Children's Literature - Dia L. MichelsJenkins begins with a confession. He has an unusual hobby-he likes to seek out and study plants that eat animals. Jenkins begins with the plant that first sparked his curiosity: the bladderwort, which he came upon while wading through a pond one day. It took no time for him to get hooked on this natural phenomenon of animal-eating plants. The tiny bladderwort did not satisfy him. He had to find bigger, more exciting animal-eating plants. His enthusiasm for the subject is evident: the book is as entertaining as it is educational. Sandwiched around the text are humorous drawings of the author, the plants, and the insects that are prey for them. Part of the "Read & Wonder" series.
School Library Journal - School Library JournalGr 1-3-Humorous cartoon drawings illustrate this fun story of a man searching the world for carnivorous plants. As he hunts down bladderworts, sundews, and Venus flytraps, both he and readers learn about plants that eat animals. The page layout is interesting-variations in type differentiate between the story and the factual information. The man's journey is told in large type, while the facts about carnivorous plants are written in a smaller, bolder type. The device works well, giving a great deal of information in an entertaining fashion. Especially interesting are descriptions of how the plants actually eat the bugs they catch. While not an essential purchase, this is certainly an informative and amusing look at the subject.-Melissa Hudak, North Suburban District Library, Roscoe, IL
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