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You can always recognize a painting by Kahlo because she is in nearly all--with her black braided hair and colorful Mexican outfits. A brave woman who was an invalid most of her life, she transformed herself into a living work of art. As famous for her self-portraits and haunting imagery as she was for her marriage to another famous artist, Diego Rivera, this strong and courageous painter was inspired by the ancient culture and history of her beloved homeland, Mexico. Her paintings continue to inform and inspire popular culture around the world.
When Fidel Castro died on November 25, 2016, many people around the world responded with mixed emotions. Learn all about the man who shaped Cuba for more than half a decade. After overthrowing Fulgencia Batista in 1959, Fidel Castro became the leader of an island country only ninety miles away from Florida. While in power, Castro outlasted ten US presidents and turned the small nation into a one-party state with influence over the entire world. Called a leader by some and a dictator by others, Castro defined not one but several eras in world politics.
The story of how a girl born into slavery became an early leader in the civil rights movement and the most famous Black female journalist in nineteenth-century America. Born into slavery in 1862, Ida Bell Wells was freed as a result of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865. Yet she could see how just how unjust the world was. This drove her to become a journalist and activist. Throughout her life, she fought against prejudice and for equality for African Americans. Ida B. Wells would go on to co-own a newspaper, write several books, help cofound the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and fight for women's right to vote.
Step into the world of Georgian England and learn more about the genteel life of this beloved author. Although Jane Austen's works were first published anonymously and brought her little personal recognition, today they are rarely out of print and have inspired movies, television shows and mini-series, literary anthologies, and many other adaptations all around the world. Her writing—principally her five novels—is a critique of the British landed gentry at the end of the eighteenth century, and often a comment on the pursuit of a "good match" in matters of marriage. Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Emma, and Northhanger Abbey remain her most famous works. Who Was Jane Austen? reveals the life of this most private author.
Find out all about NASA in this out-of-this-world addition to the What Was? series. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA, began in 1958. With its creation, the United States hoped to ensure it won the space race against the Soviet Union. Author Sarah Fabiny describes the origins of NASA, the launching of the Apollo program that landed the first human on the moon, and the many missions and discoveries that have taken place since then. NASA has a rich history and still plays an important role in uncovering the mysteries of the universe. Readers are sure to get sucked into this book.
These silly squirrels are feeling a bit too nutty! The same squirrels of We Need More Nuts! have been eating nothing but nuts ever since--and now they're sick of them! Nuts in milkshakes, nuts in stew, nuts in pancakes. How will they ever be able to get rid of them all? Unless, of course, you'd like to take some off their paws... Breaking the fourth wall throughout the story, Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor-winning author and illustrator Jonathan Fenske's comic-like illustration style and clever, easy-to-read text make this hilarious book a must-have for every young reader's shelf.
What time is it . . . and how do you know? This fact- and photo-filled Smithsonian Penguin Young Reader will fill you in on how people first began measuring time and why knowing "when" is important. Time is when things happen and how long they take to happen--but how long is all that? The history of telling time is the history of inventions and communication, from hour glasses to atomic clocks, from calendars to chronometers. Tick-Tock is a fun look at the many ways different people have tried to get in sync.
Danger! Watch out for these plants! Poison ivy, stinging nettles, Venus fly trap—their names alone say "watch out!" Plants can sting, prick, trap, even poison other living things. But why? Learn more about the tricky or deadly ways some plants protect themselves and capture food in this visually exciting book developed with Smithsonian Gardens.
What does an astronaut wear to work? Find out in this space-age Penguin-Smithsonian reader! If you're going to orbit the Earth, moonwalk, or float in space, you need the right outfit. From helmet to space boots, every part of an astronaut's spacesuit is designed for survival. This reader, developed with Smithsonian's popular Air and Space Museum, provides a close look at the suits, boots, helmets, gloves, and other gear astronauts have worn into space, from the early days of space exploration to the present-day.
Learn to read with beloved bunnies Max and Ruby in this rhyming story! Max can't wait to eat his lunch—until he discovers it's gone! With help from Ruby, can Max find the missing meal? Perfect for beginning readers and fans of the classic characters from Rosemary Wells, this book about Max's delicious and nutritious lunch makes story time a treat!