Prepare to be disgusted, amazed, shocked (and informed) by the astonishing and mysterious creature that has annoyed humanity for centuries:
Rats
Able to claw straight up a brick wall, squeeze through a pipe the width of a quarter, and gnaw through iron and concrete, rats are also revealed in this fascinating book to be incredibly intelligent and capable of compassion. Weaving together science, history, culture, and folklore, award-winning writer Albert Marrin offers a look at rats that goes from the curious to repulsive, horrifying to comic, fearsome to inspiring. Arresting black-and-white scratchboard illustrations with bold red accents add visual punch to this study of a creature that has annoyed, disgusted, nourished, and intrigued its human neighbors for centuries.* " A] lively and informative overview of the history and behavior of the widely encountered rodent.... It's a different sort of discussion... for this well-known historian and biographer and one that he has clearly enjoyed, as will a wide variety of nonfiction readers and animal fans. There's a bibliography of adult sources and children's nonfiction as well as a listing of literary works featuring rats."
--School Library Journal, starred review
"Pleasantly icky."
--Booklist
A Junior Library Guild Selection

This is the shocking story of the longest running battle of all time - man vs parasite. From fleas, ticks, lice and bedbugs to worms, mites, leeches and maggots, Marrin explains what parasites are, how they invade human bodies and what their effects are, both good and bad. Kids will learn that, at their best, parasites have saved limbs and lives. At their worst, they've been responsible for the deaths of billions of people and changed the course of human history. The creepy-crawlies are richly illustrated and photographed in full-colour throughout.

Oil is not pretty, but it is a resource that drives the modern world. It has made fortunes for the lucky few and provided jobs for millions of ordinary folks.
Thick and slippery, crude oil has an evil smell. Yet without it, life as we live it today would be impossible. Oil fuels our engines, heats our homes, and powers the machines that make the everyday things we take for granted, from shopping bags to computers to medical equipment. Nations throughout the last century have gone to war over it. Indeed, oil influences every aspect of modern life. It helps shape the history, society, politics, and economy of every nation on earth.
This riveting new book explores what oil is and the role this precious resource has played in America and the world.