On Earth Read online

  Insects and spiders were among the first creatures to live on land. Cockroaches were living on Earth at least 100 million years before dinosaurs arrived! Although lots of ants were stepped on by dinosaurs, ants are still here and dinosaurs aren’t.

  Earthquakes release enormous amounts of energy. This energy travels in waves underground or through water. When it travels through water, it can create a tsunami.

  Interestingly, a tsunami wave doesn’t look different from a normal wave as it travels hundreds or thousands of miles through the ocean. You can’t see the energy of the tsunami until it slams into the shore.

  Sometimes a tsunami is called a tidal wave. This name is not accurate, because tsunamis are not created by tides.

  To learn about all the planets in our solar system and to see some great pictures, go to www.NASA.gov!

  Want to find out more weird things about the universe, our solar system, and baby Earth? Read these books!

  Universe by Robin Kerrod (New York: DK Publishing, 2003). You’ll see what’s happening in our solar system and in galaxies trillions of miles away!

  Born with a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story by Jennifer Morgan (Nevada City, CA: Dawn Publications, 2002). In just a few pages—and lots of wonderful pictures— you’ll find out what we know about where everything came from!

  From Lava to Life: The Universe Tells Our Earth Story by Jennifer Morgan (Nevada City, CA: Dawn Publications, 2003). The universe itself tells the story of how life on Earth began and of the enormous number of creatures—from bacteria to brontosaurs—that have lived here. It also tells about weird and amazing dangers—like huge asteroid crashes—that life has survived.

  Turn the page

  for a sneak peek at

  Andrew, Judy, and Thudd’s

  next exciting adventure—

  ANDREW LOST WITH THE DINOSAURS!

  Available July 2005

  “Wowzers schnauzers!” shouted ten-year-old Andrew Dubble. Huge brown eyes were staring at him through the dome of his time machine, the Time-A-Tron. “I think it’s a brontosaur!”

  The Time-A-Tron had landed in a forest 65 million years ago. It had also landed on the long, thick, scaly tail of a humongous dinosaur!

  The reptile eyes staring in at Andrew did not look pleased.

  Judy, Andrew’s thirteen-year-old cousin, leaned forward in her seat. “Cheese Louise!” she said. “Its neck is as long as a bus! It sure does look like a brontosaur.”

  “Naaaah,” said Beeper Jones, the nine-year-old boy Andrew and Judy had found 300 million years ago. “That’s no brontosaur.”

  Beeper pointed a gadget that looked like a remote control at the long-necked creature.

  ping … ping … ping …

  “The DNA Detector says it’s an Alamosaurus,” said Beeper.

  meep … “Alamosaurus look like brontosaur,” squeaked a voice from Andrew’s pocket. It was Thudd, Andrew’s little silver robot and best friend. “But brontosaurs not alive now. Brontosaurs already extinct.”

  Thudd pointed to a picture of the Alamosaurus on his face screen. “Alamosaurus long as two school buses. Weigh as much as forty cars.”

  The Alamosaurus opened its mouth. Inside were short, stumpy teeth.

  “It looks angry,” said Judy. “Angry enough to eat us!”

  Text copyright © 2005 by J. C. Greenburg.

  Illustrations copyright © 2005 by Jan Gerardi.

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright

  Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House

  Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

  www.randomhouse.com/kids/AndrewLost

  www.AndrewLost.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Greenburg, J. C. (Judith C.)

  On earth / by J. C. Greenburg; illustrated by Jan Gerardi. — 1st ed.

  p. cm. — (Andrew lost; 10) A Stepping Stone book.

  SUMMARY: While bouncing through Earth’s prehistory in a

  malfunctioning time machine, Andrew, his cousin Judy, and Thudd

  the robot meet Doctor Kron-Tox’s nephew, Beeper, and nearly lose

  the Time-A-Tron in a tsunami.

  eISBN: 978-0-307-53906-9

  [1. Time travel—Fiction. 2. Inventions—Fiction.

  3. Cousins—Fiction. 4. Earth—History] I. Gerardi, Jan, ill.

  II. Title. III. Series: Greenburg, J. C. (Judith C). Andrew lost; v10.

  PZ7.G82785 O1 2005 [Fic]—dc22 2004009281

  RANDOM HOUSE and colophon are registered trademarks and

  A STEPPING STONE BOOK and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.

  ANDREW LOST is a trademark of J. C. Greenburg.

  v3.0