For the first nineteen months of her life, Helen Keller is a normal child who laughs and plays and explores her surroundings. But a high fever robs Helen of her sight and hearing, leaving her alone in a dark, silent world. Until the day Anne Sullivan comes into her life, Helen's only means of communication are crude signs and gestures.

"The past comes alive through craft projects celebrating Minnesota's history and people. Imagine soldiers on the Civil War battlefield as you assemble a "housewife" sewing kit like those made by wives and mothers. Re-create the drama of a midwestern tornado when you build an automaton that actually spins, and celebrate the invention of water-skiing with a boat and skier that really glide. These projects and more generate hours of fun, not to mention...

Prior to the Civil War, the fastest mail between the West Coast and the East took almost thirty days by stagecoach along a southern route through Texas. Some Californians feared their state would not remain in the Union, separated so far from the free states. Then businessman William Russell invested in a way to deliver mail between San Francisco and the farthest western railroad, in Saint Joseph, Missouri-across two thousand miles of mountains, deserts,...

A first-person account of the 1986 dogsled expedition to the North Pole, the first to reach the North Pole without resupply since Robert E. Peary in 1909.

"High adventure and high ideals merge when a corps of intrepid female aviators battle to take part in the hugely popular air shows of the 1920s and 1930s. Ultimately, one of our heroines would win a race that earned her the right to be called America's best pilot"--

A collection of Indian legends about the stars, moon, and nighttime sky.

A field guide to butterflies and moths around the world, each depicted by a full-color photograph with a caption that describes key features and points of differentiation.

A field guide to trees around the world, each depicted by a full-color photograph with a caption that describes key features and points of differentiation.