A bird's egg is a nearly perfect survival capsule--an external womb--and one of natural selection's most wonderful creations. Shortlisted for the Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize 2016.One of Forbes' Best Books About Birds and Birding in 2016. Renowned ornithologist Tim Birkhead opens this gripping story as a female guillemot chick hatches, already carrying her full quota of tiny eggs within her undeveloped ovary. As she grows into adulthood, only a few of her eggs mature, are released into the oviduct, and are fertilized by sperm stored from copulation that took place days or weeks earlier. Within a matter of hours, the fragile yolk is surrounded by albumen and the whole is gradually encased within a turquoise jewel of a shell. Soon the fully formed egg is expelled onto a rocky ledge, where it will be incubated for four weeks before a chick emerges and the life cycle begins again. THE MOST PERFECT THING is about how eggs in general are made, fertilized, developed, and hatched. Birkhead uses birds' eggs as wondrous portals into natural history, enlivened by the stories of naturalists and scientists, including Birkhead and his students, whose discoveries have advanced current scientific knowledge of reproduction.
For fans of Shouting at the Rain by Lynda Mullaly and The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle by Christina Uss, a novel about one unadventurous girl who discovers she is anything but. Eleven-year-old Loah Londonderry is definitely a homebody. While her mother, a noted ornithologist, works to save the endangered birds of the shrinking Arctic tundra, Loah anxiously counts the days till her return home. But then, to Loah's surprise and dismay, Dr. Londonderry decides to set off on a perilous solo quest to find the Loah bird, long believed extinct. Does her mother care more deeply about Loah the bird than Loah her daughter? Things get worse yet when Loah's elderly caretakers fall ill and she finds herself all alone except for her friend Ellis. Ellis has big problems of her own, but she believes in Loah. She's certain Loah has strengths that are hidden yet wonderful, like the golden feather tucked away on her namesake bird's wing. When Dr. Londonderry's expedition goes terribly wrong, Loah needs to discover for herself whether she has the courage and heart to find help for her mother, lost at the top of the world. Beautifully written, The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe is about expeditions big and small, about creatures who defy gravity and those of us who are bound by it. A Mighty Girl Best Book of the Year A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
On October 23, 2001, Apple Computer, a company known for its chic, cutting-edge technology -- if not necessarily for its dominant market share -- launched a product with an enticing promise: You can carry an entire music collection in your pocket. It was called the iPod. What happened next exceeded the company's wildest dreams. Over 50 million people have inserted the device's distinctive white buds into their ears, and the iPod has become a global obsession. The Perfect Thing is the definitive account, from design and marketing to startling impact, of Apple's iPod, the signature device of our young century. Besides being one of the most successful consumer products in decades, the iPod has changed our behavior and even our society. It has transformed Apple from a computer company into a consumer electronics giant. It has remolded the music business, altering not only the means of distribution but even the ways in which people enjoy and think about music. Its ubiquity and its universally acknowledged coolness have made it a symbol for the digital age itself, with commentators remarking on "the iPod generation." Now the iPod is beginning to transform the broadcast industry, too, as podcasting becomes a way to access radio and television programming. Meanwhile millions of Podheads obsess about their gizmo, reveling in the personal soundtrack it offers them, basking in the social cachet it lends them, even wondering whether the device itself has its own musical preferences. Steven Levy, the chief technology correspondent for Newsweek magazine and a longtime Apple watcher, is the ideal writer to tell the iPod's tale. He has had access to all the key players in the iPod story, including Steve Jobs, Apple's charismatic cofounder and CEO, whom Levy has known for over twenty years. Detailing for the first time the complete story of the creation of the iPod, Levy explains why Apple succeeded brilliantly with its version of the MP3 player when other companies didn't get it right, and how Jobs was able to convince the bosses at the big record labels to license their music for Apple's groundbreaking iTunes Store. (We even learn why the iPod is white.) Besides his inside view of Apple, Levy draws on his experiences covering Napster and attending Supreme Court arguments on copyright (as well as his own travels on the iPod's click wheel) to address all of the fascinating issues -- technical, legal, social, and musical -- that the iPod raises. Borrowing one of the definitive qualities of the iPod itself, The Perfect Thing shuffles the book format. Each chapter of this book was written to stand on its own, a deeply researched, wittily observed take on a different aspect of the iPod. The sequence of the chapters in the book has been shuffled in different copies, with only the opening and concluding sections excepted. "Shuffle" is a hallmark of the digital age -- and The Perfect Thing, via sharp, insightful reporting, is the perfect guide to the deceptively diminutive gadget embodying our era.
"Struggling to raise her little brother Donal, eight-year-old Wavy is the only responsible adult around. Obsessed with the constellations, she finds peace in the starry night sky above the fields behind her house, until one night her star-gazing causes an accident. After witnessing his motorcycle wreck, she forms an unusual friendship with one of her father's thugs, Kellen, a tattooed ex-con with a heart of gold. By the time Wavy is a teenager, her relationship with Kellen is the only tender thing in a brutal world of addicts and debauchery"--
To get the best answer-in business, in life-you have to ask the best possible question. Innovation expert Warren Berger shows that ability is both an art and a science. It may be the most underappreciated tool at our disposal, one we learn to use well in infancy-and then abandon as we grow older. Critical to learning, innovation, success, even to happiness-yet often discouraged in our schools and workplaces-it can unlock new business opportunities and reinvent industries, spark creative insights at many levels, and provide a transformative new outlook on life. It is the ability to question-and to do so deeply, imaginatively, and “beautifully.” In this fascinating exploration of the surprising power of questioning, innovation expert Warren Berger reveals that powerhouse businesses like Google, Nike, and Netflix, as well as hot Silicon Valley startups like Pandora and Airbnb, are fueled by the ability to ask fundamental, game-changing questions. But Berger also shares human stories of people using questioning to solve everyday problems-from “How can I adapt my career in a time of constant change?” to “How can I step back from the daily rush and figure out what really makes me happy?” By showing how to approach questioning with an open, curious mind and a willingness to work through a series of “Why,” “What if,” and “How” queries, Berger offers an inspiring framework of how we can all arrive at better solutions, fresh possibilities, and greater success in business and life.
