Alien Invaders: Species That Threaten Our World - Hardcover

Drake, Jane; Love, Ann

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0887767982 ISBN 13: 9780887767982

Publisher: Tundra Books, 2008

Synopsis

From killer toads, feral felines, and brown tree snakes to multiple invaders in Lake Victoria and the Great Lakes, Alien Invaders focuses on wave after wave of invaders that affect our ecosystems and the side-effects of climate change and modern global travel on our world today. Environmentalists and coauthors Jane Drake and Ann Love present the concepts of endangered species and biodiversity in this informative look at alien invaders and how they impact our world. From the days of sailing ships and shipboard rats to the fungus that sparked the Irish potato famine to the beautiful but deadly purple loosestrife strangling native wetlands, they examine extinctions and endangerments directly attributable to these alien invaders. Learn where the invaders originated, how they traveled, where they settled, what they displaced, why the invaded natural system was vulnerable, and what can be done. Kids can determine if they themselves are invaders or savers and how they can help.

This exploration of a timely topic, coupled with the lively detailed illustrations of Toronto artist Mark Thurman, inspire kids and adults alike to be more observant and protective of our natural world.

About this title

About the Author

Jane Drake and Ann Love are sisters and coauthors who have shared a life-long interest in the environment and the wild: “As kids, our parents led our family vacations into wild places — we spent more time looking for shorebirds in sewage lagoons than most Canadians would ever admit to.” Their writing for children has always had a natural history/environmental-action focus. They are interested in making children more observant of the natural world. Together they are the authors of many award-winning books, including their most recent, Cool Woods: A Trip Around the World’s Boreal Forest, Snow Amazing: Cool Facts and Warm Tales, Trash Action: A Fresh Look at Garbage, and Sweet! The Delicious Story of Candy. They have been shortlisted for numerous awards, including the Red Cedar Award, the Norma Fleck Award for Nonfiction, the Hackmatack Award, and the Silver Birch Award. Ann Love is one of the founding members of Pollution Probe. Both are married, have three children, and live in the Toronto area.

Mark Thurman is an artist, illustrator, author, and teacher who enjoys writing and illustrating picture books and conducting workshops for students and teachers. He has over thirty books to his credit. He was cocreator of the “Mighty Mites,” a scientific cartoon in Owl magazine. Mark Thurman lives and works in Toronto.

Reviews

Grade 3–6—The authors introduce three classic examples of alien invaders: brown rats, cane toads in Australia, and the fungus that caused the potato blight in the U.S. and Ireland. Ten more species are introduced with a narrative that describes the invader, its life cycle, the damage it causes, and attempts to control it. A short list of facts gives the common and Latin name, the size (metric and English), homeland, invaded countries, and the method of entry. Additional chapters describe some vulnerable habitats such as Lake Victoria, the Great Lakes, Hawaii, the Eastern hardwood forests, and the Western rangelands. The chapter "Get Ready for the Pandemic" explains why the avian flu virus (H5N1) has the potential to be catastrophic. The concluding chapters give further perspective on the impact of these species and what people are doing and can do to control them. The background on each double-page chapter is a full-bleed color painting that includes an illustration of the invader. A world map shows the origins and destinations of a few of the threatening species. Other than a confusing chapter on "The Role of the Community Elder," the material is accessible and will be useful for young researchers.—Carol S. Surges, McKinley Elementary School, Wauwatosa, WI
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They are “alien” because they come from somewhere else; they are “invaders because they are taking over.” In a clear, informal text, illustrated with handsome color paintings, this intriguing science book discusses particular plants , animals, bacteria, and viruses that humans have, deliberately or accidentally, introduced to a new habitat. The focus is on aliens that destroy their new habitats and threaten extinction of native plants or animals. Many readers will be caught by the dramatic disasters: “The sea lamprey, a slithery vampire, sucks blood, then tissue, then bone from fish in the Great Lakes”; if Asian long-horned beetles were to escape into a North American forest, millions of trees would die; the roots of the purple loosestrife flower grow so quickly they suffocate surrounding vegetation. A final chapter addresses how young environmental activists can help, but interested kids will need to go elsewhere to find contact information that will get them going. A bibliography would have been useful. Grades 4-6. --Hazel Rochman

Edition details

• Publisher: Tundra Books
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0887767982
• ISBN 13: 9780887767982
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Thurman Mark
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 56