How the World Works

Explore the history and development of the television and find out how a television works. Learn about the inventors who helped influence the invention of the television.

Explore the history and development of the telephone and find out how a telephone works. Learn about the inventors who helped influence the invention of the telephone.

From the cars people drive to the phones in their pockets, computers are found everywhere in our world, and they're becoming smarter. But what makes a computer program intelligent? How can some programs beat humans at chess or trivia games? Can computers...

Spend a day and night in the rain forest! Learn about this lush habitat through the diverse animals that call it home. Start the morning suspended high in the canopy with a colorful toucan. Curl around a branch and bask in afternoon sun with an emerald...

Does life exist somewhere other than Earth? How many planets are outside our galaxy? What happens when stars crash into each other? For a long time, people believed Earth was the only planet in the galaxy. Now we know the universe is much bigger. Budding...

Sounds can be loud. Sounds can be soft. We use our ears to hear all kinds of sounds. But how is sound made? Let's investigate to find out about sound!

You push your friend while they swing. You pull open a door. What happens when you push or pull an object? Let's investigate pushing and pulling forces!

Scientists put things into groups so they are easier to study. Materials have different properties. What are they, and how they are grouped? Let's investigate materials!

Weather includes all the conditions in the air around us. Snow, rain, sleet, and hail are all forms of weather. So is the temperature of the air and the amount of moisture in it. Learn all about weather, including how and why it changes from place to...

Some climates are dry and some are wet. Some are cold and some are warm. But those words can describe weather too. Learn the difference between weather and climate. Find out how landforms and location can influence weather patterns.

It's a full home under the leaves of a forest! From spiders and frogs to deer and bears, the temperate forest biome has just the right shelter and weather for a large variety of plants and animals. Learn about the geography and resources of the temperate...

Did you know that Antarctica is the largest desert in the world? It receives so little rain or snow that it is almost as dry as the Sahara! Whether cold, hot, or somewhere in between, a third of Earth's land is part of the desert biome. Learn about the...

Magma, wind, and water form different rocks in different ways. Read beneath the cracks to learn about the rock cycle and how people affect it.

This book pack of 90 titles supports How The World Works by exploring scientific principles, technology and the natural world. Together, these fiction and non-fiction books help to foster inquiry, critical thinking, and an understanding of the natural...

Wildfires rip through forests, choke the air with smoke, and destroy homes. Some wildfires are sparked by nature. Others are started by humans. All come with devastating results. Readers will find out the science behind wildfires, learn about recent...

People, plants, and animals all need rain. But the ground can take in only so much. Too much, and the land will flood. Farms and cities can be damaged. People must move to dry ground until, slowly, the water soaks into the earth. Learn about floods, what...

The ground shakes. A road splits apart. Buildings collapse. It's an earthquake! Discover how movement deep below Earth's surface can cause such damage. Learn about earthquakes, what causes them, and how to stay safe if one happens.

Dry land. Thirsty plants. When rains don't come, droughts happen. Desert, forest, or prairies, droughts can happen anywhere. Discover how small shifts in rain amounts can cause big changes to the land. Learn about droughts, what causes them, and how...

Biomes are home to unique animals and plants. Give beginning readers an introductory look at the Amazon rain forest! Readers will get an up-close look at the characteristics of the land and weather and how monkeys, parrots, anacondas, sloths, and other...

Biomes are home to unique animals and plants. Introduce beginning readers to the African Savanna biome! Readers will get an up-close look at the characteristics of the land and weather and how zebras, lions, giraffes, and other animals have adapted to...

Birds chirp. A dog barks. Thunder claps. We hear sounds all around us. But how? Sound waves travel through the air, but we don't see them. With engaging, at-level text and colorful images, readers will learn about sound waves and how we use them every...

You see your shadow outside on a sunny day. A rainbow appears in the sky after a storm. Light waves are all around us, even when it's dark. With engaging, at-level text and colorful images, readers will learn about light waves and how we use them every...

Lava shoots into the air, then bubbles down mountains, flattening, burning, and boiling everything in its path. The destructive forces of volcanoes are terrifying and well-known. But what about their other forces? Volcanoes can spur new growth of plants...

Have you ever heard of a mammal that lays eggs? What about a mammal that can give birth to 50 babies at once? Young readers learn all about echidnas, Tasmanian devils, and other mammals with unusual life cycles.

Have you ever heard of a frog that freezes solid in winter? What about a toad that carries its eggs on its back? Young readers will learn all about wood frogs, suriname toads, and other amphibians with unusual life cycles.

How did Earth form? Where did all the water come from? How did Earth's plates begin to shift? When it comes to our planet, there are a whole lot of questions we're still trying to answer. Get ready to explore the unknown and discover how scientists are...

The human body is amazing. Your blood makes up about 8% of your body weight. On average, your heart will beat more than 3 billion times in your lifetime! Doctors and scientists make choices every day about how to keep our bodies going. But what would you...

From mending fences to seedlings and combines, life on the farm changes from season to season. Discover what farmers do in winter. Learn how crops are harvested in fall. Real-life photographs follow the seasons and capture the beauty of a year on the...