About the Author:
Mary Batten is an award-winning science writer whose previous books—Discovery by Chance, The Tropical Forest, and Nature’s Tricksters—were written for the juvenile market. Her magazine credits include Cosmopolitan, Science Digest, and International Wildlife. She has written scripts for fifty television films, the producers of which include Time-Life Films, Children's Television Workshop, National Geographic, and Disney Educational Productions. She lives in Virginia.
From Booklist:
This intriguing book in the Road to Reading series provides a sound introduction to one of children's favorite plants, the Venus flytrap, along with the sundew, pitcher plant, and the bladderwort--just a few of the 600 kinds of carnivorous plants that exist. The basic facts about the structure and behavior of these plants are presented, including the way they're designed and whether they're active or passive traps. The sundew, for example, has tentacles containing thousands of tiny sticky balls that glisten like dewdrops. An insect looking for a sip of nectar will get stuck and not be able to pull free. The harder it pulls the more glue the sundew makes. Then this passive trap becomes very active. The sticky tentacles slowly curl around the insect, squeezing it to death and digesting it with acids. In clear, concise language supported by detailed color illustrations, Batten and Mirocha have created an informative and fascinating first chapter book. Shelley Townsend-Hudson
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