Rebecca E. Hirsch

"Should you encounter any of the plants in this book, do not treat them lightly. They can kill you. Or cause you unbearable agony. Or land you in jail. Consider yourself warned." Explore the strange and remarkable stories of poisonous and even deadly plants. Science, history, and true crime...

Discover what a grizzly bear has in common with a jaguar....

Discover what a humpback whale has in common with a gibbon or a caribou....

Science writer and plant expert Rebecca E. Hirsch presents fun and gross facts about a variety of plants along with explaining the science behind why they do what they do....

Plants might not pick up their roots and walk away, but they definitely don't sit still! Discover the many ways plants (and their seeds) move. Whether it's a sunflower, a Venus flytrap, or an exotic plant like an exploding cucumber, this book shows just how active plants really are....

As the sun sets, night creatures awaken. In their rural backyard, a parent and child camp out, watching as fireflies flicker, bats flap, and rabbits race....

Learn what a mountain gorilla has in common with a hippopotamus....

Find out what an African elephant has in common with a wildebeest....

Find out what a platypus has in common with a beaver or a dolphin. Learn what sets a platypus apart from a giraffe or a wild dog....

Find out what a gray wolf has in common with a red fox or an African lion....

Learn what a Siberian tiger has in common with an elk....

Author Rebecca E. Hirsch introduces listeners to six living fossils, including the chambered nautilus, the horseshoe crab with its sticky blue blood, and venomous platypuses that sting....

How do you use political maps? And what map features help you answer geographical questions? Listen to become a map genius....

How do you use physical maps? And what do the different colors and symbols on these maps mean? Listen to learn all about physical maps....

Ever wonder which states are the cloudiest? Or what city gets the most snow? Climate maps can tell you. They show average weather conditions - in your neighborhood, around the world, or even on Mars! But how do you read a climate map? Find out....