Award-winning author Laurence Pringle gives an accurate account of York’s life – before, during, and after the expedition. Using quotations from the expedition’s journals, he tells how York’s skills, strength, and intelligence helped in the day-to-day challenges of the journey. Artists Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu consulted with a Lewis and Clark expert to create thoroughly researched and stunning watercolor paintings of York’s life.

Picked by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the unknown wilds of the Louisiana Territory, Meriwether Lewis assembles a rugged team of adventurers, including co-captain William Clark-and a Newfoundland dog named Seaman. As hunter, retriever, and guard, Seaman becomes a trusted member of the Corps of Discovery. While the team tackles raging rivers and muddy shallows, Seaman is there-sharing their hunger and fatigue. Whether Indians threaten or grizzlies roar, he stands his ground. And through mountain peak or valley deep, Seaman remains a watchful friend and determined foe. Laurence Pringle-one of America’s premier nonfiction writers for young people-has garnered critical acclaim for “turning natural history and science into page-turning reading” (Booklist). Relying on journal accounts, Pringle delivers a dog-centered narrative of the 8,000-mile Lewis and Clark expedition from its harrowing beginning to its triumphant end in 1806. To fill gaps in the historical record, Pringle imagines details of Seaman’s vital role. “. a richly detailed . intriguing . treasure trove of information about the expedition and the dog that was its most unusual participant.”-Library Journal “Full of adventure and excitement, this book contains a wonderful mix of intriguing stories and historical facts.”-Childhood Education

For thousands of years, the notion of dragons has struck fear in the hearts of men and women all over the world. The ancient Egyptians believed there was a dragon of darkness that attacked the sun god each day, and in Norway people thought that a dragon gnawed at the roots of the tree that sustained all life on Earth. Around the globe, dragons have been depicted as everything from massive, winged, fire-breathing creatures to beasts sporting a camel’s head, deer’s horns, rabbit’s eyes, and eagle’s claws! Dragons might hoard treasure in caves, or they might be responsible for floods and the death of livestock. Dragons, in fact, prove as diverse as the many cultures that tell of them. The works of Laurence Pringle have garnered major awards, including the Eva L. Gordon Award for Children’s Science Literature, the Washington Post-Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Prize from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Did you know there are over 400 different species of sharks? Did you know they have been on Earth much longer than humans, and even lived before the dinosaurs? Here you’ll learn all about these fearsome kings of the ocean, including their eating habits and the basics of their anatomy. Sharks come in many sizes, from under a foot long to over 40 feet-and that’s not even counting the long-extinct, 60-foot-long Megalodon shark. And while some have been known to bite people, they are usually quite content to hunt other sea creatures. There are many things we still don’t know about sharks, but this is an excellent jumping-off point to discover more! Winner of the Washington Post/Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award, author Laurence Pringle presents this masterful introduction to one of nature’s most misunderstood, yet exciting, animals. “… [an] inviting introduction to a fascinating array of sharks.”-School Library Journal