Rebecca L. Johnson

Take a walk in the deciduous forest. Sunlight filters through new green leaves. It's early summer, and squirrels are chattering in the treetops. A warbler calls out. She's building a nest in an oak tree. A fox crouches behind a stump. Will he find a...

Take a walk in the desert. It's hot and dry―and full of life. An elf owl peers out at you from its home, a hole in a saguaro cactus. Nearby, a desert tortoise stretches its neck to nibble on a wildflower. From the thick green stems of cacti to fluffy...

Take a walk in the prairie. This land of all grass and open sky is full of life. You can hear the warbling song of a meadowlark. At your feet, a grasshopper munches on a flower stem. How do the plants and animals of the prairie depend on one another...

Take a walk in the rain forest. It's hot and humid and humming with life. Look up into the dense canopy of leaves above you. Tangled vines lead to the treetops, where parrots squawk and monkeys swing from branch to branch. A poison dart frog clings to...

Take a walk in the tundra. In this cold, harsh biome at the top of the world, summer is short. Carpets of wildflowers and grasses bloom in the bright sunlight. An arctic fox pup catches sight of a lemming. The fox pup pounces . . . . The closer you...

Have you ever wondered what mysteries the ocean holds? Prepare to explore the ocean from sunlit shallows to the deepest, darkest depths. Along the way, you'll meet many incredible creatures that are brand new to science.Dive to a coral reef and spot a...

In the animal kingdom, survival is the name of the game—and not everything is as it seems. A number of animals rely on particularly clever tricks to fool predators or prey. A baby bird mimics a poisonous caterpillar. A moth escapes bats by making...

Ninja were skilled warriors in medieval Japan. And now you can find ninja in comics, movies, and TV shows. But what about in nature? Real animals aren't anything like ninja . . . are they?A stealthy lizard that can climb walls and hang upside down by...

The octopus spies a nice, tasty mantis shrimp. It swims over for a closer look at the small creature. Then—WHAM!—the mantis shrimp strikes a nasty blow with its hammer-like forelimb. The octopus shrinks back, defeated. That wasn't such an easy meal...

The digestive system is made up of the tongue, the esophagus, the stomach, the intestines, and other parts. But what does the digestive system do? And how do its parts work together to keep your body healthy? Explore the digestive system in this...

The muscular system is made up of three different kinds of muscles: skeletal muscles, smooth muscle, and heart muscle. But what does each kind of muscle do? And where in the body are they located? Explore the muscular system in this engaging and...

Are zombies real? As far as we know, dead people do not come back to life and start walking around, looking for trouble. But there are things that can take over the bodies and brains of innocent creatures, turning them into senseless slaves. Meet...