Carla Mooney is the author of several books for young readers including The Industrial Revolution: Investigate How Science and Technology Changed the World and Explore Rivers and Ponds!. Her work has also appeared in many magazines including Highlights, Faces, and Learning through History. Megan Stearns is a freelance artist from Long Island, New York. Mainly self-taught, she took a couple of art courses at her alma mater, the University of Virginia. Since graduating, Megan has completed many commissions, including portraits of animals, people, and landscapes; T-shirt designs; and children's book illustrations. Megan's other artistic interests include writing, editing, ballet, and music.
Amazing Africa Projects You Can Build Yourself has been awarded the Gelett Burgess Children's Book Honor for 2011. School Library Journal "This book has an enormous amount of information, covering history, occupations, ethnic groups, daily life, geography, recreation, music, and more. The introduction includes a full-page, labeled map of Africa and the surrounding waters. Each chapter is easy to understand, with just enough facts to give readers a picture of this fascinating continent. "Words to Know" boxes appear in each chapter, resulting in more than 200 highlighted words with definitions. The book includes well-known topics (Nile River, rainforest, savanna, ancient Egypt, etc.) as well as natural wonders, minerals, wildlife, and challenges such as AIDS and hunger. Additional sidebars provide information on beadwork, Kente cloth, Adinkra printing, shantytowns, 2010 World Cup, and more. The 25 projects require easily obtainable materials and can be completed in two to seven steps. All are illustrated with black-and-white drawings. Fascinating trivia further enhances the experience, such as the double meanings of Zulu bead colors, the more than 1000 different languages spoken in Africa, and how in Ethiopia tables are covered with flatbread that diners break apart to wrap around their food. This title will be useful for assignments and/or programming ideas." CALLIOPE Magazine "Amazing Africa by Carla Mooney is chock full of interesting facts, word helps, and sidebars that complement the great variety of activities. Definitely a book you will use as a regular resource. You might also consider its "sibling": Discover the Desert, The Driest Place on Earth by Kathy Ceceri (Nomad, 2010)". Booklist "Casual and informative, this large, attractive, browsable paperback in the Build It Yourself series offers a view of contemporary African life that reaches far beyond the usual scenery-and-wildlife tourists' perspective. Blending history, culture, and tradition with politics and life in both cities and rural areas, the chapters begin with a look at natural wonders and dangerous wildlife that will grab readers, then move onto historical discussions of humankind's birthplace and early civilizations. Views of daily life today show the continent's vast diversity: in a city apartment, a teen might surf the Internet, but most Africans live in smaller, more rural communities, where there may be no electricity or running water. The author also discusses AIDS orphans, many of whom live homeless in the streets of shantytowns. The open design includes sketches on every page. Many readers may skip the craft projects----make your own Maasai beaded necklace, kente cloth, woven basket, galimoto doll, and much more----and go straight to the facts."
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