What do you think?
Rate this book
Hungry Plants
This book offers readers a bug’s-eye view into the strange and fascinating world of carnivorous plants. From the “jaws” of the Venus flytrap to the pretty sundew plant whose delicate tentacles entrap its prey, the unique anatomy and behaviors of meat-eating plants are detailed with clear, engaging text and art.
48 pages, Paperback
First published February 24, 1999
129 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
Mary Batten
38 books7 followersMary 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 26, 2024
This book can be considered either gruesome, cool, or both, depending on who is reading it. If it’s me, it’s gruesome. Imaging being digested while still alive! I cringe at the thought.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2016
Cool it is kinda like a science book but a short one.
February 8, 2021
Scary Plants Now
There are many Plants but you'd imagine that they all depended on sun and water for food, some don't and just depend on bugs, yes bugs. These are carnivorous plants and they eat bugs and insects for food, sort of like us. One such plant and the most common I'd say, is the Venus flytrap. This guy waits still and once an insect comes... Snap! The plants closes it's ~mouth~ I'll call it. Then the insect turns to something more consumable for the plant, liquid. This plant has a sweet smelling nectar that attracts the insect, also the red inside of the plant, bugs love red. Another plant is the Pitcher Plant that looks like a pitcher. This also has sweet smelling nectar and when an insect goes inside, it closes the lid. The insect tries to escape and keeps going down in search of exits not realizing that the exit is on top. It then turns to liquid. One more plant, and my favorite, is the Sundew, this is a very pretty plant up close but it can be deadly. The Sundew waits for an insect to come on it, the insect gets stuck because of glue like bulbs on the plant that look like morning dew. the plant suffocates the insect and lets out an acid that as you can guess turns the insect into liquid. Luckily, all these plants aren't going around on the hunt for us. They just go into action when something goes to it. If you leave them alone then they will probably leave you alone. Some people even keep these guys a house plants! Careful though, they only eat live things, if you give them food yourself you could end up killing them. So if you plan on getting one of these plants just look, and only touch the pot if you need or want to move the plant.
There are many Plants but you'd imagine that they all depended on sun and water for food, some don't and just depend on bugs, yes bugs. These are carnivorous plants and they eat bugs and insects for food, sort of like us. One such plant and the most common I'd say, is the Venus flytrap. This guy waits still and once an insect comes... Snap! The plants closes it's ~mouth~ I'll call it. Then the insect turns to something more consumable for the plant, liquid. This plant has a sweet smelling nectar that attracts the insect, also the red inside of the plant, bugs love red. Another plant is the Pitcher Plant that looks like a pitcher. This also has sweet smelling nectar and when an insect goes inside, it closes the lid. The insect tries to escape and keeps going down in search of exits not realizing that the exit is on top. It then turns to liquid. One more plant, and my favorite, is the Sundew, this is a very pretty plant up close but it can be deadly. The Sundew waits for an insect to come on it, the insect gets stuck because of glue like bulbs on the plant that look like morning dew. the plant suffocates the insect and lets out an acid that as you can guess turns the insect into liquid. Luckily, all these plants aren't going around on the hunt for us. They just go into action when something goes to it. If you leave them alone then they will probably leave you alone. Some people even keep these guys a house plants! Careful though, they only eat live things, if you give them food yourself you could end up killing them. So if you plan on getting one of these plants just look, and only touch the pot if you need or want to move the plant.
September 14, 2020
This is a book all about facts. It explains plants that eat bugs. Like how they do it, which bugs they eat, how long it takes to digest, etc.
This book is interesting and fun. It shows pictures of an example of how the plants work. I like that it explains additional things that children need to know such as not killing them and not trying to feed them themselves. Both of which, I believe children would have tried if it had not been specified otherwise.
I would use this on a day like earth day. I would like to use it as a way to get children excited about plants and about the earth. I think this would be fun because it is something they could see in person like on a field trip to a botanical garden.
