Brian Floca

Look out your window. The bustling city streets you know are unusually quiet, but they are not completely empty. While most people are staying safely inside their homes, a dedicated group of workers is out and about, ensuring the city keeps humming. Discover the delivery drivers bringing packages to your door, the grocery clerks stocking the shelves with your favorite foods, and the sanitation workers keeping the neighborhoods clean. See the police officers, firefighters, and medical professionals who are always ready to help when you need them most. This beautifully illustrated story shows you exactly how these heroes keep your city running during difficult times. It is a warm, gentle tribute to the everyday people doing extraordinary jobs, reminding you that even when the world feels different, there are always helpers making sure everything is okay.

Before modern technology, how did sailors avoid dangerous rocks and shallow waters where lighthouses could not be built? Step aboard a lightship, a small but incredibly sturdy vessel designed to drop anchor and stay exactly in one spot, no matter how bad the weather gets. Join a dedicated crew, and their brave ship cat, as they live and work on the open ocean. Walk from the bow to the stern, listening to the loud blast of the foghorn and watching the brilliant beam of the ship's massive light pierce through the dark night. Experience the daily routines and thrilling storms faced by these steadfast sailors. This fascinating journey shows you how a relatively small ship held its ground through crashing waves and howling winds, standing as a bright, floating beacon of safety for all the larger ships traveling across the sea.

Travel back in time to the roaring nineteen twenties and join one of the most exciting scientific expeditions in history. Follow the bold explorer Roy Chapman Andrews as he leads a massive team of scientists on a daring journey deep into the uncharted Gobi Desert of Mongolia. Ride along in bumpy motorcars and trek across endless seas of sand in search of something the world has never seen. Watch as the team battles fierce sandstorms, avoids dangerous bandits, and unearths incredible secrets hidden beneath the harsh desert floor for millions of years. This thrilling true story takes you right into the dirt and dust of a major archaeological dig. Discover how these brave explorers uncovered massive fossilized bones and the very first dinosaur eggs ever found, forever changing what we know about the giant creatures that once ruled our planet.

Start your engines and get ready for a high-speed journey from A to Z. Experience the roaring excitement of a full day at the race track, where every letter brings a new thrill, a new machine, and a whole lot of burning fuel. Travel through a century of racing history, starting with the very first clunky automobiles and speeding all the way up to the sleek, lightning-fast cars of today. Follow the drivers as they rev their engines, zip around the sharp curves, and battle for the lead while the massive crowd cheers them on. Filled with loud sound effects, dramatic crashes, and daring maneuvers, this exciting ride puts you right in the middle of the action. Whether you are learning your letters or just love the smell of burning rubber, this colorful adventure captures all the noise and energy of race day from the starting line to the checkered flag.

All aboard for an amazing adventure! Imagine stepping back in time to the summer of 1869, when America’s first transcontinental railroad was brand new. This incredible book invites you to experience what it was like to ride one of these magnificent steam locomotives across the country. You'll discover all the exciting details of this historic journey, from the vast plains to towering mountains and finally to the sparkling ocean. Feel the rumble, hear the powerful hiss of the steam, and watch the world fly by as you travel alongside the crews and families who made this trip. Explore how these mighty trains worked and what it took to keep them moving. Get ready to ride the rails and cross a young country, discovering the incredible story of a journey that changed America forever!

You have packed your bags and rushed to the airport to make sure you are perfectly on time for your flight. As you look out the large terminal window onto the busy tarmac below, you notice five very different trucks driving into position. They are rushing just as fast as you are. Each of these unique, heavy-duty machines has a highly specific job to do before your plane can safely leave the ground. Meet the dedicated drivers who steer the fuel truck, the catering truck, the baggage loader, the lavatory truck, and the powerful pushback tractor. Watch this fascinating mechanical ballet unfold as the vehicles work together in perfect harmony. See exactly how these massive machines load the cargo, pump the jet fuel, and gently push the giant airplane onto the runway, ensuring that your incredible journey through the clouds can finally begin.

