What’s it Like to be Chased by a Cassowary? Fascinating answers to perplexing questions
What’s it Like to be Chased by a Cassowary? Fascinating answers to perplexing questions

Author: Felicity Lewis (ed.)

Publisher: Random House Australia

Published: 2020-12

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 1761040820

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Catnip for the curious, this anthology is an engaging and lively curation of authoritative and original voices from the nation's most trusted news outlets. Ever wondered what happens to us as we die? Or how the Esky became an Aussie cultural icon? Or why we have leap years? Then look no further - and even if you haven't wondered, you'll want to find out. This anthology is a diverse collection of explainers by some of the finest writers from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. It tackles quintessentially Australian topics (where does the term 'mate' come from?) as well as questions being grappled with around the world (what will our homes be powered by in the future?). Inquisitive readers love the explainer columns for their strong and surprising storytelling, deeply researched reporting and inventive illustrations. They have become some of the most popular content articles in The Age and Herald, and reader requests have inspired explainers about exploring everything from think tanks to tennis racquets, from quantitative easing to why cicadas sing at dusk. Explainers offer a rich understanding of how and why - rather than just who, what, when and where. Within these pages you will find an absorbing and illuminating selection of some of the most popular explainers, as well as never before published pieces especially written for this book. There are surprising facts about all aspects of life and information about all kinds of investigations from throughout history and around the world. Prepare to be enlightened, enthralled and educated - you'll never ponder how to evade that rampaging cassowary again!

Explain That
Explain That

Author: Felicity Lewis (ed.)

Publisher: Penguin Group Australia

Published: 2021-11-02

Total Pages: 464

ISBN-13: 1760145904

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Have you ever wondered if time travel is actually possible? Or where the Australian accent came from? Or what it feels like to have dementia? If you’re an inquisitive person who likes to understand how things came to be the way they are, this collection of thought-provoking explainers from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald has got you covered. Explain That answers some of the year’s – and life’s – most baffling questions. Thoroughly researched and eloquently set out by some of Australia’s finest journalists, it provides nourishment for curious minds and fun facts to share with friends and family. What do sharks want (and why do they bite)? How do you win an Oscar? Who thought up table manners? Funny, weird and insightful topics are inventively illustrated and embellished with diagrams, pictures and factoids. If you like to learn new things, if you enjoy trivia or you want to reflect on some of the big questions, this is the book for you. Absorbing, illuminating and always engaging, Explain That is for anyone who has ever asked how and why?

Gulls Simplified
Gulls Simplified

Author: Pete Dunne

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2018-11-13

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 0691156948

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A simpler and more user-friendly visual approach to gull identification This unique photographic field guide to North America’s gulls provides a comparative approach to identification that concentrates on the size, structure, and basic plumage features of gulls—gone are the often-confusing array of plumage details found in traditional guides. Featuring hundreds of color photos throughout, Gulls Simplified illustrates the variations of gull plumages for a variety of ages, giving readers strong visual reference points for each species. Extensive captions accompany the photos, which include comparative photo arrays, digitized photo arrays for each age group, and numerous images of each species—a wealth of visual information at your fingertips. This one-of-a-kind guide includes detailed species accounts and a distribution map for each gull. An essential field companion for North American birders, Gulls Simplified reduces the confusion commonly associated with gull identification, offering a more user-friendly way of observing these marvelous birds. Provides a simpler approach to gull identification Features a wealth of color photos for easy comparison among species Includes detailed captions that explain identification criteria and aging, with direct visual reinforcement above the captions Combines plumage details with a focus on size, body shape, and structural features for easy identification in the field Highlights important field marks and physical features for each gull

Leonard (My Life as a Cat)
Leonard (My Life as a Cat)

Author: Carlie Sorosiak

Publisher: Walker Books US

Published: 2021-04-13

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1536207705

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

He’s not a stray house cat, he’s an immortal being. And now he must choose whether to return to his planet or remain with his new human friend in a humorous, heart-tugging story from the author of I, Cosmo. The cat that Olive rescues from a flood has a secret: he’s not really a cat at all, but an alien who crashed to Earth on a beam of light. The cat, whom Olive names Leonard, was prepared to visit the planet as a human—but something went wrong. Now Leonard may never know what it’s like to hold an umbrella, go bowling, or host a dinner party. (And his human jokes still need some work: Knock, knock. Who’s there? Just Leonard. It is me.) While Olive worries about whether she will have to move after her mom and her new boyfriend get back from their summer vacation, Leonard tries to figure out how to get from South Carolina to Yellowstone National Park, because if he’s not there at the end of the month, he’ll miss his ride home. But as Olive teaches Leonard about the beautiful and confusing world of humans, he starts to realize how much he cares about this particular one. A sweet and dryly funny story about what it means to be human—and what it means to be home.

