Includes questions and answers about the history of Thanksgiving, along with jokes and riddles, a craft activity, and a brief look at other harvest celebrations around the world today.

Simple rhyming text describes the characteristics and behavior of starfish.

Describes the events of the 1914 Shackleton Antarctic expedition when, after being trapped in a frozen sea for nine months, their ship, Endurance, was finally crushed, forcing Shackleton and his men to make a very long and perilous journey across ice and stormy seas to reach inhabited land.

On the eve of the 1860 presidential election, as war clouds gather and the South threatens to secede, eleven-year-old Grace decides to help Abraham Lincoln get elected by writing and advising him to grow a beard.

Children learn many things about the octopus, such as where they live, what they eat, and what they do to survive.

Uncharted Territory In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana territory from the French for $15,000,000. The purchase made President Jefferson's dream of extending the U.S. west of the Mississippi River come true. Now the much larger United States had difficult questions to answer: How would Louisiana be governed? How would it be divided into states? Would those states be free states or slave states? What would happen to the Native Americans?...

Describes some history and customs connected with St. Valentine's Day and presents jokes, riddles, activities, and recipes to help celebrate this holiday.

Fourteen-year-old Samantha Byrd is an excellent shot-she's even better than her brother at providing food for her family. Although the winds of war are blowing in Virginia, she knows that she could only ever use her skill for hunting-not for hurting another person. When the Revolutionary War finally begins, her brother is captured, and Samantha sets off to rescue him. But when she comes face to face with the enemy, will she still stand by her principles,...

Recounts the life story of the noted explorer, including excerpts from his own writings.

Describes the history and customs connected with Halloween and includes riddles, activities, and instructions for making some masks and costumes.