This book traces the rise of Japan as a military power and the emergence of the United States as a world superpower that found itself drawn into World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

A stirring tale of adventure and tragedy "They brought balls of spun cotton and parrots and javelins and other little things that it would be tiresome to write down, and they gave everything for anything that was given to them. I was attentive and labored to find out if there was any gold." With these portentous words, Christopher Columbus described one of his first encounters with Native Americans on the island of Guanahani, which he had named...

"Christmas Eve, and the Lee family?s reunion is shattered by a deafening crash of furniture and a high-pitched wailing scream. Upstairs, the tyrannical Simeon Lee lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed. When Hercule Poirot offers to assist, he finds an atmosphere not of mourning but of mutual suspicion. It seems everyone had their own reason to hate the old man . . ." -- from publisher's website.

"In 1801, relations between the world's only two republics, the United States and France, were at a low ebb. American merchants had just lost millions of dollars to French privateers in the "Quasi-War" of the late 1790s, and Napoleon was scheming to acquire the Louisiana Territory from Spain and create a "wall of brass" that would halt America's westward expansion. Yet only a few years later, Napoleon agreed to sell Louisiana to the United States...

Describes some of the equipment and activities of astronauts during space flights, in a text that incorporates phonics instruction and rebuses.

Briefly introduces the physical characteristics and behavior of bats, in a text that incorporates phonics instruction.

Text with rebuses invites the reader to look for various animals hidden or camouflaged in the illustrations. Incorporates phonics instruction.

Discusses how peanuts are grown, harvested, and processed into peanut butter in an easy-to-read text that incorporates phonics instruction.

Briefly describes the life cycle of a frog, in a text that incorporates phonics instruction.