Ocean State Libraries

"The Great Pyramids of Egypt--all kids over the age of five recognize them instantly. These massive tombs were built thousands of years ago, and still no one knows exactly how the ancient Egyptians did it! In this informative account, Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler tell the story of the powerful pharaohs who commissioned the pyramids at Giza and offer a fascinating look at the culture of the afterlife in ancient Egypt, explaining exactly how mummies were...

"It was world-famous sculptor Gutzon Borglum's dream to carve sixty-foot-high likenesses of four presidents on a granite cliff in South Dakota. Does that sound like a wacky idea? Many at the time thought so. Borglum faced a lot of opposition and problems at every turn; the blasting and carving carried out through the years of the Great Depression when funding for anything was hard to come by. Yet Mount Rushmore now draws almost three million visitors...

Introduces the Empire State Building, the third tallest structure in New York City, describing the construction process, the rise of skyscrapers in the United States, and the effect the building continues to have today.

More than two thousand years ago, with his land under constant attack from nomads, the First Emperor of China came up with a simple solution: build a wall to keep out enemies. It was a wall that kept growing and growing. But its construction came at a huge cost: it is believed that more than a million Chinese died building it, earning the wall its nickname--the longest cemetery on earth. Through the story of the wall, Patricia Brennan Demuth is able...

"Escape from the ordinary and break into Alcatraz, America's most famous prison! The island of Alcatraz has always been a place that's fascinated visitors, from the Native American tribes who believed it was home to evil spirits to the Spanish explorers who discovered the island. In modern times, it was a federal prison for only 29 years, but now draws over a million visitors each year. Learn the history of America's most famous prison, from its initial...

"Without risking life or limb, readers can explore the wonders and beauty of the Amazon in this Where Is ...? title. Human beings have inhabited the banks of the Amazon River since 13,000 BC and yet they make up just a small percentage of the 'population' of this geographic wonderland. The Amazon River basin teems with life--animal and plant alike. It's a rainforest that is home to an estimated 390 billion individual trees, 2.5 million species of...

"In this Where Is? title, kids can explore the Great Barrier Reefbig enough to be seen from space but made up of billions of tiny living organisms. The Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Australia, is the world's largest coral reef system. Stretching more than 1,400 miles, it provides a home to a wide diversity of creatures. Designated a World Heritage Site, the reef is suffering from the effects of climate change but this fascinating book shows...

"This book teaches readers about the Galapagos Islands, a chain of volcanic islands located on either side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean, and the strange and unique animals that live there. Some animals include the marine iguana, the blue-footed booby, the magnificent frigatebird and the giant Galapagos tortoise, which may live to be over one hundred years old. The islands, which were studies by Charles Darwin, are a popular tourist destination...

Describes the construction and history of the Colosseum, the largest oval amphitheater in the center of Rome, Italy.

"Discover the history and culture of one of the most famous waterways in the world: the mighty Mississippi! The most famous river in America runs like a spine between the eastern and western parts of the country, flowing through ten states before it empties into the Gulf of Mexico. The mighty Miss also flows through the history of America, giving rise to great stories about the people who lived on it and used it as a watery highway, from Native Americans...