Alien Invaders

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.

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.