Popsicles, potato chips, Silly Putty, Velcro, and many other familiar things have fascinating stories behind them. In fact, dozens of products and everyday items had surprisingly haphazard beginnings. Mistakes That Worked offers forty of these unusual tales, along with hilarious cartoons and weird and amazing facts. Readers will be surprised and inspired!

The author provides insight into scientists’ quest to discover whether life may have or still might exist on Mars. Back matter includes glossary, source notes, and resources.

Part comic strip and part science experiment, Howtoons shows children how to find imaginative new uses for common household items like soda bottles, duct tape, mop buckets, and more-to teach kids the “Tools of Mass Construction”!

Howtoons are cartoons that teach 8- to 15-year-old readers “how to” build, create, and explore things. Combining a fun, full-color cartoon format and real life science and engineering principles, Howtoons are designed to encourage kids to become active participants in the world around them.

Readers meet Tucker and Celine, a lovable brother and sister pair. Sick of watching TV and playing video games, Tucker and Celine decide to conquer every kid’s nightmare: the dreaded summer o’ boredom. Armed with countless ideas for fun projects, they set out to reclaim the sheer joy of playing. Fifteen practical, build-it-yourself projects are weaved into the Tucker and Celine storyline. With the narrators’ help and clear step-by-step instructions, young readers will learn how to set up a workshop, create a marshmallow shooting gun, make ice cream without a freezer, play songs on a turkey baster flute, explore a homemade terrarium, launch a pressure-powered rocket, and more!

Utilizing inexpensive, kid-friendly materials, Howtoons will prove that the world at large is infinitely more exciting than anything happening on the TV or computer screen. Plus, each project will provide readers with practical skills and problem solving know-how that they can use in their everyday lives. These funny, interactive Howtoons are sure to inspire independence and creative savvy in young people everywhere.

Packed with superb color illustrations and fascinating facts, this highly informative guide explores all aspects of technology, from ancient artifacts to the latest advances in computer-aided design. Clearly annotated photographs and diagrams give an invaluable insight into the tools, machines, and systems that have shaped the modern world. See how the strength of different materials is measured, the structure of a suspension bridge, how keyhole surgery works, what astronauts eat in space, and how milk bottles have changed shape. Learn which materials pull and which ones push, how engines convert heat into work, how an airplane flies, how instant coffee is created, and how a ring-pull is made. Discover why glass is a liquid, the difference between inventors and designers, what a CD is made from — and how a CD player works, how science can help protect threatened plant species, and much, much more.