This portable guide to the living world and its inhabitants -- both flora and fauna -- is a must for school and home. It explores every major plant and animal group, richly illustrating the extraordinary range of living things that are found in every corner of the planet, from microscopic single-celled organisms to giant redwoods and blue whales. Species features are a perfect source of bite-size information on animals or plants of particular interest, such as the Arctic bumblebee, the welwitschia plant, and the vampire squid.