Fourth Grade

• Life Science
• Environment & Ecology
• Maker / Problem-Solving

Why it works: Bear Bottom, Whale Done, and All Ears turn a bear break-in, a beached-whale explosion, and a missing elephant into three comic investigations. Teddy can sort human misdirection from useful clues only by noticing the biology, behavior, and physical risks of very large animals.

• Life Science
• Environment & Ecology
• Maker / Problem-Solving

Why it works: Belly Up, Poached, and Big Game begin Teddy Fitzroy's funny run of mysteries among the animals and staff of the enormous FunJungle zoo. A hippo's suspicious death, a missing koala, and a threat to an endangered rhinoceros make animal biology and conservation evidence necessary to solving the crimes.

• Life Science
• Environment & Ecology
• Maker / Problem-Solving

Why it works: Panda-monium, Lion Down, and Tyrannosaurus Wrecks hide zoology and paleontology inside three zoo-centered whodunits. Teddy must understand a missing panda, disputed mountain-lion evidence, and the value of a stolen Tyrannosaurus rex skull before he can challenge the human stories around each case.

• Earth Science
• Life Science
• Expedition / Survival

Why it works: A hurricane floods Assateague and Chincoteague just as Misty is ready to give birth, placing a mare, an unborn foal, wild herds, and island residents in the same crisis. The historical storm and the herds' rebuilding make weather, reproduction, and population recovery the sources of suspense.