Mary Batten

Born in 1937 in Smithfield, Virginia, Batten grew up in a farm, where, as a child, she learned about nature by playing in the woods and near the forest streams. Batten lives with her husband, Ed Bland, who works as a composer. ==Career==

Batten's writings focus mostly on environmental and natural issues, including ecology, animals, plants, etc. In order to write, she has visited many tropical rainforests, astronomical observatories, scientific laboratories, and medical research centers. Several other books of hers are also recommended by National Science Teachers Association: Who Has A Belly Button, Aliens from Earth , Hey, Daddy! Animal Fathers and Their Babies, The Winking, Blinking Sea: All about Bioluminescence. She also writes for National Geographic and Walt Disney Educational Films. Batten was editor of The Cousteau Society's award-winning magazine, "Calypso Log," from 1987 to 1993. Until 2006, she was editor-in-chief of Breastlink.org, a website dedicated to victims of breast cancer and their families. ==Bibliography==