Alien Invaders

Species That Threaten Our World

Illustrated by Mark Thurman
Look inside

From killer toads, feral felines, and brown tree snakes to multiple invaders in the Great Lakes and Lake Victoria, Alien Invaders explores the impact on our ecosystems of the wave after wave of invaders and why they have become a worldwide concern. Environmentalists Jane Drake and Ann Love take us on a journey 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, while presenting the concepts of biodiversity and endangered species. Learn where the invaders originate, how they travel, what they displace, why the invaded natural system is vulnerable, and what can be done. Discover if you are an invader or a saver and how you can help.

Praise for Alien Invaders

"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." - Booklist

"The large, vibrant, colourful illustrations by veteran Toronto artist Mark Thurman do an excellent job of bringing the text to life. As well, there's a superb map of Earth, annotated with descriptions of how species travel....excellent reading for any young person looking for a unique perspective on environmental disasters, and contains lots of new information." - Quill & Quire

"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....the material is accessible and will be useful for young researchers." - School Library Journal
© David Love
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. View titles by Jane Drake
© David Love
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. View titles by Ann Love
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 co-creator and illustrator of the “Mighty Mites,” a scientific cartoon in Owl magazine. Mark Thurman lives and works in Toronto. View titles by Mark Thurman

About

From killer toads, feral felines, and brown tree snakes to multiple invaders in the Great Lakes and Lake Victoria, Alien Invaders explores the impact on our ecosystems of the wave after wave of invaders and why they have become a worldwide concern. Environmentalists Jane Drake and Ann Love take us on a journey 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, while presenting the concepts of biodiversity and endangered species. Learn where the invaders originate, how they travel, what they displace, why the invaded natural system is vulnerable, and what can be done. Discover if you are an invader or a saver and how you can help.

Reviews

Praise for Alien Invaders

"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." - Booklist

"The large, vibrant, colourful illustrations by veteran Toronto artist Mark Thurman do an excellent job of bringing the text to life. As well, there's a superb map of Earth, annotated with descriptions of how species travel....excellent reading for any young person looking for a unique perspective on environmental disasters, and contains lots of new information." - Quill & Quire

"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....the material is accessible and will be useful for young researchers." - School Library Journal

Author

© David Love
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. View titles by Jane Drake
© David Love
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. View titles by Ann Love
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 co-creator and illustrator of the “Mighty Mites,” a scientific cartoon in Owl magazine. Mark Thurman lives and works in Toronto. View titles by Mark Thurman