Se mai esiste un luogo al mondo che al nostro sguardo appare dominato dalla fantasia e dal sogno, è quello celato sotto le onde del mare. Fra scienza e antropologia, letteratura ed ecologia, Helen Scales ci guida in un tuffo rapinoso nell'universo oceanico, per incontrare 80 creature capaci di adattarsi da millenni alle condizioni più avverse e di evolversi in una sgargiante moltitudine di forme e di colori: dal piccolo granchio pugile al fluttuare maestoso delle mante, fino al regno del drago di mare, talmente nero che è quasi impossibile fotografarlo. Età di lettura: da 8 anni.

Il meraviglioso mondo delle conchiglie raccontato dalla biologa marina Helen Scales attraverso splendide illustrazioni e informazioni da scoprire attraverso l'arte dell'osservazione. Il formato domanda e risposta accompagna i giovani lettori in una coinvolgente esperienza alla scoperta dell'incredibile diversità di conchiglie, da quelle marine alle chiocciole di terra. Un viaggio intorno al mondo che racconta gli habitat dei molluschi, mostra come forme, colori e strutture rivelano qualcosa di chi li abita e svela i luoghi fantastici in cui si trovano queste specie. Età di lettura: da 8 anni.

La celebre biologa marina Helen Scales accompagna i bambini nel regno delle conchiglie, tra terra e mare, attraverso l'arte dell'osservare. Partendo da domande semplicissime e dalla ricchezza dell'esperienza sensoriale, avviamoci alla scoperta delle conchiglie in ogni parte del mondo. Cosa ci rivelano le loro forme, colori e consistenze? Tante notizie sui loro inquilini, dagli abissi profondi alla cima degli alberi! Un libro che stimola la propensione naturale dei bambini a collezionare e alimenta la loro curiosità fornendo semplici metodi di osservazione volti a cogliere la relazione tra gli oggetti trovati in natura e l'ecosistema. Le raccolte di conchiglie sono molto comuni nei musei di Storia Naturale di tutto il mondo, e cercarle è un passatempo gradito a tutte le età. Questo è il primo libro sul tema rivolto al pubblico più giovane. Età di lettura: da 8 anni.

Seashells, stretching from the deep past into the present day, are touchstones leading into fascinating realms of the natural world and cutting-edge science. Members of the phylum Mollusca are among the most ancient animals on the planet. Their shells provide homes for other animals, and across the ages, people have used shells not only as trinkets but also as a form of money, and as powerful symbols of sex and death, prestige and war.

The science and natural history of shells are woven into a compelling narrative, revealing their cultural importance and the ways they have been used by humans over the millennia. (Seashells have even been tapped as a source of mind-bending drugs.) Marine biologist Helen Scales shows how seashells have been sculpted by the fundamental rules of mathematics and evolution; how they gave us color, gems, food, and new medicines.

After surviving multiple mass extinctions millions of years ago, molluscs and their shells still face an onslaught of anthropogenic challenges, including climate change and corrosive oceans. But rather than dwelling on all that is lost, Scales emphasizes that seashells offer an accessible way to reconnect people with nature, helping to bridge the gap between ourselves and the living world.Spirals in Time: The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashells shows why nature matters, and reveals the hidden wonders that you can hold in the palm of your hand.

In this artistic showcase, McCormick and Scales offer essays on the living sculptures of Jason deCaires Taylor, which are built from a scaffold of rough cement that attracts corals and marine life. After a foreword by the artist, McCormick reflects on their magical quality and the way they tap into ancient reservoirs of transcendent meaning through very scientific modern methods, while Scales discusses marine ecology and the contribution such sculptures make to sustainability. The majority of the book consists of color plates showing the sculptures, the succession of life-forms to grow on them, and some of the design and installation process. Annotation ©2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)

A fascinating journey with the sea creature that has captured human imagination for thousands of years

Poseidon?s Steed trails the seahorse through secluded waters across the globe in a kaleidoscopic history that mirrors man?s centuries-old fascination with the animal, sweeping from the reefs of Indonesia, through the back streets of Hong Kong, and back in time to ancient Greece and Rome. Over time, seahorses have surfaced in some unlikely places. We see them immortalized in the decorative arts; in tribal folklore, literature, and ancient myth; and even on the pages of the earliest medical texts, prescribed to treat everything from skin complaints to baldness to flagging libido. Marine biologist Helen Scales eloquently shows that seahorses are indeed fish, though scientists have long puzzled over their exotic anatomy, and their very strange sex lives?male seahorses are the only males in the animal world that experience childbirth!

Our first seahorse imaginings appeared six thousand years ago on cave walls in Australia. The ancient Greeks called the seahorsehippocampus (half-horse, half-fish) and sent it galloping through the oceans of mythology, pulling the sea god Poseidon?s golden chariot. The seahorse has even been the center of a modern-day international art scandal: A two-thousand-year-old winged seahorse brooch was plundered by Turkish tomb raiders and sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

A book that is as charming as the seahorse itself, Poseidon?s Steed brings to life an aquatic treasure.

Seahorses lead quiet lives, tucked away out of sight on the seafloor. It is rare to catch a glimpse of a seahorse in its natural habitat. But even if few have seen one live, these exotic, seemingly prehistoric creatures exist quite vividly in our imaginations and they have mesmerized scientists, artists, and storytellers throughout time with their otherworldly rarity.

Poseidon?s Steed is a sweeping journey that takes us from the coral reefs and seagrass meadows of Indonesia where many seahorses makes their natural habitat to the back streets of Hong Kong where a thriving black market seahorse trade is concealed. Throughout history, seahorses have surfaced in some unexpected places and Scales also follows the seahorse back in time, from our most rudimentary seahorse imaginings six thousand years ago on cave walls in Australia, to the myths of ancient Greece.

Scientists have long puzzled over seahorses? unusual anatomy and their very strange sex lives. And male seahorses are the only males in the animal world that experience childbirth! Seahorses are not what scientists call a ?keystone? species. They rely on a healthy ocean to survive, but the marine ecosystem does not rely on them. But their delicate beauty reminds us that we rely on the seas not only to fill our dinner plates, but also to feed our imaginations.