Devils in Danger
Devils in Danger

Author: Samantha Wheeler

Publisher: Univ. of Queensland Press

Published: 2021-08-03

Total Pages: 173

ISBN-13: 0702265128

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

From the beloved author of Wombat Warriors, Mister Cassowary and Turtle Trackers comes another thrilling adventure about Australia's endangered animals. Eleven-year-old Killarney thinks school is boring. She'd rather be exploring the wilderness around her Tasmanian hometown or helping her hairdresser mum. When strange things start to happen &– ear-splitting screams in the dead of night and missing items found under the house &– Killarney is too busy solving the mystery to do schoolwork. Before long, she discovers the culprit: a wild Tasmanian devil, denning under the house! When rumours about dangerous devils begin spreading, Killarney is determined to protect her precious visitor. But can she convince an entire town these wild creatures are worth saving?

The Handy Answer Book for Kids (and Parents)
The Handy Answer Book for Kids (and Parents)

Author: Gina Misiroglu

Publisher: Visible Ink Press

Published: 2009-10-01

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 1578593247

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Kids ask the darndest things . . . and here are the answers—all in one helpful book! Anyone who has ever been a kid, raised a kid, or spent any time with kids knows that asking questions is a critical part of being a kid. Kids have curious minds, and they come up with some very interesting questions. Why do dogs bark? Why is the sky blue? Why do people have to grow old? Questions like these are how kids find out about the world, and these questions deserve answers. But the truth is, adults don’t always know the answers. The Handy Answer Book for Kids (and Parents) comes to the rescue! Written with a child's imagination in mind, this easy-to-understand book is a launching pad for curious young minds and a life raft for parents at wits end. It addresses nearly 800 queries with enough depth and detail to both satisfy the curiosity of persistent young inquisitors and provide parents with a secure sense of a job well done. It'll equip every parent for those difficult, absurd, or sometimes funny questions from their kids, such as … Why do people speak different languages? Why do I cry? How can fish breathe underwater? Can people who die see and talk with living people after they are gone? Why do women in some countries wear veils? How did my life begin? How does a vacuum cleaner pick up dirt? How does my body know to wake up when morning comes? With numerous photos and illustrations, this tome is richly illustrated, and its helpful bibliography and extensive index add to its usefulness. A launching pad for inquisitive young minds and a life raft for parents who are at their wits’ end, The Handy Answer Book for Kids (and Parents) is a book that every parent needs, and every kid will covet!

The Passenger Pigeon
The Passenger Pigeon

Author: Errol Fuller

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2014-09-15

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 140085220X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A haunting, beautifully illustrated memorial to this iconic extinct bird At the start of the nineteenth century, Passenger Pigeons were perhaps the most abundant birds on the planet, numbering literally in the billions. The flocks were so large and so dense that they blackened the skies, even blotting out the sun for days at a stretch. Yet by the end of the century, the most common bird in North America had vanished from the wild. In 1914, the last known representative of her species, Martha, died in a cage at the Cincinnati Zoo. This stunningly illustrated book tells the astonishing story of North America's Passenger Pigeon, a bird species that—like the Tyrannosaur, the Mammoth, and the Dodo—has become one of the great icons of extinction. Errol Fuller describes how these fast, agile, and handsomely plumaged birds were immortalized by the ornithologist and painter John James Audubon, and captured the imagination of writers such as James Fenimore Cooper, Henry David Thoreau, and Mark Twain. He shows how widespread deforestation, the demand for cheap and plentiful pigeon meat, and the indiscriminate killing of Passenger Pigeons for sport led to their catastrophic decline. Fuller provides an evocative memorial to a bird species that was once so important to the ecology of North America, and reminds us of just how fragile the natural world can be. Published in the centennial year of Martha’s death, The Passenger Pigeon features rare archival images as well as haunting photos of live birds.

Purity and Danger
Purity and Danger

Author: Professor Mary Douglas

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-06-17

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 1136489274

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Purity and Danger is acknowledged as a modern masterpiece of anthropology. It is widely cited in non-anthropological works and gave rise to a body of application, rebuttal and development within anthropology. In 1995 the book was included among the Times Literary Supplement's hundred most influential non-fiction works since WWII. Incorporating the philosophy of religion and science and a generally holistic approach to classification, Douglas demonstrates the relevance of anthropological enquiries to an audience outside her immediate academic circle. She offers an approach to understanding rules of purity by examining what is considered unclean in various cultures. She sheds light on the symbolism of what is considered clean and dirty in relation to order in secular and religious, modern and primitive life.