Where Is? – serie

The Emperor Titus opened the enormous Colosseum in AD 80 to host 100 days of games and it will astound readers to learn what the ancient Romans found entertaining. Over 50,000 screaming fans watched gladiators battling each other to the death, men fighting exotic wild beasts, and even mock sea battles with warships floating on an arena floor flooded with water. By AD 476 the Roman Empire had fallen, and yet the ruins of the Colosseum remain a world-famous landmark of an unforgettable time.

Learn about the White House, how it came to be, the changes it has experienced since its initial design, and more in this detailed history for young readers, part of the beloved Where Is? series. The perfect way to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary!The history of the White House, first completed in 1799, reflects the history of America itself. It was the dream of George Washington to have an elegant "presidential mansion" in the capital city that was named after him. Yet he is the only US president who never got to live there! All the others have made their mark on the house at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. In this detailed account of the nation’s most well-known residence, young historians will get an intriguing glimpse into the White House’s initial construction, the renovations it has undergone, the capital city of Washington, D.C., and the lives of the First Families who have called this landmark building “home.”.

More than two thousand years ago, with his land under constant attack from nomads, the First Emperor of China came up with a simple solution: build a wall to keep out enemies. It was a wall that kept growing and growing. But its construction came at a huge cost: it is believed that more than a million Chinese died building it, earning the wall its nickname--the longest cemetery on earth. Through the story of the wall, Patricia Brennan Demuth is able to tell the story of China itself, the rise and fall of dynasties, the greatness of its culture, and its present-day status as a Communist world power.

The Great Pyramids of Egypt - all kids over the age of five recognise them instantly. These massive tombs were built thousands of years ago, and still no one knows exactly how the ancient Egyptians did it! In this informative account, Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler tell the story of the powerful pharaohs who commissioned the pyramids at Giza and offer a fascinating look at the culture of the afterlife in ancient Egypt, explaining exactly how mummies were made. Easy to read and scrupulously researched, this explores the mysteries that have attracted countless visitors to the pyramids for centuries.

Where is Stonehenge? That's an easy question to answer. It sits on the Salisbury Plain in Southern England. But what is the meaning of these strange circles of stones? Was Stonehenge a religious site to honour the dead? Or a sacred place of healing? Or perhaps an astrological calendar? These are much harder questions to answer. However, in an engaging and easy-to-read account, True Kelley puts forth all theories - past as well as current ones about Stonehenge and the people who four thousand years ago managed to build this amazing monument.

In this Where Is? title, kids can explore the Great Barrier Reef—big enough to be seen from space but made up of billions of tiny living organisms.The Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Australia, is the world's largest coral reef system. Stretching more than 1,400 miles, it provides a home to a wide diversity of creatures. Designated a World Heritage Site, the reef is suffering from the effects of climate change but this fascinating book shows this spectacular part of our planet.

Escape from the ordinary and break into Alcatraz, America's most famous prison!The island of Alcatraz has always been a place that's fascinated visitors, from the Native American tribes who believed it was home to evil spirits to the Spanish explorers who discovered the island. In modern times, it was a federal prison for only 29 years, but now draws over a million visitors each year. Learn the history of America's most famous prison, from its initial construction as a fort in the 1800s, to its most famous residents such as Al Capone and "Machine Gun" Kelly. Where Is Alcatraz? also chronicles some of the most exciting escape attempts—even one that involved chipping through stone with spoons and constructing rafts out of raincoats!

Discover the ruins of the Parthenon, one of the most famous and beautiful places in the world!     Athens, Greece, is best known for the Parthenon, the ruins of an ancient temple completed in 438 BC to honor the goddess Athena. But what many people don't know is that it only served as a temple for a couple hundred years. It then became a church, then a mosque, and by the end of the 1600s served as a storehouse for munitions. When an enemy army fired hundreds of cannon balls at the Acropolis, one directly hit the Parthenon. Much of the sculpture was destroyed, three hundred people died, and the site fell into ruin. Today, visitors continue to flock to this world famous landmark, which has become a symbol for Ancient Greece, democracy, and modern civilization. Includes black-and-white illustrations and a foldout color map!

When the plans for the Eiffel Tower were first announced, many people hated the design of the future landmark, calling it ungainly and out of step with the beautiful stone buildings of the city. But once it went up for the World's Fair in 1889, the people of Paris quickly fell in love with the tower. Today it seems impossible to imagine Paris without the Eiffel Tower, which greets millions of visitors each year who climb up its wrought-iron stairs, ride its glass elevators, and enjoy the wonderful views of the city spread out below it.

The Galapagos Islands are a chain of volcanic islands located on either side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean. The isolated location of the islands has allowed a vast number of species to develop that are original to each island, such as the blue-footed booby, the marine iguana, and of course, the giant Galapagos tortoise, which may live to be over one hundred years old. Studied by Charles Darwin during his historic voyage on the HMS Beagle, the island life contributed to his groundbreaking theory of evolution. Today the islands area popular tourist destination and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

In 1964, when Walt Disney and his brother Roy decided to build a second theme park in the Florida swamplands, they kept it super hush-hush. Why? Well, if word got out that they planned to buy up lots of land, the price would have skyrocketed. So the Disneys cleverly covered up their trail, avoiding the Orlando airport and even using made-up names, like Walt and Roy Davis, for their flights. The deception worked. In covering the history of the “Most Magical Place On Earth,” Joan Holub takes readers both behind the scenes and underneath the park (there are secret employee-only tunnels that form one big circle under the Magic Kingdom). Loaded with fun facts, this book is a great companion to Who Was Walt Disney?

