The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin - Softcover

Sís, Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1250073480 ISBN 13: 9781250073488

Publisher: Square Fish, 2016

Synopsis

In this brilliant presentation of a revolutionary thinker's life, the picture book becomes an art form

As far as I can judge, I am not apt to follow blindly the lead of other men . . .

Charles Darwin was, above all else, an independent thinker who continues even now to influence the way we look at the natural world. His endless curiosity and passion for detail resulted in a wealth of notebooks, diaries, correspondence, and published writings that Peter Sís transforms into a visual treasure trove. A multilayered journey through Darwin's world, The Tree of Life begins with his childhood and traces the arc of his life through university and career, following him around the globe on the voyage of the Beagle, and home to a quiet but momentous life devoted to science and family. Sís uses his own singular vision to create a gloriously detailed panorama of a genius scientist's trajectory through investigating and understanding the mysteries of nature and evolution. In pictures executed in fine pen and ink and lush watercolors – cameo portraits, illustrated pages of diary, cutaway views of the Beagle, as well as charts, maps, and a gatefold spread – Peter Sís, the author of The Wall, Starry Messenger, Tibet, Madlenka, and The Pilot and the Little Prince, has shaped a wondrous introduction to Charles Darwin. This title has Common Core connections.

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
An ALA Notable Children’s Book
A New York Times Best Illustrated Book
A New York Times Notable Children’s Book
A Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year

“Sweeping in scope, lavish in detail, this is a book to launch many a reader’s personal voyage of discovery.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Beautifully conceived and executed, the presentation is a humorous and informative tour de force that will absorb and challenge readers. . . . A fabulous, visually exciting introduction to the man, his ideas and the science of the natural world.” ―School Library Journal, starred review

“An extraordinary book that explores Darwin’s life, work, and sources of inspiration . . . The detailed illustrations and narrative complexities demand of readers the same process Darwin set for himself: observe carefully, make connections, and learn.” ―The Horn Book, starred review

About this title

Review:

Here is a fascinating, detailed look at the life of Charles Darwin: naturalist, geologist, and independent thinker. In his author's note, Caldecott Honor illustrator Peter Sis (Starry Messenger, Tibet: Through the Red Box) writes that Darwin always regretted not learning how to draw. However, he could and did take "dense and vivid" written notes, from which Sis drew his inspiration. Readers will spend hours poring over the gorgeous, intricately crafted pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations depicting layer upon layer of Darwin’s life as he developed his theories about the origins of life and natural selection. Tidbits from Darwin’s extensive and legendary voyage on the Beagle, notes on Galapagos tortoises, bloodsucking benchuca bugs, and Toxodon skeletons, and particulars from his family life intermingle with each other--just as in real life. Crammed with a veritable muddle of diary entries, cameo portraits, diagrams, natural illustrations, maps, timelines, a gatefold spread, and narrative divided into "Public Life," "Private Life," and "Secret Life" blocks of text, The Tree of Life will certainly be overwhelming to some readers; for other, less linear thinkers, it will be sheer, chaotic delight. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter

About the Author:

Peter Sís is the internationally renowned author and/or illustrator of many books for children, including Starry Messenger:Galileo Galilei; The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain; and Tibet Through the Red Box, all Caldecott Honor books, and The Pilot and the Little Prince. He is the recipient of the 2012 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration and has also been awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. He has lived in and around New York City since 1984.

About this edition

• Publisher: Square Fish
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1250073480
• ISBN 13: 9781250073488
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 44
• Illustrator: Sís Peter