A Science News Best Science Book of the Year: “A brilliant, fun, and scientifically deep stroll through history, anatomy, and evolution.” —Agustín Fuentes, PhD, author of The Creative Spark: How Imagination Made Humans Exceptional Winner of the W.W. Howells Book Prize from the American Anthropological Association Blending history, science, and culture, this highly engaging evolutionary story explores how walking on two legs allowed humans to become the planet’s dominant species. Humans are the only mammals to walk on two rather than four legs—a locomotion known as bipedalism. We strive to be upstanding citizens, honor those who stand tall and proud, and take a stand against injustices. We follow in each other’s footsteps and celebrate a child’s beginning to walk. But why, and how, exactly, did we take our first steps? And at what cost? Bipedalism has its drawbacks: giving birth is more difficult and dangerous; our running speed is much slower than other animals; and we suffer a variety of ailments, from hernias to sinus problems. In First Steps, paleoanthropologist Jeremy DeSilva explores how unusual and extraordinary this seemingly ordinary ability is. A seven-million-year journey to the very origins of the human lineage, this book shows how upright walking was a gateway to many of the other attributes that make us human—from our technological abilities to our thirst for exploration and our use of language—and may have laid the foundation for our species’ traits of compassion, empathy, and altruism. Moving from developmental psychology labs to ancient fossil sites throughout Africa and Eurasia, DeSilva brings to life our adventure walking on two legs. Includes photographs “A book that strides confidently across this complex terrain, laying out what we know about how walking works, who started doing it, and when.” —The New York Times Book Review “DeSilva makes a solid scientific case with an expert history of human and ape evolution.” —Kirkus Reviews “A brisk jaunt through the history of bipedalism . . . will leave readers both informed and uplifted.” —Publishers Weekly “Breezy popular science at its best.” —Science News

A major aspect of mathematical training and its benefit to society is the ability to use logic to solve problems. The American Mathematics Competitions have been given for more than fifty years to millions of students. This book considers the basic ideas behind the solutions to the majority of these problems, and presents examples and exercises from past exams to illustrate the concepts. Anyone preparing for the Mathematical Olympiads will find many useful ideas here, but people generally interested in logical problem solving should also find the problems and their solutions stimulating. The book can be used either for self-study or as topic-oriented material and samples of problems for practice exams. Useful reading for anyone who enjoys solving mathematical problems, and equally valuable for educators or parents who have children with mathematical interest and ability.

Interested in preschool inclusion, but not sure where to start? This introductory guide gathers everything you need to know to launch a successful inclusive early childhood program--and get critical buy-in from your whole staff. A must for leaders of early childhood programs, this reader-friendly primer reveals how inclusive education benefits all children, how school staff and parents can work as a team to make it happen, and how to knock down common barriers to inclusion. Combining the latest research with the nuts and bolts of program development, this book will help current and future early childhood leaders assemble highly effective inclusion teams and develop programs where every child learns and thrives. READ THIS BOOK TO Understand what inclusion is and what it looks like in practice Assess your program's readiness for inclusion Determine what your program needs to make inclusion work Learn which federal laws support inclusion in different early childhood settings Collaborate with staff and parents to develop and sustain key program changes Break through the myths and misinformation that create resistance to inclusion PRACTICAL FEATURES: Quick tips, vignettes, reflection activities, FYIs, and helpful resource lists make this an ideal preservice text and a practical team-building tool for inservice professional development. A featured book in our Successful Early Childhood Inclusion Kit! See how this product helps strengthen Head Start program quality and school readiness.

This collection of songs includes music from diverse cultures and experiences, on themes from family, animals, flowers, food, and more. Organized by geographical region, Howard provides the context and guidance--including references to recordings. She further organizes the songs based on First Steps activity categories: Fragment Singing, Simple Songs, Movement for Form and Expression, Movement with the Beat, and Songtales.

Understand the basic concepts behind following Jesus in the modern world.

Intended for beginning interpreters, this book approaches seismic interpretation via synthesis of concepts and practical applications rather than through formal treatment of basic physics and geology. Based on the author's personal experience as a seismic interpreter, it is organised along the lines of notes from classes he designs and teaches.

A little boy fills his sound box with words beginning with the letter "a."

The First Steps in Seeing is about the eyes, and how they capture an image and convert it to the neural messages that ultimately result in visual experience. A full appreciation of how the eyes work is rooted in diverse areas of science-optics; biochemistry and photochemistry; molecular biology, cell biology, neurobiology, and evolutionary biology; psychology and psychophysics. The findings related to vision from any one of these fields are not difficult to understand in themselves, but, in order to be clear and precise, each discipline has developed its own set of words and conceptual relations-in effect, its own language-and for those wanting a broad introduction to vision these separate languages can present more of an impediment to understanding than an aid. However, what lies beneath these words usually has a beautiful simplicity, and it is the aim of The First Steps in Seeing to describe how we see in a manner that is understandable to all. In this book, the use of technical terms is restricted, and several hundred full-color illustrations ensure that the terms that are used are associated with a picture, icon, or graph that visually expresses their meaning. Experimental findings have been recast in terms of the natural world whenever possible, and broad themes bring together lines of thought that are often treated separately. Fourteen main chapters form a "thread" that tells the main scientific story and can be read without specialized knowedge or reliance on other sources. This thread is linked to fourteen discussions which explore certain crucial topics in greater depth. Notes link the material presented in the thread and in the special topics discussions to important review articles and seminal research papers. The First Steps in Seeing is an innovative, authoritative work that belongs in the library of anyone with an interest in visual perception.

Toddlers' lives are filled with important "firsts" as they learn and grow by leaps and bounds! That's why Gold'n Honey has created a captivating "first Word" specifically designed to match the interests and learning habits of boys and girls ages 1 to 3.