Nature Biography

Travel back to the late 1800s to learn more about the true adventures of Luella Agnes Owen, a female pioneer in the study of caves. Luella had to overcome many obstacles to reach her goal of becoming a scientist, but she succeeded. She became one of the world's leading authorities on caves at a time when such a career was unusual for a woman.

World-famous zoologist Dian Fossey is remembered for her inspiring work studying the mountain gorillas of central Africa’s isolated Virunga Mountains. Her tireless devotion to understanding - and actively protecting - these shy and gentle primates introduced them to an admiring public and promoted values of conservation in the African nations they inhabit. In 1966, Dian Fossey left home for Africa to conduct field research on mountain gorillas. It was her second trip to Africa, but it wouldn’t be her last.

Meg Lowman was always fascinated by the natural world above her head—the colors, the branches, and, most of all, the leaves and mysterious organisms living there. Meg set out to climb up and investigate the rain forest tree canopies—and to be the first scientist to do so. But she encountered challenge after challenge. Male teachers would not let her into their classrooms, the high canopy was difficult to get to, and worst of all, people were logging and clearing the forests. Meg never gave up or gave in.

Sie war selbst eine elegante Frau - und tat viel dafür, dass ihre Geschlechtsgenossinnen in aller Welt sich sehen lassen konnten: Ida Rosenthal war davon überzeugt, Emanzipation und ein sichtlich voller Busen müssten zu vereinbaren sein. In den 1920ern entwickelte sie die Vorform des Büstenhalters: ein Modell mit zwei "cups" = Körbchen, die durch einen Steg verbunden und in das Vorderteil eines Kleides einzuarbeiten waren. Es sollte dreierlei leisten: formen, stützen und - teilen.

Daniel Graves is a man of many talents. He juggles his responsibilities of being a painter, a teacher, the director of The Florence Academy of Art, a husband, and a father remarkably well. He knew from the age of three or four who he wanted to be. His career launched when he was 11 years old. He studied with many artists including Richard Lack, Richard Serrin, and Signorina Simi, and received regular critiques from Pietro Annigoni.

In 1818, Jeannette Power, a young French woman moved to Sicily and fell in love with the Mediterranean Sea and the Argonauta Argo octopus, the weirdest octopus on Earth. At the time, though, the only way to study a marine animal was if it was dead on land. That wasn’t good enough. Jeannette wanted to study this creature alive. She had many questions: did it create its own shell, how did it reproduce, what did it eat, and did it know she was watching? She knew that careful observation was the only way to answer her questions.

In "The Green Arch," mountaineer and author John Long offers vivid descriptions of ascending the west face of Tahquitz Rock—a granite, 8,846-foot-tall rock formation located on the high western slope of the San Jacinto mountain range in Southern California—as a teenager with his childhood climbing friends.

Let me introduce you to my beloved cat Habibi. She came into our lives when she was six weeks old. She lived a fulfilling and happy life of 20 years. She was given to my daughter for her fifth birthday. She brought so much light and love into our lives. She left so many memories for us that have been so hilarious, that I have to share with others.

Sloths spend most of their lives in trees, and until recently, scientists didn’t know very much about them. But Dr. Rebecca Cliffe was determined to discover their secrets. To find out more, she fitted sloths with special backpacks containing a device to track their activity. She learned how to climb trees in the Costa Rican jungle so she could take sloth hair samples and test their DNA. And she’s helped create sloth crossings and plant trees to ensure the sloths aren’t trapped in shrinking territories. Along the way, she earned the nickname Dr. Sloth.

When Tantoh Nforba was a child, his fellow students mocked him for his interest in gardening. Today he's an environmental hero, bringing clean water and bountiful gardens to the central African nation of Cameroon. Authors Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul share Farmer Tantoh's inspiring story.

The author of the Mutts comic strip and several best-selling children’s books, Patrick McDonnell has been hailed as the next Charles Schulz. In his characteristic heartwarming style, McDonnell tells the story of the young Jane Goodall and her special childhood toy chimpanzee, Jubilee. With anecdotes from Goodall’s autobiography, McDonnell makes this true story accessible for the very young - and young at heart.

An astonishing memoir of love's enduring power, resilience and transformation, If Only Love is a celebration of the timeless connection between two souls—a real-life love story for the ages. In 1973, a seventeen-year-old Canadian girl meets an American boy on her first day of school in Japan...

This is the true story of a beautiful Great Pyrenees named Jasper, who was swept away by the Columbia River, the most powerful river in North America. This stunning, remarkable story captured the hearts and minds of people across North America.

Alaa loves Aleppo, but when war comes his neighbors flee to safety, leaving their many pets behind. Alaa decides to stay—he can make a difference by driving an ambulance, carrying the sick and wounded to safety. One day he hears hungry cats calling out to him on his way home. They are lonely and scared, just like him. He feeds and pets them to let them know they are loved. The next day more cats come, and then even more! There are too many for Alaa to take care of on his own. Alaa has a big heart, but he will need help from others if he wants to keep all of his new friends safe.

The fascinating Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is remembered for her self-portraits, her dramatic works featuring bold and vibrant colors. Her work brought attention to Mexican and indigenous culture, and she is also renowned for her works celebrating the female form. Brown's story recounts Frida's beloved pets - two monkeys, a parrot, three dogs, two turkeys, an eagle, a black cat, and a fawn - and playfully considers how Frida embodied many wonderful characteristics of each animal.

From the team that created the ALA Notable Book The Cod's Tale comes the fascinating history of salt, which has been the object of wars and revolutions and is vital for life. Based on Mark Kurlansky's critically acclaimed best seller Salt: A World History, this handsome picture book explores every aspect of salt: The many ways it's gathered from the Earth and sea; how ancient emperors in China, Egypt, and Rome used it to keep their subjects happy; why salt was key to the Age of Exploration; what salt meant to the American Revolution; and even how the search for salt eventually led to oil.

Emily Arnold McCully won a Caldecott Medal for her book Mirette on the High Wire. In Wonder Horse, McCully crafts a charming tale based on the true story of Doc Key and his remarkable horse, Jim. When Doc Key decides to breed a racehorse, what he gets is a foal with weak legs yet an unusually sharp mind. So Doc decides to teach his horse some new tricks - including reading and writing.

Young Abe Lincoln is all dressed up in his best suit and on his way to deliver an important speech. As he walks along, he finds a pig stuck in a mudhole. Abe hates to see any animal suffer. If he helps the pig, his clothes will get muddy. What would people think of a mud-covered speaker? Abe doesn’t want to leave the pig stranded, but he has no other nice clothes to wear. So, he continues down the road toward town, feeling guilty. He knows a pig isn’t a person, yet it still seems wrong not to help.

Peter, the naughty rabbit, helps himself to the crops from Mr. MacGregor's garden, to the dismay of all.

Pocket Change Collective is a series of small books with big ideas from today's leading activists and artists. In this installment, Earth Guardians Youth Director and hip-hop artist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez shows us how his music feeds his environmental activism and vice versa. Martinez visualizes a future that allows us to direct our anger, fear, and passion toward creating change. Because, at the end of the day, we all have a part to play.