Showing results by narrator "Maria Pendolino" in All Categories

When Ashley Shew became a self-described "hard-of-hearing chemobrained amputee with Crohn's disease and tinnitus," there was no returning to "normal." Suddenly well-meaning people called her an "inspiration" while grocery shopping or viewed her as a needy recipient of technological wizardry. Most disabled people don't want what the abled assume they want—nor are they generally asked. In vibrant prose, Shew shows how we can create better narratives and more accessible futures by drawing from the insights of the cross-disability community.

What does it take to fuel a rocket to space? Rocket scientists use hydrogen and liquid oxygen, but could anti-matter engines and black-hole drives fuel our spacecraft of the future?

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to babysit 100 brothers and sisters? Ribburta doesn't think that it will be that hard but what she doesn't realize is just how much trouble 100 siblings can get into. After a long day of babysitting, Ribburta decides to take a nap. What will happen when she takes her eyes off her younger siblings and danger approaches?

One of the most well-known constellations in the night sky, the Big Dipper, traces its origins to a Native American legend. Many animals attempted to break through Sky in order to spread light and warmth onto the Earth. Only one of them, a Great Bear—also known as Ursa Major—succeeds. How does Great Spirit reward him?

Bear and Mouse cannot agree on home decor—should it be plain or fancy? They have different opinions, but that’s okay! When Bear needs to go out of town, he asks Mouse to house-sit for him. She agrees, but thinks his house is far too plain and lonely! What will Bear come home to?

Did you know that writing letters used to be the only way to communicate with people far away? Samuel F.B. Morse changed all of that when he invented the telegraph and Morse code! Using wires and electromagnetism, Morse found a way to communicate over long distances almost instantly. This new technology paved the way for the telephone, as well as the other methods of communication we use today!

The McNaughton family is living during the influenza pandemic of 1918. The family sees how the disease affects other families in their neighborhoods and community until their own family begins to fall ill. As each family member comes down with the flu, they all must take care of one another and fight to stay alive. One child, Anna, takes comfort in her father’s arms one night after she takes a turn for the worse.

Have you ever ridden a roller coaster? They’re a lot of fun, but a lot of physics is involved in making those rides work. The momentum built up by energy and speed keep those trains on their tracks and riders in their seats, even when they’re upside-down!

Sarah and Mama visit the zoo to see Sarah's favorite animal: the polar bear. Sarah tries to squeeze through the crowd to see the bear up close.

Two Frenchmen set out to change the world with a revolutionary idea of collecting all the world's knowledge.

Some everyday problems can be solved using a series of steps called the Engineering Design Process.

Did you know that a woolly bear is a type of caterpillar? People have sometimes used these caterpillars to predict the weather by looking at their stripes! Learn about these interesting creatures and what their life is like before they make cocoons and morph into their final form—the yellow tiger moth!

Samantha Smith hopes to shed her troubled past and reinvent herself as a freshman at San Diego University. When she crosses paths with a handsome tattoo-clad bad boy, her life is turned upside down, and Samantha finds herself with more adventure than she ever dreamed possible.

Despite the Great Depression leaving many students poverty-stricken, Delores’s elementary school class participates in a Secret Santa gift exchange at Christmastime. She is disappointed to find out the poorest girl in class drew her name and learns a lesson in humility when the day of the exchange finally comes.

When your fairy godmother is the most proper person in the entire kingdom you had better be on your best behavior, especially if you want dessert! What’s a girl with an itchy nose to do? Until she learns proper sneezing manners, she can’t have any cake. Of course, this isn’t just any cake—it’s the best chocolate cake in the entire kingdom. Perhaps there’s a spell book around that can help.

Mama Kiwi has finally laid her eggs! Now it's time for Papa Kiwi to take care of them until they hatch. Learn what Papa Kiwi must do in order to protect his babies. See how he hunts for food and protects the eggs all by himself until it's time for the eggs to hatch!

The First People had only four lights to illuminate the world. The First People asked First Man and First Woman to give them more daylight. In this traditional Navajo story, learn how First Man and First Woman created the sun, moon, and stars to give light to the First People.

Have you ever wondered how war machines were created? Or the origin of beauty salons? Or maybe even how rubber is used in tires, and rubber shoes? Learn more about these renowned inventors and how their inventions helped shape modern life into the way we know it now!

The lamiak are part-humans believed to possess gold. In this folktale, a midwife helps deliver a lamia's baby. In return, the lamia offers her gifts that will bring her good fortune. But the midwife's human flaws get the best of her.

Humans are such experts at laughing that we can distinguish a fake laugh from a real one. But why do we laugh?