This volume presents the first widely available edition in English of the medieval romance Blandin de Cornoalha, accompanied by a translation and introduction to the work. Composed in the second half of the fourteenth century by an anonymous author, the story offers an early recording of the Sleeping Beauty folktale, incorporated into the adventures of two knights. Many elements in this romance from the south of France are comic, suggesting that Blandin is not simply a tale of knights in battle, but also a parody of medieval romance in general.

Sounds are all around us. Clap your hands, snap your fingers: You're making sounds. Read and find out how people and animals use different kinds of sounds to communicate. With colorful illustrations from Anna Chernyshova and engaging text from Wendy Pfeffer, Sounds All Around is a fascinating look into how sound works! Featuring rich vocabulary bolded throughout the text, this brand-new edition of a 1999 title includes brand-new illustrations by Anna Chernyshova. This book also includes a Find Out More section with additional and updated experiments, such as finding out how sound travels through water. Both the text and the artwork were vetted by Dr. Agnieszka Roginska, Professor of Music Technology at NYU. This is a Level 1 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out, which means the book explores introductory concepts perfect for children in the primary grades and supports the Common Core Learning Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) standards. Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science is the winner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Science Books & Films Prize for Outstanding Science Series.

Coral reefs are beautiful underwater cities that bustle with excitement and activity. From clown fish to spiny lobsters, hundreds of plants and animals live on coral reefs, making them one of nature's greatest treasures. What happens during a typical day in these marine metropolises? Read and find out!

In the fall, pumpkins are everywhere: in the garden, in the supermarkets, and on doorsteps. But do you know how they grow from a tiny yellow seed to a pumpkin? In this classic Level 1 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out picture book, Wendy Pfeffer's lively text combines with James Graham Hale's beautiful watercolors to bring readers into the pumpkin patch to show them how little seeds transform into big pumpkins. Now rebranded with a new cover look, this book includes a find out more section with activities such as an experiment to show how plants use roots to drink water from the ground and a recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds. Both text and artwork were vetted for accuracy by Barbara J. Bromley, Mercer County Horticulturist. This is a Level 1 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out, which means the book explores introductory concepts perfect for children in the primary grades and supports the Common Core Learning Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. Let's-Read-and-Find-Out is the winner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Science Books & Films Prize for Outstanding Science Series.

Female frogs lay eggs in the water, but what hatches isn't a frog yet-it's a tadpole! This classic Level 1 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out picture book shows the incredible metamorphosis that occurs as a tadpole loses its fishy tail and gills and becomes a frog. Now rebranded with a new cover look, this book includes a find out more section with an illustrated guide to identify different frog species and a map showing where bull frogs can be found throughout the United States. Both text and artwork were vetted for accuracy by Dr. Edmund Stiles, formerly professor of Biological Science at Rutgers University, and Dr. Valerie Chase, formerly of the National Aquarium in Baltimore. This is a Level 1 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out, which means the book explores introductory concepts perfect for children in the primary grades and supports the Common Core Learning Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. Let's-Read-and-Find-Out is the winner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Science Books & Films Prize for Outstanding Science Series.

Explains how earthworms eat, move, and reproduce and how they help plants to grow.

What is the fall equinox?
The official start of the harvest season, it occurs around September 21 each year. It marks the end of summer and the beginning of longer nights and shorter days. For many cultures around the world, the fall equinox represents a time to celebrate the harvest and begin collecting and storing crops.
Looking at both the science of weather and the history of how the fall equinox has been celebrated by various cultures throughout the world, this book will inspire a new understanding of autumn and the harvest season.
Science activities, ideas for celebrating the fall equinox, and further reading list included

This volume makes available for the first time in English an edition of the medieval romance Blandin de Cornoalha, including the original Occitan text, a translation and an introduction to the work. Composed in the second half of the fourteenth century by an anonymous author, the story offers the first recording of the Sleeping Beauty folktale, incorporated into the adventures of two knights. Many elements in the romance are comic, suggesting that Blandin is not simply a tale of knights in battle, but also a parody of medieval romance in general.

The science, history, and cultural significance of the shortest day of the year: The Winter Solstice
The beginning of winter is marked by the solstice, the shortest day of the year. Long ago, people grew afraid when each day had fewer hours of sunshine than the day before. Over time, they realized that one day each year the sun started moving toward them again. In lyrical prose and cozy illustrations, this book explains what the winter solstice is and how it has been observed by various cultures throughout history. Many contemporary holiday traditions were borrowed from ancient solstice celebrations.
Simple science activities, ideas for celebrating the day in school and at home, and a further-reading list are included.
"Using clear, concise language, Pfeffer discusses important ideas behind the shortest day of the year, such as the change from autumn to winter as well as the concept of the Earth's tilting away from the sun.... While appealing to a younger audience, this treatment combines the cultural approach of Ellen Jackson's The Winter Solstice (Millbrook, 1994) and the activities of Sandra Markle's Exploring Winter (Atheneum, 1984; o.p.). Pfeffer uses an easy, comfortable tone for conveying the basic information, and the end pages will provide additional opportunities for would-be astronomers to explore the principles on their own."
--School Library Journal

This groundbreaking anthology brings together for the first time the works of women poet-composers, or trouveres, in northern France in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Refuting the long-held notion that there are no extant Old French lyrics by women from this period, the editors of the volume present songs attributed to eight named female trouveres along with a varied selection of anonymous compositions in the feminine voice that may have been composed by women. The book includes the Old French texts of seventy-five compositions, extant music for eighteen monophonic songs and nineteen polyphonic motets, English translations, and a substantial introduction.

This bilingual edition of three lively and amusing French poems dating from the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries contains two poems that assail the vices of women and a third that lists women's virtues. The verses, translated here into English for the first time, provide significant insights into the role of women in the Middle Ages as well as into medieval social history and the history of misogyny.