Learningisland: 800 books

Dolphins are mammals that live in the ocean. They have smooth, gray skin. Their skin feels like rubber. The dolphin's mouth is filled with rows and rows of sharp teeth. They are made for tearing off pieces of meat. Dolphins come in different colors. Most of them are gray, but there are also dolphins...

McMurdo Dry Valleys, in Antarctica, is one of the world’s cruelest deserts. You may think that a desert is a hot, dry place, full of sand. Science defines a desert as a place that has less than 10 inches (254 millimetres) of rainfall per year. Antarctica has none. Even if the snow that falls on...

Comets often streak across the night sky. They are fascinating flashes of light, but how much do we really know about them? Here are some things that scientists do know. Find out: What the name comet means. How comets are named. When the earliest comets were recorded. How scientists predict when a...

Stonehenge has been surrounded by mystery and wonder. There have always been questions about where these massive stones came from. How did they get there? Do they hail from a magical world of giants and wizards, or are they manmade? And then there's the most important question: what is their purpose? Many...

What two things does a polar bear like to do most of all? What is a polar bear's favorite food? How much does a baby polar bear weigh when it's born? How much does an adult polar bear weigh? Are polar bear babies born with fur? Learn the answers to these questions, and more. Find out what a...

It happened in 1887, in the south of France. A now unknown man was exploring the hills near the town of Saint-Gaudens. He was only 25 miles (40 km) from the border of Spain, in an area with lots of caves nestled into the soft rock and steep cliffs. Suddenly he came upon an opening in the rock. He...

Hippos are giant animals that live in Africa. How much do you know about these huge beasts? Do you know: Are there such things as hippos that like to surf on the waves? What does a hippo like to eat? Can a hippo get sunburned? Do hippos really sweat blood? Find out what a hippo looks...

The morning of June 18, 1983, was an important date for women. On that day, Sally Ride became the first American woman to fly in space. At age 32, she was also the youngest to orbit the Earth. This historic flight took Sally and four men on a six-day trip in the space shuttle Challenger. Find...

It happened on March 29, 1848. The people of the town of Niagara Falls awoke to a near deafening silence. The silence wasn’t complete. They could hear a few birds twittering in the trees overhead. There were a few dogs barking. But otherwise there was silence. This was strange because the people...

This book is a shortened version of our popular “Sea Horses: Tiny Horses of the Sea” and is intended for beginning readers. With only 609 easy to read words, young children can experience for themselves the joy of learning about the sea horse. They will find out the answers to these questions: What...

An alligator is an animal that looks a lot like a huge lizard. Alligators have thick, hard skin across the entire top of their body. This skin is greenish brown in color. It is covered with bony plates called scutes. These scutes help protect the alligator just like a turtle's shell protects the turtle. The...

On the first day of 1752, a new baby was born. Her parents were Samuel and Rebecca Griscom. They named their baby Elizabeth, but soon everyone called her Betsy. Betsy grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her father worked as a carpenter. He helped to build many buildings. He helped build the Carpenters...

You have seen them on your thanksgiving table, but what do you know about turkeys? OK, I don't mean that they taste good. What do you know about their lives? Turkeys might surprise you, especially the wild ones. Let me tell you about them. There are two main kinds of turkeys, wild turkeys and tame...

Have you ever seen a ray? Sting rays, manta rays, and devil rays are all cousins who live in the ocean. How much do you know about these strange winged creatures? Do you know: What do rays eat? What is a mermaid’s purse? What do a ray’s teeth look like? How big is the largest ray? Find...