Hear the massive roar of the engines and feel the ground shake as an enormous rocket prepares to leave Earth. You are about to join three brave astronauts on the most daring journey in human history: the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. Strap into your seat and experience the incredible launch that shoots the spacecraft into the dark, quiet expanse of outer space. Travel thousands of miles across the starry void until you finally reach the dusty, cratered surface of our closest neighbor. Watch in awe as the first human footprints are pressed into the alien soil. This grand, beautifully illustrated adventure takes you inside the spacecraft and out onto the lunar surface. Discover the teamwork, bravery, and groundbreaking science that turned a wild dream into reality, allowing people to look up at the night sky and know we actually went there.

Princess Cora is completely exhausted from her perfectly planned royal life. Every single day brings the same boring history lessons, the same exhausting laps around the dungeon gymnasium, and three mandatory scrubbing baths. When her parents deny her simple request for a pet dog, Cora decides she has finally had enough. She sends a desperate letter to her fairy godmother, begging for a rescue. However, instead of a magical carriage or a cute puppy, she receives a giant, unpredictable crocodile. This new scaly friend has absolutely no interest in behaving properly. While Cora sneaks away to climb trees, get delightfully muddy, and finally enjoy being a kid, the crocodile takes her place inside the castle. Get ready for a hilarious, chaotic afternoon as this wild reptile turns the royal household upside down and teaches the king and queen a very important lesson about letting children have fun.

Step onto your front porch and look up into the early morning sky. High above the peaceful suburban streets, a massive shadow glides silently through the air. A father red-tailed hawk is already hard at work, scanning the backyards and gardens with incredibly sharp eyes. Follow this fierce and majestic predator through a full day of hunting. Watch as he patiently circles the neighborhood, waiting for the perfect moment to dive down after chipmunks, squirrels, and smaller birds. He is on an important mission to catch enough food to feed his hungry family waiting back in their nest. Experience the thrilling reality of nature happening right in your own backyard. This beautifully illustrated journey reveals the daily survival of wild creatures hiding in plain sight, offering you a breathtaking glimpse into the dramatic and beautiful life of a neighborhood hawk.

Meet Elizabeth, a massive and incredibly stubborn elephant seal who decides to make her home in the unlikeliest of places. Instead of living in the freezing ocean with the rest of her kind, she prefers sunbathing on the warm asphalt roads of Christchurch, New Zealand, right next to the Avon River. While the local citizens adore her, a two thousand pound wild animal blocking traffic is a serious safety hazard. Concerned city workers decide to load Elizabeth onto a boat and tow her far out into the deep sea, hoping she will join another colony of seals. However, Elizabeth has other plans. No matter how many times she is relocated across miles of churning ocean water, she always finds her way back to the city streets she loves. Follow this amazing, true story of a determined sea creature who refuses to let anyone else tell her where she truly belongs.

After taking a fascinating field trip to a sanctuary for retired chimpanzees, third grader Marty McGuire is incredibly inspired. She wants to be just like the famous scientist Jane Goodall and help care for these amazing animals. However, adopting and feeding a chimpanzee costs a lot of money. To raise the necessary funds, Marty and her best friends decide to organize a huge school talent show. To earn even more cash, she opens up a neighborhood pet-sitting business right in her own basement. It seems like the perfect plan, until the cages start filling up with a lazy boa constrictor, an insanely energetic hamster, and a foul-mouthed parrot that refuses to behave. Marty quickly realizes that wrangling a basement full of wild personalities is much harder than she ever imagined. With the talent show approaching and the animals causing absolute chaos, she must figure out a way to regain control before her brilliant charity project completely falls apart.

Can you feel the sudden shift in the air? The wind is picking up, whispering through the trees and bouncing the branches together. Dark clouds are rolling in over the water, signaling that a powerful island storm is about to arrive. Stand alongside two young siblings as they witness the awesome, untamed energy of nature. Before they run inside to take shelter, they want to experience every thrilling second of the incoming weather. Watch as the quiet, gentle afternoon slowly transforms into a roaring display of thunder, lightning, and pouring rain, right before your eyes. This stunning visual journey captures the complete life cycle of a violent thunderstorm, from its quiet beginnings to its dramatic, booming peak, and finally to the calm, muddy aftermath. Discover the breathtaking beauty and raw power of the sky cracking open over a tiny, storm-tossed island.