Octopus's Garden


Book Description

Pop royalty, Ringo Starr, meets picture book A-lister, Ben Cort! Based on the lyrics of the world famous Beatles song, this glorious picture book follows five children on a magical journey through the Octopus's garden. The playful Octopus takes them on a wondrous underwater adventure - riding on the backs of turtles, playing pirates in a sunken city and sheltering from a storm in the octopus's cave. "Beatles fans will lap up the opportunity to introduce children and grandchildren to this picture book version of the song …" Daily Mail "The pictures are superb." The Times "Glorious picture book." Sunderland Echo "Octopus's Garden is a visual delight thanks to Ben Cort's stunning illustrations…The song is so catchy that you'll be singing it long after you've finished the book!" Creative Steps




California's Citrus Heritage


Book Description

Since the first appearance of oranges at the Franciscan missions in the early 19th century, citrus agriculture has been an inextricable part of California's heritage. From the 1870s to the 1960s, oranges and lemons were dominant features of the Southern California landscape. The Washington navel orange, introduced by homesteader Eliza Tibbets at Riverside in the 1870s, precipitated the rise of a citrus belt stretching from Pasadena (in the San Gabriel Valley) to Redlands (in San Bernardino County). Valencia oranges dominated Orange County south of Los Angeles, while lemons thrived in coastal settlements such as Santa Paula. With the arrival of transcontinental railroads in the citrus heartland by the 1880s, Californians had access to markets across the United States. This was followed by the subsequent establishment of an impressive central organization in the form of the California Fruit Growers Exchange, and oranges became the state's most lucrative crop. Observers did not exaggerate when they dubbed the southern portion of the Golden State an orange empire.




The Octopus's Garden


Book Description

Through amazing footage and stunning photographs, this DVD book uncovers the secret underwater world of the octopus, squid, cuttlefish and nautilus. Witness the amazing Day Octopus sprint across the sea floor, just like a jogger on two legs. Come face to face with the Blue-ringed Octopus, one of the world's deadliest creatures. Be hynotised by the Broadclub Cuttlefish with its flashing stripes. Watch the Mimic Octopus change shape in the blink of an eye. See the tiny Striped Pyjama Squid use its super-speedy arms to snare its prey. Come for a wander through The Octopus's Garden, and meet these and many more fascinating creatures.




We'll Paint the Octopus Red


Book Description

Story about Emma whose baby brother has Down Syndrome. Suitable for ages 3-6.




A, B, See the Beatles!


Book Description

Arguably the most influential band in history, the Beatles shaped an era and were the soundtrack of a generation. What better way to celebrate their influence than with a book that can be shared with the youngest generation of all?




Octopus's Garden


Book Description

As Southern California recovered from the collapse of the cattle industry in the 1860s, the arrival of railroads—attacked by newspapers as the greedy “octopus”—and the expansion of citrus agriculture transformed the struggling region into a vast, idealized, and prosperous garden. New groves of the latest citrus varieties and new towns like Riverside quickly grew directly along the tracks of transcontinental railroads. The influx of capital, industrial technology, and workers, especially people of color, energized Southern California and tied it more closely to the economy and culture of the United States than ever before. Benjamin Jenkins’s Octopus’s Garden argues that citrus agriculture and railroads together shaped the economy, landscape, labor systems, and popular image of Southern California. Orange and lemon growing boomed in the 1870s and 1880s while railroads linked the region to markets across North America and ended centuries of geographic isolation for the West Coast. Railroads competed over the shipment of citrus fruits from multiple counties engulfed by the orange empire, resulting in an extensive rail network that generated lucrative returns for grove owners and railroad businessmen in Southern California from the 1890s to the 1950s. While investment from white Americans, particularly wealthy New Englanders, formed the financial backbone of the Octopus’s Garden, citrus and railroads would not have thrived in Southern California without the labor of people of color. Many workers of color took advantage of the commercial developments offered by railroads and citrus to economically advance their families and communities; however, these people also suffered greatly under the constant realities of bodily harm, low wages, and political and social exclusion. Promoters of the railroads and citrus cooperatives touted California as paradise for white Americans and minimized the roles of non-white laborers by stereotyping them in advertisements and publications. These practices fostered conceptions of California’s racial hierarchy by praising privileged whites and maligning the workers who made them prosper. The Octopus’s Garden continues to shape Southern Californians’ understanding of their past. In bringing together multiple storylines, Jenkins provides a complex and fresh perspective on the impact of citrus agriculturalists and railroad companies in Southern Californian history.




Grandude's Green Submarine


Book Description

Celebrate the fun that grandparents and grandkids can get up to in this action-packed undersea adventure—a companion picture book to Paul McCartney’s #1 New York Times bestseller Hey Grandude. Grandude’s inventions are the stuff of legend, and his new green submarine doesn’t disappoint. In fact, it flies as well as submerges! Grandude whisks the grandkids off on another adventure, but he and the Chillers soon find themselves in a pickle. Suddenly, it’s Nandude to the rescue! Nandude is an explorer as courageous as Grandude, with an amazing accordion-ship to boot! Between Grandude’s magic compass and Nandude’s magical music, everyone arrives home safely. But not before enjoying a parade, dancing rainforest animals, and a narrow escape from a grabby octopus. This tale is perfect for little explorers and Paul McCartney fans alike! Artist Kathryn Durst returns with glorious, humor-filled illustrations that are as beautiful as ever.




Octopus!


Book Description

“A pleasant, chatty book on a fascinating subject.” — Kirkus Reviews Octopuses have been captivating humans for as long as we have been catching them. Yet for all of our ancient fascination and modern research, we still have not been able to get a firm grasp on these enigmatic creatures. Katherine Harmon Courage dives into the mystifying underwater world of the octopus and reports on her research around the world. She reveals, for instance, that the oldest known octopus lived before the first dinosaurs; that two thirds of an octopus’s brain capacity is spread throughout its arms, meaning each literally has a mind of its own; and that it can change colors within milliseconds to camouflage itself, yet appears to be colorblind.




Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life


Book Description

BBC R4 Book of the Week ‘Brilliant’ Guardian ‘Fascinating and often delightful’ The Times What if intelligent life on Earth evolved not once, but twice? The octopus is the closest we will come to meeting an intelligent alien. What can we learn from the encounter?




Octopus Escapes Again!


Book Description

Inspire the future marine biologist in your life with this beautifully illustrated picture book about the octopus! The perfect read-aloud for kids and adults, kids can follow along with the story of the brave octopus while parents can choose to read the fascinating, true facts italicized on each page. Backmatter includes real octopus facts, activities for kids, teachers and parents, and more! Swim along with Octopus as she leaves the safety of her den to search for food. Will she eat? Or will she be eaten? Octopus is very hungry, but so many animals in the ocean are trying to eat her! Follow along as she is able to outwit multiple dangerous enemies (including sharks, turtles, and eels) by using a dazzling display of defenses: Clouds of ink Jet propulsion Camouflage And more! Backmatter Includes: Explore More for Kids: an anatomy map of all of the parts of an octopus, and descriptions of all the ocean animals in the book Explore More for Teachers & Parents: more detailed information on the anatomy of an octopus, a reading comprehension exercise, information and an activity on the ocean food chain, information on Octopus-inspired Engineering Design (biomimicry), and more!