Seashells are the exoskeleton, or hard protective covering, of marine animals like snails and mollusks. Crabs also use the discarded shells of other animals in this way. Shells come in many shapes and colors... Read more
Volleyball is a sport played by two teams of six players, in which a ball is batted back and forth over a net. The aim of the game is to keep the ball from touching the ground when on your side of the net... Read more
Beds are pieces of furniture used for sleeping. Different types of beds have been used throughout history, many very unlike the beds we know today. Some were simple piles of rugs or sacks stuffed with straw, while others were huge and elaborately carved... Read more
A ballerina is a female ballet dancer. Professional ballerinas typically begin training before they reach seven years of age, and train six days a week throughout their careers... Read more
The first modern computer was built in 1937. Early computers, however, had little in common with the devices we know today. For example, one computer built in 1946 "weighed 30 tons, and had 18,000 vacuum tubes" which were used for processing. When it was first turned on, it used so much electricity that it dimmed the lights in parts of Philadelphia. Yet, it could only perform one task... Read more
Cartoon stars such as those in this drawing guide have been made popular by publications such as Highlights for Children and are commonly seen on classroom reward stickers. In fact, children seem to start looking for eyes and faces in inanimate objects from a young age... Read more
Knives have a long history. Ancient stone, bronze, and iron knives have been discovered at archeological sites. Historically and today, there are many different types of knives. Some have been used for weapons, others for preparing food... Read more
The llama was domesticated by the Incas of South America hundreds or perhaps thousands of years ago. Today, it is still used as a pack animal, and its wool is used to make cloth... Read more
Creak! Does the idea of a creaky door send chills up your spine? Or does an open door remind you of the colorfully painted rowhouses of your favorite childhood television series? In literature, doors are often used to represent choices and the outcomes the character must face... Read more
Deadpool began life in Canada as Wade Wilson. He is known as the Merc with a Mouth, "one of the most relentlessly wisecracking heroes in the universe." He is famous for 'breaking the fourth wall,' or speaking directly to the audience, aware that he is a character in a story. He wears a mask to cover his scarred appearance and he contains a rapid healing factor... Read more
Anime cartoons portray wolves in a number of different ways. They may be ordinary animals, sapient beings with human-level intelligence, supernatural gods or spirits in animal form, or werewolves or wolfweres - humans that turn into wolves, and vice versa. Popular anime wolves include the wolves of Wolf's Rain, Sajin Komamura from Bleach, and Ninetales from Pokémon... Read more
Chibi is a distinctive style of Japanese cartoon art. The term itself means "to make short." Chibi caricatures are often short in stature with large, oversized heads, consisting of up to half of the character's height. This style is also referred to as "super-deformed."... Read more
In Japan, the term inu means dog or wolf. Dog characters are frequent features of anime cartoons and chibi art... Read more
In Japanese anime cartoons, the lines between the human and animal worlds are often blurred. Human characters with animal features are common. This is referred to as Kemonomimi, meaning "animal ears."... Read more
Anime is a popular style of Japanese animation used in cartoons. This characteristic art style emerged in the 1960s, both in cartoon anime and the related comic book manga. Its popularity increased markedly during the 1990s and still continues to grow... Read more
The term "chibi" is derived from a Japanese verb meaning "to become shorter." It is a style of caricature that features its subject in an exaggerated way. Chibi "are small and chubby, with stubby limbs and oversized heads to make them resemble children." The word chibi can also be translated as "little" or "cute."... Read more
Bulls or oxen have been depicted in art since time immemorial. This is likely due to both their impressive strength and their proximity to humans. Cattle were among the first animals to be domesticated, and they were soon put to use pulling carts and plows and turning millstones... Read more
There are about 30 species of iguana that live in tropical regions of the Americas and surrounding islands. Iguanas live on land, burrow underground, climb trees, and even swim in the ocean. The largest can get well over six feet in length and weigh nearly 15 pounds. They can live for 20 years in the wild... Read more
Bearded dragon is the common name of a group of eight lizard species. They are named for the spikey "beard" beneath their necks which can turn black due to stress... Read more
The children's book The Lorax was released in 1971. The small, furry Lorax is the title character. He "speaks for the trees" in the face of environmental destruction... Read more