Kim Smith – illustratör

Brought to you by Puffin. This is our Green Planet: a hidden world where plants care for other plants and can smell, taste, touch, hear and even . . . ''talk''.Earth is dominated by plants, which outweigh all other life - from tiny duckweed floating in our ponds to giant sequoia trees towering above us. It''s easy to take plants for granted, but we depend on these light-eaters, oxygen-generators, and rain-makers for every breath of air and mouthful of food we take.But that''s not all. In the world of plants, time passes more slowly, but if we speed months into minutes we can peer into this hidden world and realise: it''s a battleground. Plants are working to thwart their enemies, and to trick animals into working for them.Right under your feet, and all around you, is a secret world you''ve probably never noticed. Until now. Let''s explore our Green Planet: a secret world of plants that might change how you see plants forever . . .Discover all there is to love about our astonishing Green Planet, the stories of its inhabitants, and the challenges it faces.In collaboration with BBC Earth, this non-fiction book captures the intrigue, drama, and beauty of the groundbreaking new BBC TV series: The Green Planet.© Leisa Stewart-Sharpe 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Brought to you by Puffin.Welcome to Frozen Planet II.Dive under the ice ceiling and learn to swim with the seal pups, take to the skies with frozen flamingos, and settle in for a snooze with a windy walrus.Watch orcas sneak up on bowhead whales while they''re relaxing in the spa, meet a Greenland shark that is easily 250 years old, and witness the polar bears who are finding their food closer and closer to humans.Hold your breath in the frozen forest where wolves play hide-and-seek with bison, and meet the lemmings that outwit an arctic fox by building their home right under her feet, buried deep beneath the snow.Wrap up warm, and discover spine-tingling true stories from our incredible planet.©2023 Leisa Stewart-Sharpe (P)2023 Penguin Audio

If you could travel through time, who would you want to meet?

Lucas Finnigan eats, sleeps and breathes hockey. With his friends Edge, Swift and Crunch, Lucas plays on his hometown’s rink, dreaming of the day when he knows he’ll make the NHL. But lately money has been tight at home, and, after a major growth spurt, Lucas is forced to wear hand-me-down gear that doesn’t quite fit right. Now he’s not sure he’ll ever make it to the Hall of Fame like his hockey heroes.

And that’s not the only problem. With the community arena’s chiller on the fritz, and replacement parts too tough to come by, it looks like Lucas and his friends may be doomed to a season on a plastic rink—or worse, no hockey at all!

But with a magical discovery, and some help from one of hockey''s greatest players (who was a kid once, too!), their final skate might turn into their first great adventure . . .

Practice makes . . . a perfect storm?

The Ice Chips are facing a big hurdle at their hometown rink in Riverton. Their biggest rivals, the Stars, have a major advantage, with better gear and a state-of-the-art arena. Without more ice time, the Chips just can’t keep up. Fortunately, the team has a secret weapon: their magical rink, which allows them to travel through time and meet their hockey heroes, who can teach the young players something new about the game.

Lucas Finnigan and his teammates have been warned that time travel is dangerous, but when they decided to leap again—hoping to find a way to squeeze in some extra practice—they never dreamed that they would land in the middle of a hurricane! Luckily, a major save from a plucky young player gets the Chips out of some extremely troubled water, and soon they’re running drills all over the Halifax Citadel.

But how will these exercises help their hockey playing? And who is this kid anyway? With the help of some of the city’s famous spirits, the players might just make it home ready to compete—and to win.

The Ice Chips have time travel down to a science . . . almost. After Ekamjeet “Edge” Singh misses out on their most recent adventure, he convinces his teammates to take another leap through time. But when their magic goes haywire, a hero from the past finds her way onto the Chips’ hometown rink—and leaves behind a very important trophy!

It’s up to the Ice Chips to return the famous award to its rightful home, before all of hockey history changes forever. It won’t be easy, but if they can get the cup back where it belongs, they might just have the chance to win it for themselves.

The fourth title in the beloved and bestselling Ice Chips series, by acclaimed authors Roy MacGregor and Kerry MacGregor and illustrator Kim Smith, features a vibrant and diverse cast of characters and inspiring hockey greats.

The fifth title in the beloved and bestselling Ice Chips series by acclaimed authors Roy MacGregor and Kerry MacGregor and illustrator Kim Smith, featuring a vibrant and diverse cast of characters and inspiring hockey greats

In their latest adventure, the Chips travel to British Columbia, meet an inspiring young hockey hero and escape up Anahim Peak, thanks to their new friend’s calm head—and a very special puck!

It’s not just humans working to combat global warming. Meet the ecosystem engineers who are improving our planet’s health!

In this unique look at how one animal can make a difference for the planet, Adrienne Mason, a marine biologist, reveals how whales are ecosystem engineers — animals that create, modify or maintain a habitat or ecosystem. Whales do this by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. They store a large amount of carbon in their bodies for decades, even centuries; when they die, they sink to the ocean floor, taking their carbon with them. Whales also deposit nutrients into the ocean that help feed phytoplankton, which, in turn, draw carbon out of the atmosphere and into the ocean during photosynthesis. More carbon in the ocean means less carbon in the atmosphere — all thanks to whales!

Using a highly visual approach and a slow build of concepts, this fascinating book explores how whales play an essential role in maintaining a healthy ocean and, by extension, a healthy and biodiverse planet. Nearly half the book provides information on whales, including types of whales, what they eat and poop and how they migrate. It then moves on to describe the consequences of a warming planet and the ways that whales can help. Kim Smith’s stunning art brings the concepts to life. Part of the Ecosystem Guardians series, this book has strong STEM connections in life and environmental science, with curriculum links to biodiversity, ecosystems, food webs and animal habitats and characteristics. It contains a glossary, resources, information on how children can help and an index.