Running through six countries in the middle of Africa, the Congo Basin contains some of the largest tropical rain forests in the world. Dealing with present-day issues of climate change, it is home to bonobo apes, mountain gorillas, forest elephants, and more.With details about the exploration (and exploitation) by the European colonialists and the aftermath of their arrival in the Congo, this book will give readers a better understanding of the second largest rain forest in the world.

It might seem lonely at the top of the world, but the North Pole is teeming with life! Polar bears, walruses, and arctic seals make their home on sea ice that can be nine feet thick while the Inuit and other indigenous peoples continue their traditions and means for survival in this harsh climate. Along with the early twentieth-century story of Robert Peary’s egomaniacal quest to reach the exact spot of the North Pole, this is an exciting new addition to the Where Is? series.

Young armchair adventurers can travel to the topmost point on the globe and learn all about the vast region surrounding the North Pole.From the #1 New York Times Best-Selling Who Was? series comes Where Is?, a series that tells the stories of world-famous landmarks and natural wonders and features a fold-out map!It might seem lonely at the top of the world, but the North Pole is teeming with life! Polar bears, walruses, and arctic seals make their home on sea ice that can be nine feet thick while the Inuit and other indigenous peoples continue their traditions and means for survival in this harsh climate. Along with the early twentieth-century story of Robert Peary’s egomaniacal quest to reach the exact spot of the North Pole, this is an exciting new addition to the Where Is? series.

Explore the most amazing wonders of the ancient world!More than 2,000 years ago, travelers wrote about the incredible sights they saw while on their journeys. They told tales of hanging gardens that were built for a Babylonian queen, and a colossal statue that guided ships through the harbor of Rhodes in Greece. These writers compiled a list of the very best of these sights that are now known as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Author Yona Zeldis McDonough takes the readers on a trip to the Lighthouse of Alexandria and the Great Pyramids in Egypt (the only Wonder still standing), the Statue of Zeus at Olympia and the Colossus of Rhodes in ancient Greece, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and the Temple of Artemis, detailing the creativity and skill that these early civilizations possessed.

Although it’s known more as an important tourist attraction today, the city of Chichen Itza was a powerful religious, political, scientific, and artistic center of the Maya people.Readers will learn about how Chichen Itza began and what happened to cause the downfall of a great society. The book also provides details about the culture of the Maya of Chichen Itza and the stunning architecture they built like the El Castillo pyramid, the Temple of the Warriors, and the massive ball court that was used for games and rituals.

Calling all stargazers, this addition to the New York Times bestselling series is sure to be the perfect book for you!From the #1 New York Times Best-Selling Who Was? series comes Where Is?, a series that tells the stories of world-famous landmarks and natural wonders and features a fold-out map!Ancient people from many different cultures--Greek, Roman, Mezo-American, Arab--all looked up and imagined pictures in the sky by "drawing" a line from one star to another, like a connect-the-dots puzzle. These star pictures--constellations--represented myths and legends from the various cultures that still fascinate us today.Author of the tremendously popular Where Is Our Solar System? Stephanie Sabol relates many of the most popular constellation stories and explains what stars actually are: how they formed, why they die, and how they're grouped into constellation families.

Imagine over three million square miles of sand dunes that are as tall as a ten-story building. That place is real -- it's the Sahara Desert! Vast, yes! And home to fascinating creatures such as ostriches and fennec foxes as well as amazing plant life. The shallow roots of the mesquite tree can grow almost 200 feet across to absorb water. Readers will also learn about the famous trade routes of the past with caravans of up to 10,000 camels, European explorers to the region (some very unlucky ones), and native populations like the Berber and Tuareg, the faces of the men are blue from the dye in the veils they always wear.

In 2005, a group of construction workers in Jerusalem made an incredible discovery. Underneath the parking lot they were digging up lay an ancient city that was built in the tenth century! Three years later, gold coins from an even earlier century were found at the site. The city of Jerusalem is like a layer cake of history - more than five thousand years of complicated history - all of which author Ellen Morgan explains clearly and objectively in this illustrated book.

Established in 1857 as the first national park in the United States, Yellowstone has been drawing visitors to its beautiful landscape for over 150 years. Before it became a national park, the region was home to Native Americans for over 11,000 years, including the Shoshone, Lakota, Crow, Blackfoot, Flathead, Bannok, and Nez Perce tribes. Today, tourists come to the park from all over the world to camp and to visit the famous Old Faithful geyser and the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest super volcano in North America. The many animals that live in Yellowstone include bison, black and grizzly bears, elk, wolves, and more than three hundred species of birds. Yellowstone is so large that it has land in three different states -- Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Learn the rich history of one of America's most beloved national parks in this book perfect for young explorers.

Learn about Tornado Alley, the area in the United States where tornadoes are most frequently formed and often cause the most damage.Robert Miller and Ernest Fawbush coined the term "Tornado Alley" after studying the pattern of tornadoes that occurred around Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. They determined that the highest number of tornadoes in the United States took place across states such as Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. In this exciting new book, readers will learn about the history of Tornado Alley, other weather phenomena in the area, and what you can do when there is a tornado headed your way. The book also reveals how tornadoes are formed, how storm chasers do their work, and how they help researchers predict new tornado patterns.