Florida's Burmese Pythons

November 1, 2015

Gr 3-5-Covering multiple aspects of a fascinating topic, each title in this excellent set examines a single invasive species. Each selection opens with a current example of the animal's impact and then traces the history of its arrival and provides reasons for its proliferation. The writing is lively and direct and makes good use of specific, intriguing facts, such as the brown tree snake's effect on Guam's electricity. Readers will appreciate learning about efforts being made to deal with the problem, such as traps to reduce the feral pig population. Among the other strong features are frequent quotes from scientists in the field. Page layouts include a well-chosen mixture of large photographs and spot images. One spread, for instance, demonstrates the diversity of the cane toad's diet using separate photos of the creatures feasting on a smaller toad, pet food, and a kangaroo carcass. VERDICT Lively, engaging presentations on specific species and on the general concept.

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2015
Grades 4-7 Burmese pythons aren't native to Florida, yet their numbers are rapidly increasing in the Everglades. This installment in the They Don't Belong: Tracking Invasive Species series uses a narrow focus on the Burmese python to illuminate concerns about invasive species in general. After discussing the origin of the slithery creatureslikely pet owners overwhelmed by the snakes' sizeAronin covers researchers' attempts to locate and study the pythons, threats to native species, and contemporary efforts to curb the population of this top predator. Lots of photos of snakes (including one in the process of being dissected, which may alarm sensitive readers) cover each page, and matter-of-fact sentences clearly convey the information. A glossary, further reading and web resources, and a list of other invasive reptiles found in Florida close out the volume.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)