Helaine Becker

"The most powerful pirate in history was a woman who was born into poverty in Guangzhou, China, in the early 1800s. When pirates attacked her town and the captain took a liking to her, she saw a way out. Zheng Yi Sao agreed to marry him only if she got an equal share of his business. When her husband died six years later, she took command of the fleet. Over the next decade, the pirate queen built a fleet of over 1,800 ships and 70,000 men. On land...

Learn about robots inspired by animals.

"A millipede the size of a basketball player? A pit-bull-sized scorpion? It's hard to believe, but such mega-critters once lived on our planet. In this peek into prehistory, award-winning science writer Helaine Becker introduces us to nine of these terrifying giants. You'll discover when and where they lived, how they grew to their mega-sizes and what (thankfully!) caused their extinction. On each spread, a highly realistic illustration shows us what...

"When Emmy Noether is born in 1882, no one knows she's going to become a visionary mathematician. Back then, girls were expected to be gentle and quiet -- definitely not geniuses. But Emmy is a genius! And she's much more interested in math than in learning to cook and sew. Though she faces sexism and anti-Semitism, she perseveres to earn her mathematics degree and teach at a university. And when Einstein's famous Theory of Relativity has a problem...

Helaine Becker places six different kinds of monsters under her microscope to expose the proven scientific principles behind the legends. There's also historical background on each monster, as well as trivia and jokes in sidebars, and quizzes at the end of every chapter for readers to test their knowledge. Becker uses the never-ending appetite for all things monster to engage the imaginations of children and get them excited about science, especially...

You've likely heard of the historic Apollo 13 moon landing. But do you know about the mathematical genius who made sure that Apollo 13 returned safely home? As a child, Katherine Johnson loved to count. She counted the steps on the road, the number of dishes and spoons she washed in the kitchen sink, everything! Boundless, curious, and excited by calculations, young Katherine longed to know as much as she could about math, about the universe. From...

Introduces the different types of food zoo animals eat, with recipes from zoos around the world, including predator popsicles, digger's delight, and presto pesto sauce.

Learn to perform fun, step-by-step tricks with common household items. Learn intriguing facts about magicians of the past and their awe-inspiring tricks. Get the inside scoop on how to stage a magic show that'll leave audiences amazed and astounded.

Boredom Blasters is a delightful treasury of games, jokes, facts, puzzles, comics, crafts and activities which will provide countless hours of amusement for curious young readers. With its contemporary design and irreverent tone, this book will tickle young readers' funny bones. Parents and teachers will be equally happy with the educational aspect to each activity and game. Perfectly portable, this handbook of hilarity can be explored and enjoyed...