Learn about the serious and ongoing environmental problems caused by invasive plant and animal species.
Aliens are on the move! They spread out underwater, smothering sea plants and destroying fish eggs in the Mediterranean Sea. They multiply and invade wooded areas in Australia and Hawaii, killing off the native flora and fauna. They travel by air, water, boat…even on the shoes and clothes of humans!
Award-winning science writer Mary Batten introduces young readers to the serious and ongoing environmental problems caused by invasive plant and animal species. Citing numerous examples, including the accidental release of the gypsy moth into the United States in 1869 and the deliberate introduction of rabbits to Australia by English settlers, Batten shows how in each case the delicate balance of the local ecosystem is threatened or even destroyed by the foreign intrusion.
At the end of the book, Batten offers readers a glossary and a list of ideas they can use to minimize their own impact on local environments. Artist Beverly Doyle's realistic full-color illustrations and maps highlight the diversity of the natural world and outline the global routes taken by animal and plant invaders.
"...from the book title and first line of text to the information-packed, full-page color illustrations, this overview of ecological missteps is nonstop intriguing... Lively personal-interest reading, this picture book for older children is fast moving, clear, and well detailed." --Booklist
"This visually striking and readable title describes what happens to ecosystems when alien plants or animals are introduced by accident or intention... The examples throughout are thought-provoking, the illustrations outstanding, and the concluding words on steps to take to keep aliens out are helpful and practical. Doyle, who specializes in environmental art, provides handsome, double-paged portraits of animals both native and new to their natural habitat, using a footnote to clue readers into which are which. Fascinating." --Kirkus Reviews
"The spreads are beautifully illustrated with animals and plants that almost seem to jump off the pages. Everything depicted is labeled, and a helpful key designates which ones are native, endangered or threatened, alien, or extinct... Visually appealing, it should capture the interest of browsers." --School Library Journal
"Invasive species are a real and imminent global threat. Aliens from Earth does a good job of delivering thismessage by explaining how invasive species destory ecosystems and threaten other species' existence... Batten delivers an important message, with clear instructions to readers as to how they can minimize invaisve species." --Science Books & Films
Beverly Doyle graduated from Framingham State College with a major in fine arts and continued her studies at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. She lives in Vermont.
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