century. The most powerful pirate in history was a woman who was born into poverty in Guangzhou, China, in the late 1700s. When pirates attacked her town and the captain took a liking to her, she saw a way out. Zheng Yi Sao agreed to marry him only if she got an equal share of his business. When her husband died six years later, she took command of the fleet. Over the next decade, the pirate queen built a fleet of over 1,800 ships and 70,000 men. On land and sea, Zheng Yi Sao's power rivaled the emperor himself. Time and again, her ships triumphed over the emperor's ships. When she was ready to retire, Zheng Yi Sao surrendered - on her own terms, of course. Even though there was a price on her head, she was able to negotiate her freedom, living in peace and prosperity for the rest of her days. Zheng Yi Sao's powerful story is told in lyrical prose by award-winning author Helaine Becker. Liz Wong's colorful, engaging illustrations illuminate this inspiring woman in history. An author's note provides historical context and outlines the challenges of researching a figure about whom little is known. Key Text Features author's note historical context sources Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3 Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).

Get ready to blast off into space to explore planets, stars, and beyond! This fun book will pull you in like gravity, full of fun facts, reports from explorers, maps and infographics, and more than 100 pictures. Find out what it takes to be an astronaut. Travel to the world's greatest observatories. Learn what starts are, how they are born, and how they die. Search for life beyond our planet Earth. Uncover mysteries that are truly out of this world. Then test your space smarts to see how much you have learned. Everything? That's no surprise. Now you are an expert on space!

This book allows you to team teach with a science specialist to drive home key library and media curriculum goals. Eight detailed chapters provide background and complete lesson plans that cover both library and general science skills and benchmarks. Included are reproducible student worksheets, tools for assessment, and a suggested resource list. Grades 6-8 Collaborative Teaching in the Middle Grades: Inquiry Science will enable school librarians to pursue the goal of teaching to standards. It offers a comprehensive, detailed guide to collaboration, the process and tips for success, and innovative unit lessons for grades 6-8 that support the AASL's nine Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning, while designing lessons integrated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Benchmarks for Science Literacy. It provides background material, complete lesson overview, instructional tasks and responsibilities, tools for assessment, and suggested resources in a convenient all-in-one format. Reproducible student worksheets, lesson guides, and assessments are included. Research skills such as selecting and retrieving data, evaluating data, synthesizing data, creating new data, and communicating of information are all be reinforced during each lesson.