KidsWinter2024

26 Series and Collections | NONFICTION THE 50 STATE GEMS AND MINERALS A Guidebook for Aspiring Geologists 978-0-7643-5995-8 10" X 7" (254 X 177 mm ) 72 pp. • HC • LEXILE: 1130L $18.99 £17.99 / 26.99 CAD 978-1-5073-0198-2 (E-BOOK) THE 50 STATE FOSSILS A Guidebook for Aspiring Paleontologists 978-0-7643-5557-8 10" X 7" (254 X 177 mm ) 72 pp. • HC • LEXILE: 1170L $18.99 £17.99 / 26.99 CAD 978-1-5073-0129-6 (E-BOOK) Comprehensive yet easy- to-read guidebooks for kids exploring the official US state fossils and gems and minerals. Author Yinan Wang includes expert recommendations, maps, and informative glossaries. “Budding paleontologists will love this book, as will kids interested in animals and fossils, which is just about every kid out there.” — Rosi Hollinbeck, San Francisco Book Review (about The 50 State Fossils ) 17 Colorado Late Jurassic period (157 to 150 million years ago) The Stegosaurus was designated the state fossil in 1982. First discovered in Colorado in 1877, the Stegosaurus was a four-legged plant-eating dinosaur that roamed North America during the Late Jurassic. The most recog- nizable features of the Stegosaurus are the upright bone plates along its back and several large spikes on its tail. The purpose of the plates has been much debated; they might have been used for display or to help control the dinosaur’s body temperature, or maybe both. The large tail spikes, which measured up to 3 feet long, were used for defense against other dinosaurs. The Stegosaurus could grow up to 29 feet long and weigh up to 3 tons. In the 1880s, a paleontologist made a cast of a well-preserved Stegosaurus brain case and found that the brain was little bigger than a walnut. STEGOSAURUS Stegosaurus genus (pronounced Steg-ah-saw-rus) Denver Stegosaurus skeleton with iconic plates and tail spikes 16 California Late Pleistocene epoch (1.6 million years ago to 11,700 years ago) The Smilodon was designated the state fossil in 1973. Saber-toothed cats are ferocious felines that existed from 42 million years ago to up to 11,700 years ago. They had distinctive saber- shaped upper canine teeth that extended from the mouth even when it was closed. The most famous of the Saber-toothed tigers was the Smilodon californicus (a synonym of the more familiar name Smilodon fatalis) , which roamed North America during the Ice Age up to 11,700 years ago. The Smilodon grew up to 600 pounds and had saber-shaped canines up to 7 inches long. More than 100,000 bones from Smilodon californicus have been found in the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California. The tar pits trapped many animals, which then helped attract hungry Smilodon that also ended up getting stuck and preserved in the tar. Note: The Augustynolophus morrisi was designated the of  cial state dinosaur in 2017. It was a hadrosaur (a duck-billed dinosaur) and has only been found in California. SABER-TOOTHED TIGER Smilodon californicus (pronounced Smie-loh-don cal-if-or-nik-us) Sacramento Smilodon skull featuring long canine teeth 62 District of Columbia Cretaceous period (125 to 113 million years old) The Capitalsaurus was designated the of  cial dinosaur of the District of Columbia in 1998. While the District of Columbia (Washington, DC) is a federal district and not a state, it does have an of  cial dinosaur that deserves recognition. A dinosaur vertebra and a few bone fragments were discovered by workmen doing sewer construction on First and F Street Southeast in 1898. It was found in the Cretaceous-aged Arundel formation and was called Creosaurus potens (pronounced Kree-oh-saw-rus poh-tens). Later it was renamed Dryptosaurus potens (pronounced Drip-toh-saw- rus poh-tens) before being informally adopted as Capitalsaurus. Little is known about Capitalsaurus other than it was a theropod dinosaur. In 1998, the Capitalsaurus was designated DC’s of  cial dinosaur, and the site of its discovery is now called Capitalsaurus Court. d CAPITALSAURUS Capitalsaurus (pronounced Ca-pit-al-saw-rus) Capital city of the United States The vertebrae of the Capitalsaurus 61 Wyoming Eocene epoch (53 to 48 million years ago) The Knightia was designated the state fossil in 1987. During the Eocene, three massive lakes covered parts of Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. The sedimentary remains of these lakes make up the Green River formation, and within it are the fossils of  sh, birds, reptiles, plants, insects, and other  ora and fauna. One of the most common  sh that can be found in certain layers of the Green River formation is the Knightia. The Knightia was a  sh in the same family as herring and grew up to 10 inches long. There are several fossil  sh quarries near the town of Kemmerer, where visitors can pay to dig for these  sh. Knightia are so common that often many specimens can be found on the same piece of rock. Note: Wyoming passed a statute that a state dinosaur was to be elected. The Triceratops won the election and was designated the state dinosaur in 1994. FOSSIL FISH Knightia genus (pronounced Nie-tee-ah) Cheyenne Knightia specimen from a quarry in Wyoming THE FOREST A Poster Book to Understand Everything about the World 978-0-7643-6099-2 9 1/2" X 10 1/2" (241 X 267 mm ) 18 pp. • HC • LEXILE: 1010L $14.99 £13.99 / 19.99 CAD THE SEA A Poster Book to Understand Everything about the World 978-0-7643-6100-5 9 1/2" X 10 1/2" (241 X 267 mm ) 18 pp. • HC • LEXILE: 860L $14.99 £13.99 / 19.99 CAD The Panoramic Giants are interactive books that explore the natural habitats. Each layer of the poster reveals nonfiction facts about animals and plant life within the illustration. Unfolds to 32" × 28" poster! THE 50 STATE UNOFFICIAL METEORITES A Guidebook for Aspiring Meteoriticists 978-0-7643-6508-9 10" X 7" (254 X 177 mm ) 80 pp. • HC • LEXILE: 970L $18.99 £17.99 / 26.99 CAD 978-1-5073-0292-7 (E-BOOK)