The Story of Life: A First Book about Evolution
by Catherine Barr (Author) Amy Husband (Illustrator)
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Using colorful language and depicting crayon and collage creatures with wide eyes, even at the single-cell stage, this simple account retraces the history of life on Earth from “tiny floating bits” to humans.
From blasting volcanoes and belching gasses to a closing panorama of buildings, factories and busy highways, Husband’s naïve-style cartoon pictures populate the planet with cells, multicelled creatures, plants and animals on land and in the sea, dinosaurs, mammals and then humans in succession. Two major extinction events also get mentions, though they are not specifically named. A linking narrative incorporates the ideas that living things “fought for food and space” and also “evolved” to fill distinct environmental niches. Various terms and phrases from the text are repeated in labels that point to the appropriate spots on the page—for instance those aforementioned “tiny bits.” The authors display a rather parochial point of view in claims that life only “really began to get going” when animals appeared and that following the age of dinosaurs, mammals “took over the world.” However, after noting that we really should be taking better care of our home, they do close with the broader and more accurate observation that “with or without us, our planet will spin through space for billions of years to come.”
A high-spirited lead-in to discussions of evolution’s proofs and mechanisms, despite the anthropocentric view of Earth’s biosphere. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 7-9)School Library Journal
K-Gr 4--This introduction to evolution traces the planet's history from its fiery beginnings of thunderous volcanoes and lava 4.5 billions of years ago. The book covers the emergence of the first bacteria, the development of dinosaurs, mammals, and birds, and the appearance of humans and how they explored and evolved as the Earth warmed and people began to settle in different parts of the world. Through colorful, cartoonlike images, rendered in mixed media and collage, text bubbles, and captions, this informative story provides a window into the Earth's beginnings, natural selection and the concept of "survival of the fittest," and some of the possible causes of extinction. The authors have consulted Brian Rosen, of the Natural History Museum in London, making this book a solid resource for beginning reports. Back matter is useful and will leave children pondering issues such as climate change and endangered creatures. Time lines are clearly labeled in each section so that readers have an understanding of each historical period. Pair this with Steve Jenkins Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution (HMH, 2002) for a preliminary start to exploring this topic. VERDICT A suitable overview of the subject.--Melissa Smith, Royal Oak Public Library, MI
Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
Selected as a March highlight
'An exciting and dramatic introduction to evolution for young children, written in consultation with the Natural History Museum.'
Catherine Barr worked at Greenpeace International for seven years as a wildlife and forestry campaigner and has a long-running interest in environmental issues. While working as an editor at the Natural History Museum, she researched and wrote two major summer exhibitions: Dinosaurs of the Gobi Desert and Myths and Monsters. Her previous books for Frances Lincoln Children's Books include The Story of Inventions, The Story of Life, and The Story of Climate Change. She lives on a hill near Hay-on-Wye in Herefordshire with her partner and two daughters.
Steve Williams is a biologist with a degree in Marine Biology and Applied Zoology from the University of Wales. His lifelong love of wildlife was further inspired by eight years at sea, after which he trained as a teacher, and now teaches science in a rural comprehensive school in Wales. He is a beekeeper and lives near Hay-on-Wye with his wife and two daughters.
Amy Husband studied Graphic Art at Liverpool School of Art. Her first picture book, Dear Miss, was winner of the Cambridgeshire Children's Picture Book Award in 2010, and she also wrote and illustrated Dear Santa, in the same series. Amy lives in the East Yorkshire countryside with her husband James, working from her home studio.
Mike Love is an illustrator from the UK. Since graduating from the Aberystwyth School of Art, Wales, in 2012, Mike has enjoyed being part of a wide variety of projects.
