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Curious about Fossils explains why and where fossils form and looks at the colourful lives and important discoveries of some of the great early fossil hunters and collectors, including Mary Anning who unearthed the first ichthyosaur skeleton; Richard Owen who coined the word dinosaur; and Barnum Brown, who discovered the first remains of a T-rex.

Primate Power! What's got long red hair, toes that work like thumbs, arms longer than its legs, swings from tree branch to tree branch, and can even use an iPad? The amazing orangutan! Smithsonian's National Zoo is actively working to help save this endangered primate. Curious about how? Check out this 8 x 8 filled with full-color photos and lively text about how orangutans live and how the Zoo provides for their enrichment and survival.

Who's Looking After the Zoo?How do you weigh a panda? Or check a sea lion's tooth? Or figure out why a llama is limping? These are just some of the many tasks veterinarians, technicians, and animal keepers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo are trained in. With full-color photos and lively, accessible text, this new title looks at the very busy "to do” list of zoo workers as they take care of their creatures large and small.

What's the Scoop?Americans eat more ice cream than people in any other country (on average 48 pints per person a year). Where did this cool treat come from? And how did its popularity spread? If you're curious about all things ice cream, this fun, visual 8 x 8 developed with the food curators at the Smithsonian is now on the menu!

Home is a long way from home!There are no refrigerators in space—think about it! Life on the International Space Station is well, another, way of life: you wake up in a sleeping bag tied to the wall; open a food package which keeps your meals from floating away, and then maybe go to work . . . walking in space! (And the toilet? That's a story!) A lively reader about daily life on the ISS.

Three cheers for the red-white-and-blue in this Smithsonian nonfiction reader!The original Star-Spangled Banner that flew over Fort McHenry, Baltimore, in 1814 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words that would become the national anthem of the United States is the showpiece of the Smithsonian! In this lively nonfiction book, young readers will read about the story behind the flag, the song, and how the Smithsonian cares for this most precious national treasure.

Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture is truly groundbreaking! The first national museum whose mission is to illuminate for all people, the rich, diverse, complicated, and important experiences and contributions of African Americans in America is opening.And the history of NMAAHC--the last museum to be built on the National Mall--is the history of America. The campaign to set up a museum honoring black citizens is nearly 100 years old; building the museum itelf and assembling its incredibly far-reaching collections is a modern story that involves all kinds of people, from educators and activists, to politicians, architects, curators, construction workers, and ordinary Americans who donated cherished belongings to be included in NMAAHC's thematically-organized exhibits. Award-winning author Tonya Bolden has written a fascinating chronicle of how all of these ideas, ambitions, and actual objects came together in one incredible museum. Includes behind-the-scenes photos of literally "how to build a museum" that holds everything from an entire segregated railroad car to a tiny West African amulet worn to ward off slave traders.

What's wiggling around underground . . . and underwater? Worms! They're more than just the squiggly things on a fish hook. Worms live in the earth, in the sea, in other bodies of water, and even inside insects or animals. They can be round or flat, really long or microscopic, colorful or see-through, even glowing. Learn more about how these wigglers live, what they eat . . . and who eats them.

Danger! Watch out for these plants! Poison ivy, stinging nettles, Venus fly trap-their names alone say "watch out!" Plants can sting, prick, trap, even poison other living things. But why? Learn more about the tricky or deadly ways some plants protect themselves and capture food in this visually exciting book developed with Smithsonian Gardens.