Science Chapters: Venus Flytraps, Bladderworts: and Other Wild and Amazing Plants »

The oddities of the plant kingdom cataloged for the reader's delight and disgust: from meat-eating to poisonous plants.

Children's Literature

Venus Flytraps, Bladderworts, and Other Wild and Amazing Plants by Monica Halpern is part of the "National Geographic Science Chapters" books. The text was "revised from Strange Plants in the National Geographic Windows on Literacy program." That being said, this little gem of a book is completely fascinating. The text is divided up into chapters, there are multiple pictures on each spread, and it has a small glossary and index at the end—all of which make this a good stepping stone book for those early readers with a taste for higher interest (and/or science) subjects. The text clearly explains everything from what kinds of plants are carnivorous to how they digest anything from insects to small animals. Along with complementing the text extremely well, the vivid photographs provide the colorful pictures that are a trademark of National Geographic. Once readers begin this delightful book, they will not want to put it down.