They Are Here!

Ages 8 to 12

An exciting, fact-filled middle grade nonfiction book exploring how, as humans have traveled and migrated, we’ve introduced—on purpose and by accident—parts of the world to wildlife previously unknown, sometimes with disastrous results.

Did you know that sparrows were brought from Europe to the US in the 1850s, but they’ve been pestering humans for far longer? The ancient Egyptians had a hieroglyph for the sparrow—It meant “small” or “bad.”

Did you know that thousands of exotic pets were released into the Florida Everglades after a hurricane in 1992, leading to today's booming Burmese python population?

This is a story of human error and nature gone wild. Looking at the cases of thirty plants and animals, we’ll find out all about invasive species, their impact, and the steps we can take to support local ecosystems.

Godwin Books

About the Author

Roland Smith is a New York Times–bestselling author who has published many books for children and young adults, and a former zoo curator and research biologist. He spent more than twenty years working with animals and plans to spend the next twenty writing about them.

rolandsmith.com