What element is found in all known forms of life? Carbon!
Scientists call carbon the chemical backbone of life on Earth. That's because without carbon, there'd be no humans, animals, plants, microbes, or any other kind of life. In The Carbon Cycle: Track the Path of Life's Essential Element, young scientists explore how the first life forms that evolved on our planet consumed carbon and now, 4 billion years later, carbon is still the building block of all known forms of life.
Carbon regulates the planet's temperature, serves as the foundation of our food web, and provides the energy that fuels the global economy. Carbon is stored in rocks, sediment, the ocean, the atmosphere-and in every living thing, including people. Carbon rotates through these reservoirs in what we call the carbon cycle. The carbon cycle relies on balance, but as we continue to burn fossil fuels, more of the carbon stored in rock gets released into the atmosphere, upsetting the careful balance that keeps our climate healthy and habitable.
Learn all about the carbon cycle and the human influence on that cycle through a compelling narrative, links to online resources, essential questions, text-to-world observations, hands-on STEM activities, and graphic-novel style illustrations and photographs.
Additional materials include a glossary, a list of media for further learning, a selected bibliography, and index. All books are leveled for Guided Reading level and Lexile and align with Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards.
All titles are available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook formats.
Carla Mooney has written more than 100 books for children and young adults. She is an award-winning author of many books for Nomad Press, including Engineering: How the Six Simple Machines Support the World, The Science of Seeds, and Climate in Crisis. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Website: carlamooney.com
Lex Cornell is a graduate of The Center for Cartoon Studies. They have illustrated several books for Nomad Press, including the Picture Book Science: Biomes set, Climate Change: The Science Behind Melting Glaciers and Warming Oceans; Rocks and Minerals: Get the Dirt on Geology; and Gender Identity: Beyond Pronouns and Bathrooms. Lex lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Website: www.lexcornell.com
In The Carbon Cycle: Track the Path of Life's Essential Element, young scientists explore how carbon moves through rocks, sediment, the ocean, the atmosphere-and through every living thing, including people. Hands-on activities and critical thinking exercises invite all kinds of learners to gain a deeper understanding of carbon and its role in keeping our climate healthy and habitable.
Praise for The Science of Seeds by Carla Mooney
2025 Green Earth Book Award Recommended Reading
Praise for The Physics of Fun by Carla Mooney
Booklist Series Nonfiction Showcase
"One of the best ways to get kids excited about STEM is to show them how every aspect of daily life is intrinsically connected to science and technology. The reliable Inquire and Investigate series takes on this task by offering titles brimming with information..."
Table of Contents
Introduction: Earth's Essential Element
Chapter One: Carbon in Rocks
Use a CarbonTracker (NOAA)
Study weathering on CO2 absorption
Test volcanic rocks and carbon
Discover the role of carbonate rocks in the carbon cycle
Test how rocks absorb and store carbon
Chapter Two: Carbon in the Atmosphere
How do plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
How does excess CO2 affect ocean water
Chapter Three: Carbon in the Ocean
Model the impact of ocean acidification on shells
Chapter Four: Carbon in the Terrestrial Biosphere
Demonstrate the greenhouse effect
Measure carbon stored in a tree
Chapter Five: Carbon and Fossil Fuels
How much CO2 do everyday activities produce
Glossary
Metric Conversions
Resources
