Grade level: We discover how from the soil beneath our feet, to the clouds above our heads- the environment is a fascinating world of natural cycles, systems and life processes. Lavish illustrations show how communities of plants and animals live together in their surroundings. Combined with lucid text, they explain how the environment achieves its own balance, a balance easily upset by some human activities.

Includes index.

What is the Environment? -- Air and Water -- The Ozone layer -- The Greenhouse effect -- Gaia, The living earth -- Plant life -- Food webs -- The living oceans -- Migration -- Niches -- The life cycle of a lake -- Ecosystems -- Biomes -- Nutrient cycles -- Obtaining Nitrogen -- Soil -- Soil life -- Rivers -- Environmental damage -- Learning to live in harmony -- Index.