preface

Reviewer's Note

CHAPTER 1 The Earth We Live On: The World of Earth
Does the Earth Really Move? / Earth's Strata / Minerals / Rock Cycle / Fossils / Landforms / Mountains / North American Landscapes / Vegetation Transitions / Landscape Paintings by the Brush

CHAPTER 2 The Sun, the Moon, the Clouds, the Stars: The World of the Sky
Atmosphere / Weather Forecast / Water Cycle / Storms / Why Are Snowflakes Different Shapes / Rainbows / Sunsets / Phases of the Moon / Constellations

CHAPTER 3 Getting Closer to Nature: The World of Flowers and Insects
Flower Anatomy / Wildflowers / Bee Anatomy / Butterfly Anatomy / Butterfly Life Cycle / Plants That Attract Butterflies / The Beautiful World of Butterflies / Colorful Moths / Cyperaceae, Rhesus, and Lepidoptera / Edible Grasses / The Amazing World of Insects / The Amazing World of Spiders / Ant Anatomy

CHAPTER 4 A Walk in the Forest: The World of Forest Plants
Deciduous tree anatomy / Tree trunk anatomy / Leaf identification / Trees of North America / Beautiful bark / Flowers, cones, seeds, and fruits of some trees / Imprinting leaf patterns / Fern anatomy / Tall lichens / The mysterious world of mosses / Tardigrades / Mycelium / Mushroom anatomy / Colorful mushrooms / Life in decaying trees / Finding food in the forest

CHAPTER 5 Untamed Wilds: The Animal World
Native North American Species / Bat Anatomy / Common Bats in North America / Squirrels / Ground Squirrels / The Life Cycle of the Bacteria That Carry Lyme Disease / Black Bears vs. Grizzly Bears / Underground Animals / Snakes / Lizards / Bobcats / Wild Dogs / Antlers / Other Horned Animals / Aquatic Mammals / Masters of Adaptation / Marine Mammals

CHAPTER 6 What the Little Bird Told Me: The World of Birds
Anatomy of birds / Various birds / Types of feathers / Bird calls / Various bird nests / Uniquely shaped eggs / Interesting bird habits / Birds of prey / Various owls / Large birds / Beaks of various shapes / Waterfowl

CHAPTER 7 Swimming in Fantasy: The World of Underwater Life
Water bodies / Pond ecosystem / Freshwater fish / Salmon life cycle / Insects living in the water / Toads vs. frogs / Frog life cycle / Intertidal zone ecosystem / Fantastic saltwater fish / Jellyfish anatomy / Creatures on the sand / Seashells on the beach / Seaweed

A short essay on environmental protection

References

A beautiful science book that combines science and art.
One picture is enough to understand nature.
Amazon's bestseller in the natural science category!

Julia Rothman, a popular New York artist who has captivated readers in English-speaking countries with her sensuous and warm works that cross science, history, and the city, has published her book, "Anatomy atlas."
Her delicate yet vibrant paintings, which breathe life into everyday life, have captivated major American media outlets such as the New York Times and the Washington Post, the publishing world, and countless readers.
In particular, the recently published 『Natural Anatomy Illustrated Guide』 has captured the wonders of nature with a unique liveliness and delicacy, and has garnered much anticipation from readers in English-speaking countries as well as domestic readers who have been waiting for her works.

The illustrated guide often shows only the actual appearance in a list format using photographs or detailed drawings.
However, Julia Rothman's 『Natural Anatomy Atlas』, with its richly colored illustrations that stimulate the imagination of the reader and the warm gaze of the author, changes the existing perception that atlases are simple books for children.
As a result, as soon as the book was published in the United States in 2015, it was loved by both young and adult readers, and became a bestseller in the natural science category on Amazon, with praise calling it a “surprising and beautiful science book.”


This book began with the author's small curiosity about trees and insects encountered on a walk.
For us who walk through the same city every day and spend similar days, nature shows us a slightly different face each day, and tells us that there is a whole world outside the city where we live.
The vibrant illustrations that fill the entire book, as if capturing the four seasons, capture the curiosity about nature, from small curiosities encountered in city parks to the vast Earth and constellations in space, in a more exciting way than any other science book.


A nature guide for city explorers
The mysterious world of animals and insects, how to guess the age of a tree,
The wondrous life that dwells in a rotting tree, what a little bird tells us…

Born and raised in New York, the author's greatest joy during the day was taking his dog for a walk or run in the park near his home.
The author's life in Brooklyn, a high-rise neighborhood in downtown New York, mirrors our own, where we find solace in nature, even if only for a moment, during our commutes or weekend outings.
"What's the name of that tree with those pretty leaves? When will that flower I saw last year bloom?" The author began to explore nature in his own way, taking a closer look at the scenery he had only ever seen on his walks, looking through books, and sometimes even eating every single grass he came across in the park. He then captured the wonders of nature he discovered one by one in his paintings.


The way nature is discussed in this book is very interesting.
Rather than simply listing names and information, it follows the author's curiosity and the way he explores it. With childlike curiosity, he unravels a single creature like a story, asking questions like, "Why aren't all bird beaks the same? Can you tell what kind of bird lives in a nest?"
Each bird's beak has its own unique shape, and exploring birds by categorizing them in interesting ways, such as the color of their feathers, the shape of their nests, and the shape of their eggs, which come in different sizes and patterns, is something that can never be achieved through the uniform information provided by the Internet.
As you discover interesting facts you never knew before, such as the fact that even the same type of bird call has a regional dialect, or that ants handle the bodies of their dead companions in a similar way to humans, you'll find yourself becoming an explorer of nature, exploring every corner of the city without having to go far.


Dissecting nature reveals an unfamiliar beauty.
A meaningful exploration that goes beyond simply looking at nature with interest.

Another special thing about this book is that it doesn't just show the surface, it dissects it.
Cross sections of trees, birds, insects, and parts of plants are classified, broken down, shown, and explained.
Through this process, the interconnectedness between life forms becomes clearer, and we naturally come to realize that we are all connected by a vast chain of connections that make us part of the Earth.

Director Lee Jeong-mo of the Seodaemun Museum of Natural History, who supervised this book, said the following:

“This book is not just a simple guide, but an ‘anatomy’ guide.
As we 'dissect' nature, we come to realize that different living things are relatives made up of the same parts.
I hope that through this book, readers will realize what kind of relationships we humans must have with other living beings and how we must coexist in order to survive.”

As you read this book, you will realize that this is not a grand story and that no special trigger is needed.
As author Julia Rothman says, nature is surprisingly close to us, and it doesn't matter whether it's in the backyard or in a flower pot on the fire escape.
The vibrant exploration of nature presented in this book will give us a new perspective on the world around us.