Ages 9 to 12 years. This introduction to the basic concepts of biology removes any fears associated with the subject and reveals exciting discoveries about micro-organism, plant, and animal life using the backyard as a laboratory. Kids in both the city and the country will engage in the scientific process as they watch yeast blow up a balloon, make predictions about and test seed growth in different soils, grow microbes in a Winogradsky Column, observe the effects of geotropism, prepare and nurture a habitat for bugs, and make an edible coral reef. As readers engage with the text and understand what living things are made of, and how backyard plants and animals thrive and adapt, they will also learn about how their own actions can harm the living things around them, and what they can do to protect their backyard habitats.