Birds Conquer the Sky (Development of the Earth)

Llamas, Andreu; Rizo, Luis

ISBN 10: 0791034550 ISBN 13: 9780791034552

Publisher: Chelsea House Pub

Synopsis

Examines how birds have evolved over the centuries, starting 150 million years ago when feathers were used for warmth and not for flight

About this title

Reviews

Gr 4-8--Each of these series entries covers early forms of life on Earth, focusing on a particular animal group. The first title provides information on prehistoric land birds, as well as those that fly, along with explanations of the roles of feathers and bones in the evolution of flight. First Amphibians begins with the earliest land vertebrates, giving clear explanations of their adaptations over time. Dinosaurs includes a general discussion, followed by four pages each on horned dinosaurs and flying reptiles. All three books point out how changes in climate and geology are related to animal developments. The writing is clear for the most part, though at times the language is awkward. Full-color illustrations are fairly attractive and generally useful. In some cases, however, individual species are not identified within the captions. Since each volume covers a long span of time, the lack of a chronology is a significant weakness. Some geologic eras, such as the Tertiary period, are mentioned without any date indications. Most of the material in Dinosaurs can be found elsewhere, but Amphibians and Birds offer less available information, and the evolutionary emphasis distinguishes the series from many similar treatments.

Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library, OR

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Chelsea House Pub
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0791034550
• ISBN 13: 9780791034552
• Binding: Library Binding
• Illustrator: Ferron Miriam, Ferron Miquel