About the Author

Mary Batten is an award-winning science writer whose previous books-Discovery by Chance,The Tropical Forest, andNature's Tricksters-were written for the juvenile market. Her magazine credits includeCosmopolitan,Science Digest, andInternational Wildlife. She has written scripts for fifty television films, the producers of which include Time-Life Films, Children's Television Workshop, National Geographic, and Disney Educational Productions. She lives in Virginia.