This book is interesting and fun. It shows pictures of an example of how the plants work. I like that it explains additional things that children need to know such as not killing them and not trying to feed them themselves. Both of which, I believe children would have tried if it had not been specified otherwise.
I would use this on a day like earth day. I would like to use it as a way to get children excited about plants and about the earth. I think this would be fun because it is something they could see in person like on a field trip to a botanical garden.
August 18, 2017
An introduction to the various types of carnivorous plants and how they trap their prey.
This is a beginning reader chapter book. It gives a very decent overview of the types of carnivorous plants and how each one gets its food. Occasional specific species are mentioned, but mostly it talks about the plants in broad categories. Definitely a higher interest plant read for lower grades.
This is a beginning reader chapter book. It gives a very decent overview of the types of carnivorous plants and how each one gets its food. Occasional specific species are mentioned, but mostly it talks about the plants in broad categories. Definitely a higher interest plant read for lower grades.
September 22, 2020
I thought the reading was good for its proposed level (easier words were used; terms were defined/clarified) and the content was highly informative and organized. We get to learn about Venus fly traps, pitcher plants, sundews; about active and passive carnivorous plants; about their history and their present state. And the illustrations were really nice (and science-y?), too!
December 28, 2017
This non-fiction children's book contained all I ever wanted to know about meat-eating plants. It was good to find out that people are in no danger from these plants!
March 20, 2019
This a great overview of all carnivorous plants. We've got an interest in our classroom and this will be the book that can open the door to further exploration
December 2, 2021
Kids and adults will enjoy learning. Entertaining read!
July 27, 2022
If your kids are interested in carnivorous plants, this is an easy to read, interesting book for kids. It’s simple, but teaches well.
January 2, 2013
I am slowly discovering the wonderful world of non-fiction in children's literature. Who knew that there are so many informative and educational kid's books out there?
One of the most interesting books I've found recently is Hungry Plants. It is an early reader level 4 book all about carnivorous plants. I read this to my daughter and she just loved it. Her favorite was the Venus Fly Trap, but she thought the other ones were cool, too.
It is chuck full of great information about different kinds of insect eating plants. The illustrations are highly detailed and depict the makeup of the plants very well.
I will admit that I don't have a very good way to check the facts presented in this book in any other way than to Google everything. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to do that. At any rate, I am giving this book a solid 5 STARS for being interesting, informative, and very educational.
More reviews on my blog: Books for Kids
One of the most interesting books I've found recently is Hungry Plants. It is an early reader level 4 book all about carnivorous plants. I read this to my daughter and she just loved it. Her favorite was the Venus Fly Trap, but she thought the other ones were cool, too.
It is chuck full of great information about different kinds of insect eating plants. The illustrations are highly detailed and depict the makeup of the plants very well.
I will admit that I don't have a very good way to check the facts presented in this book in any other way than to Google everything. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to do that. At any rate, I am giving this book a solid 5 STARS for being interesting, informative, and very educational.
More reviews on my blog: Books for Kids
October 26, 2010
Carnivorous plants find their food through tricks and traps. This "First Chapter Book" series would intrigue most young readers who are curious about the world around them, especially when the information is strange and savage. The author reassures young readers that these plants will not harm humans. The idea of watching a plant catch an insect definitely piques my interest.
April 6, 2012
Very interesting fact filled book about carnivorous plants. Fully illustrated and highly informative.
February 27, 2012
This book is Hungry Plants by Mary Batten. This book can be used to discuss carnivorous plants. This book can be used in 2-5 grade classrooms.
April 11, 2012
Hungry Plants is a great book to read when learning about the life of a carnivorous plant. This book has many great pictures and information. Grades 2-4.
April 29, 2012
For the science unit.
May 10, 2012
Read this as one of my In2books for my penpal. Very informative.
September 17, 2014
Weird plants!
February 10, 2016
For kids just starting out with chapter books, this is a comprehensive look at a variety of insect-eating plants.
June 3, 2018
We love these leveled readers on science topics. They are interesting and factual and keep their interest.
This book is being re-read again and again!
This book is being re-read again and again!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews