Mary Batten is an award-winning science writer whose previous booksโDiscovery by Chance,ย The Tropical Forest, andย Natureโs Trickstersโwere written for the juvenile market. Her magazine credits includeย Cosmopolitan,ย Science Digest, andย International 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.