Jessie Hartland

Inside New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the sphinx of the Pharaoh Hatshepsut holds court. But how did this ancient artifact get to the museum?

Late at night after children have gone to bed, people who work the night shift, like street sweepers, window dressers, newspaper printers, road workers, and donut bakers, are doing their jobs.

After moving to a tiny house, a little girl is forbidden to get a pet until she introduces her parents to microscopic tardigrades, also called water bears.

"If you go to the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, you can see a massive American flag: thirty feet tall and forty-two feet long. That's huge! But how did it get there? And where did it come from? Well ... The story of this giant flag begins in 1812 and stars a major on the eve of battle, a seamstress and her mighty helpers, and a poet named Francis Scott Key. This isn't just the story of one flag. It's the story of "The Star Spangled-Banner," a poem...

This collection of nineteen poems are ideal for reading aloud in pairs.

"Once there was a lot full of trash. Now there is a lush, green farm. This is the story of Harlem Grown, a garden in New York City"-- Provided by publisher.

"The delicious story of pioneering chef Alice Waters who changed the way America eats and kickstarted the organic food movement. A pioneer of the slow and organic food movements, she is also known for creating Edible Schoolyard, a project that involves kids in the growing of their own food"-- Provided by publisher.

"The true story of how a 1969 fire in one of the most polluted rivers in America helped foster awareness of water pollution and how the river's fate contributed to the environmental movement"-- Provided by publisher. "After the Industrial Revolution in the 1880s, the Cayuhoga River in Cleveland, Ohio, caught fire almost twenty times, earning Cleveland the nickname "The Mistake on the Lake." Waste dumping had made fires so routine that local politicians...