In Cows Save the Planet, journalist Judith D. Schwartz looks at soil as a crucible for our many overlapping environmental, economic, and social crises. Schwartz reveals that for many of these problems—climate change, desertification, biodiversity loss, droughts, floods, wildfires, rural poverty, malnutrition, and obesity—there are positive, alternative scenarios to the degradation and devastation we face. In each case, our ability to turn these crises into opportunities depends on how we treat the soil. Drawing on the work of thinkers and doers, renegade scientists and institutional whistleblowers from around the world, Schwartz challenges much of the conventional thinking about global warming and other problems. For example, land can suffer from undergrazing as well as overgrazing, since certain landscapes, such as grasslands, require the disturbance from livestock to thrive. Regarding climate, when we focus on carbon dioxide, we neglect the central role of water in soil—"green water"—in temperature regulation. And much of the carbon dioxide that burdens the atmosphere is not the result of fuel emissions, but from agriculture; returning carbon to the soil not only reduces carbon dioxide levels but also enhances soil fertility. Cows Save the Planet is at once a primer on soil's pivotal role in our ecology and economy, a call to action, and an antidote to the despair that environmental news so often leaves us with.

In a time of uncertainty about our environmental future—an eye-opening global tour of some of the most wounded places on earth, and stories of how a passionate group of eco-restorers is leading the way to their revitalization. Award-winning science journalist Judith D. Schwartz takes us first to China’s Loess Plateau, where a landmark project has successfully restored a blighted region the size of Belgium, lifting millions of people out of poverty. She journeys on to Norway, where a young indigenous reindeer herder challenges the most powerful orthodoxies of conservation—and his own government. And in the Middle East, she follows the visionary work of an ambitious young American as he attempts to re-engineer the desert ecosystem, using plants as his most sophisticated technology. Schwartz explores regenerative solutions across a range of landscapes: deserts, grasslands, tropics, tundra, Mediterranean. She also highlights various human landscapes, the legacy of colonialism and industrial agriculture, and the endurance of indigenous knowledge. The Reindeer Chronicles demonstrates how solutions to seemingly intractable problems can come from the unlikeliest of places, and how the restoration of local water, carbon, nutrient, and energy cycles can play a dramatic role in stabilizing the global climate. Ultimately, it reveals how much is in our hands if we can find a way to work together and follow nature’s lead.

In "The Legend of Ranger," Alan Salisbury's words and Roberta Baird's whimsical artwork create the magic of the Christmas season with the tale of a young reindeer named Ranger who has a big dream--to be part of the reindeer team that pulls Santa's big sleigh. Ranger searches all over Santaland for someone who can teach him the secret of flying, but everyone he asks, including the oldest and wisest elves, Mrs. Claus, and even his brother Rudolph, gives him the same advice: "The secret lies within." Determined to fulfill his dream, Ranger must figure out the secret for himself. An emergency trip to Krystalwite to help the sick reindeer at the North Pole offers Ranger the opportunity to play a part in saving Christmas and, along the way, learn what it is that lies within. "The Legend of Ranger" contains a heartening and inspirational message about the power of believing in yourself no matter what challenges lie ahead.

A 14th-century woodworker dedicates his life to making children happy, but when age and infirmity catches up with him, he is made a saint and moves north to make children happy forever.

Another breathaking adventure featuring the main character from the New York Times bestseller The Christmas Wish! When Anja discovers an abandoned reindeer baby in the woods, she cares for it and raises it as her own. They become dear friends and have many adventures together, but as the reindeer grows he wishes to rejoin his kind. So Anja leads him to join the greatest reindeer of all—those of Santa’s sled team. Don't miss the other "Wish" books: The Christmas Wish The Tiny Wish The Brave Little Puppy The Puppy's Wish -- coming soon!

This 2011 Indie Award-Winner is the first in a new series. This Christmas, read a story unlike any other about a boy whose destiny will force you to forget everything you know about Santa because it¿s just not true! In Franco¿s book it is six days before Christmas in Winter Garden and weird things are happening in 11-year-old Jakob's Florida neighborhood. His friends are convinced their Christmas is in danger, and then live snowmen strangely appear and confirm the threat. Jakob dismisses the bizarre events as an elaborate hoax concocted by the neighborhood bully. But when the bully turns into smoke, a devilish stranger appears as the mastermind behind the mayhem demanding that Jakob catch Santa...or else!

The Christmas Chronicles is a magical collection of 24 Christmas-themed short stories - around 500 words each - taking place at the North Pole from 1st to 24th December as Santa Claus prepares to launch his sleigh to deliver the presents. Perfect for bedtime reading.