Brief text explores how soil is formed, its layers, and its importance as a natural resource that living things need to survive.

Published in 1986, Blue Desert was Charles Bowden’s third book-length work and takes place almost entirely in Arizona, revealing Bowden’s growing and intense preoccupation with the state and what it represented as a symbol of America’s “New West.”Bowden presents a view of the Southwest that measures how rapid growth takes its toll on the land. Writing with a reporter’s objectivity and a desert rat’s passion, Bowden offers us his trademarked...

Describes the work of Meg Lowman in the rainforest canopy, an area unexplored until the last ten years and home to previously unknown species of plants and animals.

"Did you know that a Saguaro cactus can live for more than 200 years and grow as tall as 50 feet (15 meters)? Readers will discover how these desert giants are used for shelter by animals such as woodpeckers and owls, and provide food for animals such asbats and other small mammals. This captivating title provides a close-up look at the plants and animals that live in and around the Saguaro cactus in the Sonoran Desert."--

Offers 12 fascinating facts about the world s oceans and seas. From the coral reefs and lagoons to salt marshes and estuaries, full-color spreads highlight the key features of the world s largest ecosystems.

Describes the appearance, location, inhabitants, and vegetation of deserts.

"This photo-illustrated book introduces early fluent readers to the relationship between predator and prey in a freshwater environment. Includes glossary and index."--

Offers 12 fascinating facts about both flowing and still bodies of water. From the Nile River in Africa to the Great Lakes of North America, full-color spreads highlight the key features of the world s freshwaters.

"Spring on the Sonoran Desert can be a four-month-long spectacle of life and color. Within these well-written pages, Alcock exposes us to the plant and animal life of a land many regard as desolate. To Alcock, the desert has a constant evolutionary beauty he never seems to tire of. Alcock's approach to his subject is an elegant combination of science and literature. Only the desert itself, arrayed in its April apparel, can rival the beauty of this...

Explores the food chains that exist in a coral reef, examining how animals and plants can be producers, predators, consumers, and decomposers.