Where does the Express bus take you? How many swans are in the lake at the park? What replaces the shoe repair store? The Ultimate Book of Cities reveals the answers to these questions and much, much more in an oversized fact- and action-packed look at life in the big city! Featuring 59 flaps, pop-ups, pull tabs and movable parts, this all-you-need-to-know guide provides detailed information about what makes a city tick: from the different ways of getting around and what goes on in all the big buildings, to what traffic signs mean and who are all the people who keep the city in tip-top shape! It is a must-have volume to add to a young reader's library of The Ultimate Book series.

The sounds, sights, and activity of a construction site provide for endless fascination. Packed with more than 60 tabbed moving parts to pull, lift, and explore; crammed with meticulous detail of vehicles, buildings, and techniques; here's a book that will satisfy even the most curious of kids. Whether it's building a bridge or a skyscraper, a giant ship or a tunnel, there's a wealth of color, action, and knowledge to be gleaned on each of the ten spreads of this oversized book. A wonderful companion to The Ultimate Book of Vehicles on the Spring 2014 Twirl launch list.

The internationally successful Ultimate Book series expands its scope to embrace—very appropriately—the whole world! The Ultimate Book of Planet Earth offers lots of opportunity for hands-on interaction using flaps, pop-ups, and more! Pull a tab to see how magma erupts from a volcano, turn a page for a pop-up of a mountain range, or rotate a wheel to move the blades of a wind turbine! Planet Earth explores not only the geology of the Earth—oceans, continents, and the formation of mountains and volcanoes—but also its geo graphy, atmosphere, and weather. A valuable reference book for any child!

Vehicles, vehicles, vehicles—nearly 100 of them—in all shapes and sizes! A giant crane hovers over a construction site, a space ship roars into space. . . . Supersized spreads feature marvelously detailed illustrations that just beg to be pored over again and again. Best of all, lots of flaps, popups, pull-tabs, and rotating wheels bring the various vehicles to life. Readers will poke into a ship's hold, explore the innards of a garbage truck, and help demolish a house. Any child who's ever been intrigued by the roar of an engine will adore this extraordinary collection of things on the go, from the everyday to the nearly outrageous—yes, there's even a pooper-scooper scooter!

How does a bird fly? What does a bee see? What do wolves eat? Interactive illustrations make it fun to learn about the animals all around.

From the marvels of the solar system, to the origins of Earth, and the mysteries of dark matter: discover all these and so much more, in this definitive children's guide to space. Beautifully realised, specially commissioned artworks and images from the most powerful space telescopes reveal extraordinary vistas of other planets, distant stars, and spiralling galaxies. Meanwhile, complex ideas are made simple by clear, easy-to-understand diagrams, fact-packed feature boxes, and ingenious infographics. Are your ready to step into the unknown? Get ready to discover the power of gravity; explore the many moons of Jupiter and Saturn; and behold the fearsome majesty of black holes. It's the ultimate visitor's guide to our Universe! A fantastic book for children aged 8+. ABOUT THE SERIES In order to create reference books deserving of the title 'Ultimate', we have brought together world-class children's authors, expert consultants, sought-after illustrators, and exceptional international photographers. Every title is meticulously researched, and presents information with clarity, passion, and intelligence.

Shortlisted for the Financial Times and McKinsey Best Book of the Year Award in 2011 “A masterpiece.” —Steven D. Levitt, coauthor of Freakonomics “Bursting with insights.” —The New York Times Book Review A pioneering urban economist presents a myth-shattering look at the majesty and greatness of cities America is an urban nation, yet cities get a bad rap: they're dirty, poor, unhealthy, environmentally unfriendly . . . or are they? In this revelatory book, Edward Glaeser, a leading urban economist, declares that cities are actually the healthiest, greenest, and richest (in both cultural and economic terms) places to live. He travels through history and around the globe to reveal the hidden workings of cities and how they bring out the best in humankind. Using intrepid reportage, keen analysis, and cogent argument, Glaeser makes an urgent, eloquent case for the city's importance and splendor, offering inspiring proof that the city is humanity's greatest creation and our best hope for the future.

Lonely Planet's bestselling The Cities Book is back. Fully revised and updated, it's a celebration of 200 of the world's most exciting urban destinations, beautifully photographed and packed with trip advice and recommendations from our experts - making it the perfect companion for any traveller deciding where to visit next. - Highlights and itineraries help travellers plan their perfect trip - Urban tales reveal unexpected bites of history and local culture - Discover each city's strengths, best experiences and most famous exports - Includes the top ten cities for beaches, nightlife, food and more - Lonely Planet co-founder Tony Wheeler shares his all-time favourite cities - Fully revised and updated with the best cities to visit right now About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, on mobile, video and in 14 languages, 12 international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more. TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia) Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.

Discover the fascinating world of water! From a tiny drop to an enormous ocean, one of Earth's most important natural resources flows over land and underground, forms icebergs, and is even found in the air. This interactive book provides a comprehensive overview, exploring where water comes from and how it provides for all living things, and more! Readers can find out about the water cycle, dive into the ocean with marine animals, trace how water gets from a lake to our homes and explore ways in which water energy is used in our daily lives. * Supersized spreads feature detailed illustrations that just beg to be pored over again and again * More than 60 interactive flaps, tabs, pop-ups and more for hands-on learning * Educational content reviewed by an expert Fans of The Ultimate Book of Water will also enjoy other books in the Ultimate Book(tm) series, including Airplanes and Airports, Animals, Cities, Horses, Planet Earth, Space, Vehicles, and the Construction Site Book. * Great family and classroom read-aloud book * Nonfiction books for kids * Educational books for kindergarten and early elementary school students

"Better Buses, Better Cities is likely the best book ever written on improving bus service in the United States." — Randy Shaw, Beyond Chron "The ultimate roadmap for how to make the bus great again in your city." — Spacing "The definitive volume on how to make bus frequent, fast, reliable, welcoming, and respected..." — Streetsblog Imagine a bus system that is fast, frequent, and reliable—what would that change about your city? Buses can and should be the cornerstone of urban transportation. They offer affordable mobility and can connect citizens with every aspect of their lives. But in the US, they have long been an afterthought in budgeting and planning. With a compelling narrative and actionable steps, Better Buses, Better Cities inspires us to fix the bus. Transit expert Steven Higashide shows us what a successful bus system looks like with real-world stories of reform—such as Houston redrawing its bus network overnight, Boston making room on its streets to put buses first, and Indianapolis winning better bus service on Election Day. Higashide shows how to marshal the public in support of better buses and how new technologies can keep buses on time and make complex transit systems understandable. Higashide argues that better bus systems will create better cities for all citizens. The consequences of subpar transit service fall most heavily on vulnerable members of society. Transit systems should be planned to be inclusive and provide better service for all. These are difficult tasks that require institutional culture shifts; doing all of them requires resilient organizations and transformational leadership. Better bus service is key to making our cities better for all citizens. Better Buses, Better Cities describes how decision-makers, philanthropists, activists, and public agency leaders can work together to make the bus a win in any city.