In Levers, inhabitants of Mammoth Island have decided to enter their mammoth in a "heaviest mammoth" competition. To do so, they need to find the best method to weigh a mammoth. After observing some children playing on a see-saw, Olive, a young islander, is inspired to try a simple machine called a lever to get the job done. The Islanders then explore the properties of the three classes of levers and discover that scissors, nail clippers and tweezers are just a few examples of useful inventions based on the principle of the lever!
In Screws, inhabitants of Mammoth Island are in the process of building a new observation tower out of stone blocks when one of the islanders gets trapped at the top of the tower. With the help of a visiting gallant knight and his trusty mammoth, they are able to build a ramp around the circular structure and create a giant simple machine known as a screw. Turning the tower into a giant screw allows the islanders to spin the tower down into the soil, bringing the trapped inhabitant of Mammoth Island close to the ground -- and saving the day!
In this third of the acclaimed Earth's Children novels, Ayla, the independent heroine of THE CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR and THE VALLEY OF HORSES, sets out from the valley on Whinney, the horse she tamed.
Added by: JustGoodNews | Karma: 4306.26 | Fiction literature | 1 October 2011
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The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunnits
A host of totally new stories written by some of the most popular writers of historical mysteries brings to life the glorious and nefarious world that for nearly a thousand years—from the founding of the Republic in 510 B.C. to the deposing of the last emperor, Romulus, in 476 A.D.—was ancient Rome. Events from the turbulent reigns of Julius Caesar, Augustus, Caligula, and Nero provide the colorful background to tales ingeniously contrived by contributors like Paul Doherty, Gillian Bradshaw, and Richard Butler.
In Pumps, all is well on Mammoth Island when suddenly Brenda's baking shed has caught fire! Soon, the Mammoth Island Fire Brigade arrives and attempts to put the fire out, using water-filled mammoths. However, young Olive is sure that a machine might make it easier to get water to a fire. Looking at her bicycle pump, she wonders if it might be possible to create a device for pumping water. With the help of the inventor and other islanders, Olive builds a water pump that is soon put to the test and saves the summer barbecue!