A modern dystopian classic that stands alongside 1984 and Brave New World, Ira Levin’s This Perfect Day is a stunningly prescient work of science fiction that asks what it means to remain human in a world increasingly governed by technology and AI. “Chip” (born Li RM35M4419) lives in a future controlled by an all-powerful global supercomputer, UniComp. In this seemingly utopian society, free from war and want, every aspect of human existence is meticulously planned and calibrated for efficiency by Uni, which guides the lives of each member of the Family—the eugenically-merged human race, who share a single language and religion, yet live under constant chemical conditioning and behavioral monitoring—long unaware that their sustenance comes at the expense of all individuality and autonomy. When Chip begins to question Uni’s benevolence, he embarks on a perilous journey to reclaim his true self, and challenge Uni’s rule. Its predictions already proving unnervingly on target, This Perfect Day is a thought-provoking exploration of free will, and of who ultimately holds the reins of power. Levin’s masterful storytelling and vividly imagined world make for an epic tale that’s as unsettling as it is unforgettable.)
Crafted by childhood experts, The Highlights Book of Things to Do is the essential book of pure creativity and inspiration, filled with over 500 screen-free things to do with kids. From future chefs and scientists to budding humanitarians, children ages 7 and up will be inspired to explore, invent, create and do great things! This highly visual, hands-on activity book will banish boredom, foster imagination and unlock new interests. Your child can try engaging outdoor ideas like starting a bucket garden; tasty projects like making rock candy; science activities like building a water microscope; and so much more. Organized by interest and covering all aspects of childhood, chapters include: Things to Build, Things to Do in the Kitchen, Things to Do with Color and more. The final chapter, Do Great Things, encourages kids to become caring individuals, confident problem-solvers, and thoughtful people who can change the world. With sturdy hardcover binding and a ribbon bookmark, this 372-page deluxe activity book is a perfect gift for kids 7+. The Highlights Book of Things to Do is the winner of the 2020 National Parenting Seal of Approval, National Parenting Product Award (NAPPA), Mom's Choice Award, Gold, and was named one of Bank Street College of Education, Best Children's Books of the Year.
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • “A gripping and poignant ode to a messy, loving family in all its glory.” —Madeline Miller, bestselling author of Circe In this “rich, complex family saga” (USA Today) full of long-buried family secrets, Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s, blithely ignorant of all that awaits them. By 2016, they have four radically different daughters, each in a state of unrest. Wendy, widowed young, soothes herself with booze and younger men; Violet, a litigator turned stay-at-home-mom, battles anxiety and self-doubt; Liza, a neurotic and newly tenured professor, finds herself pregnant with a baby she's not sure she wants by a man she's not sure she loves; and Grace, the dawdling youngest daughter, begins living a lie that no one in her family even suspects. With the unexpected arrival of young Jonah Bendt—a child placed for adoption by one of the daughters fifteen years before—the Sorensons will be forced to reckon with the rich and varied tapestry of their past. As they grapple with years marred by adolescent angst, infidelity, and resentment, they also find the transcendent moments of joy that make everything else worthwhile.
Everyone needs things to look forward to: big things and small things, on good days and on bad days, whether we actively create delight for ourselves or simply allow it to enter our lives. In these pages, beloved author and illustrator Sophie Blackall has gathered a collection of joys for all of us—reminders that every day the sun comes up and new babies are born. She includes suggestions that you bake muffins for a friend, or draw a face on an egg and put it in the fridge where it will smile at you each time you open the door. With wisdom, whimsy, and compassion, the 52 illustrated ideas in this book offer moments of uplift and serendipity for yourself and your loved ones. A message of hope and solace in hard times and of joyful anticipation at times of new beginnings—whether you're grieving a loss or starting a new chapter—and for all the days in between—Things to Look Forward to is full of gentle reminders of the objects, occasions, gestures, and ideas that warm our hearts. There is always something bright on the horizon, and sometimes that horizon can be a lot closer than we think. BELOVED AUTHOR: Sophie Blackall is a world-renowned, two-time Caldecott award–winning children's book author and illustrator. Whether your kids grew up with Ivy & Bean and If You Come to Earth, or you're discovering Blackall's empathetic voice and gorgeous artwork for the first time, you’re sure to fall in love with her new book for adults and folks of all ages. UPLIFTING AND HOPEFUL: We all need a little reassurance that things will get better—this book offers just that, and so much more. It reminds us that while looking forward is important, sometimes we can take matters into our own hands and create our own joy when we need it most. THE PERFECT GIFT: Not only a promise of solace in tough times, this book is also a celebration of joyful new beginnings—after all, who has more to look forward to than parents of new babies, or recent grads? You'll want to give Things to Look Forward to to the grieving and the embarking alike. Perfect for new moms, new graduates, those going through breakups or suffering a loss, and anyone who could use a little extra joy in life just because. Perfect for: • Those going through hard times and those experiencing joyous life events • Parents (or aunts, uncles, grandparents) who have bought Sophie Blackall's books for their children and fallen in love with her artwork • Shoppers looking for the perfect grad gift or baby shower gift • People looking for a way to express sympathy with someone who is struggling or grieving
