Aliens from Earth: When Animals and Plants Invade Other Ecosystems

by Mary Batten, Beverly Doyle (Illustrator)

What happens to the environment when alien plants or animals get there by accident?

Award-winning writer Mary Batten introduces readers to the serious and ongoing environmental problems caused when alien plants and animals (or invasive species) are introduced into an ecosystem accidentally or deliberately. Describing various examples―from the release of the gypsy moth into the United States to the introduction of rabbits to Australia―Batten uses clear, readable text to show how these foreign intrusions have disturbed the delicate balance of local ecosystems.

Nature and animal art specialist Beverly Doyle contributes eye-catching visuals "that almost seem to jump off the pages," and back matter includes a glossary and list of ideas that provide more information and ways to minimize human impact on local environments.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Science

36 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2016

About the author

Mary Batten is an award-winning writer for television, film and publishing. Her many writing projects have taken her into tropical rainforests, astronomical observatories, scientific laboratories, and medical research centers.

She is the author of many books for children. The most recent are Life in Hot Water: Wildlife at the Bottom of the Ocean (Peachtree 2021), NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12; Life in A Frozen World: Wildlife of Antarctica (Peachtree 2020) and Spit: What's Cool About Drool (Firefly 2019). Other books include: Baby Orca (Penguin Random House 2016); Rattler (Penguin Random House 2016); Please Don't Wake the Animals: A Book about Sleep (Peachtree 2008); Who Has A Belly Button (Peachtree 2004); Aliens from Earth ((Peachtree 2003) – 2006 Isaak Walton Conservation Book of the Year Award; Selected by New York City Public Schools in support of 4th grade science requirement for the study of ecosystems (Revised & updated edition Peachtree 2016); Hey, Daddy! Animal Fathers and Their Babies – Named Outstanding Science Read Aloud 2003 by the National Association for the Advancement of Science (Peachtree 2002); Wild Cats (Penguin Random House 2002); Anthropologist: Scientist of the People -- Named Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children by the National Science Teachers Association and the Children's Book Council (Houghton Mifflin 2001); Hungry Plants (Penguin Random House 2000); The Winking, Blinking Sea -- Named one of the Best Children's Books for 2001 (Millbrook Press, 2000); Extinct! Creatures of the Past (Golden Books, 2000); Baby Wolf (Grosset and Dunlap, 1998); Sexual Strategies: How Females Choose Their Mates, (Tarcher/Putnam, 1994; reprinted with new introduction by iUniverse 2008); Nature's Tricksters (Sierra Club Books/Little Brown, 1992), Discovery By Chance (Funk and Wagnalls) and The Tropical Forest: Ants, Ants, Animals and Plants (T.Y. Crowell). She has appeared on OPRAH. TOM SNYDER and various other television shows and done many radio interviews.

Her magazine articles are published in a variety of publications, including the online journal Pie & Chai, and print ppublications Cosmopolitan, Ladies Home Journal, Modern Maturity, Shape, International Wildlife, National Geographic World, ZooNooz, Science Digest, Calypso Log, and Dolphin Log.

Mary Batten was nominated for an Emmy for her work on the Children's Television Workshop's science series 3-2-1-CONTACT, and she has written some 50 nature documentaries for television series, including the syndicated WILD WILD WORLD OF ANIMALS (Time-Life Films) and others for National Geographic and Disney Educational Films.

Her magazine article for Science Digest, "Sexual Choice: The Female's Newly Discovered Role," won The Newswomen's Club of New York's Front Page Award for best feature story.

She was editor of The Cousteau Society's award-winning membership magazine, Calypso Log, for six years.

She was married to the late composer Ed Bland. They have two children.

Reviews

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a catchy title like this, who wouldn’t want to pick up this book? The author explains biodiversity and how alien species can upset the natural balances between organisms. It’s not that ecosystems cannot handle new plants and animals; the problem is that people are spreading them faster than ever. Batten talks about the deliberate and accidental spreading of invasive species, and how islands are particularly effected. Each double page spread has pictures of animals, maps and habitats, with captions indicating whether the species is native, endangered or threatened, alien, or extinct. The costs of these alien invaders are demonstrated in loss of species and financial losses to governments. There’s also a section on ways to prevent invasive species. The book includes a glossary and an author’s note detailing new impacts since the first edition of the book was published in 2003. The illustrations, acrylic on clayboard, are hyper realistic and perfectly complement the topic and tone. This is a great resource for elementary school science collections.

[Maria Caplin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was so excited about this title...too much text.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Revised edition, good information about invasive species focus on species and how they get to places wish there was more focus on how to prevent or change things.