Charlie and Kiwi: An Evolutionary Adventure

When Charlie decides to research the unique kiwi bird for a school report, he is launched on a time-travel adventure that delves into the underpinnings of evolutionary theory. First stop in his makeshift time machine is 1860, to meet Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandpa Charles (Darwin, it's assumed). The two visit the first kiwis in New Zealand, then feathered dinosaurs 150 million years ago, before returning to the present. "Peering out the window, Charlie and Grandpa Charles watched the world change. There were more feathered dinosaurs in each generation. They had more feathers, longer feathers, stiffer feathers." While some plot devices are gimmicky or fall flat (Grandpa Charles's witticisms about needing dinner; Charlie's stuffed kiwi spearheading the time travel, yelling "Keee-weee! Keee-weee!"), the story's fast-paced narrative and cartoon vignettes do a commendable job of explaining how small adaptations over time lead to evolution. The book was written as a companion to an exhibit at the New York Hall of Science, and flap copy directs readers to a Web site with an animated version of the story, games, and other resources and information. Ages 4-8. (June)

Gr 1-4--This story was written to supplement a traveling exhibit by the New York Hall of Science. Young Charlie is assigned to write a report about a bird. He selects the kiwi and sets out to learn why it has such unusual traits. The story becomes fantastic when a toy kiwi that inspired the project comes to life and invites Charlie on a time-travel adventure back to 1860. The boy meets his Great-Great-Great-Grandpa Charles Darwin, and together they travel back 30 million years to the time of the first kiwis. Darwin enlightens Charlie about his theory of natural selection by viewing the birds and their adaptations. Charlie and his grandpa then travel farther back to the days of the dinosaurs where they witness feathered reptiles. Together they arrive at the conclusion that the first birds were dinosaurs. Upon his return to the present, Charlie presents his conclusions to his classmates and Darwin has a new idea to ponder. This book would be a nice addition to units on evolution, and it has merit as a good reinforcement for the concepts introduced in the exhibition, but for general use, children might prefer to visit the exhibit online and hear the book narrated with animation. The digital-cartoon illustrations are sufficient to support the text but are not impressive.--Diane Antezzo, Ridgefield Library, CT