The Story of Life: A First Book about Evolution - Hardcover

Barr, Catherine; Williams, Steve

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847804853 ISBN 13: 9781847804853

Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2015

Synopsis

This wonderful book introduces children to the story of life and how it all began. Using bitesize text and beautifully bright illustrations this is the perfect book for budding scientists and those eager to learn more about our amazing planet.
 
Are you ready for an exciting and dramatic story about how life began and developed on Planet Earth? Packed full of fascinating facts and funny illustrations, this is the perfect introduction to life on earth for even the youngest of readers.
 
At first, nothing lived on Earth. It was a noisy, hot, scary place. Choking gas exploded from volcanoes and oceans of lava bubbled around the globe...Then in the deep, dark ocean, something amazing happened. Find out how the first living cell was created, and how the cells multiply and create jellyfish and worms, and then fish with bendy necks, which drag themselves out of the water into swampy forests.
 
Discover the story of the biggest creatures that have ever walked on land – the dinosaurs. Long after that, hairy creatures who have babies, not eggs, take over, stand on two legs and spread around the world, some of them living through cataclysmic events such as ice ages and volcanic eruptions.
 
Everyone living today is related to these survivors- including you! This is the perfect first book about evolution for young readers.

About this title

About the Author

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.

Reviews

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

Edition details

• Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1847804853
• ISBN 13: 9781847804853
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Husband Amy
• Number of pages: 40