Life on earth The story of evolution

Steve Jenkins, 1952-

Book - 2002

Provides an overview of the origin and evolution of life on earth and of what has been learned from the study of evolution.

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Subjects
Published
Boston : Houghton Mifflin 2002.
Language
English
Main Author
Steve Jenkins, 1952- (-)
Physical Description
unpaged : ill
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN
9780618164769
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Gr. 3^-6. It's tough to get children to imagine a world without television, let alone one without life, but this oversize picture book for older readers makes the overwhelming concept easier to grasp. The main text, in large type, outlines evolution in simple, clear terms: the principal theory of how life began, Darwin's contribution, how mutation and even extinction have contributed. Jenkins' paper-cut spot art, with captions in small type, provides most of the specifics. There's no sense of scale in his pictures; the bee and the rabbit are the same size. But his paper cuts are extraordinary all the same, jam-packed with pattern and variegated color. Some of the art is just flashy and gorgeous: a double-page spread filled to the edges with animals and plants (there's an identification key at the back); a spectacular spread showing 19 of the 300,000 beetle species. Other pictures greatly extend the text--among them, a full page comprising small coordinated pictures that dramatize the natural selection of frogs. But the last double-page spread is, perhaps, the best. Jenkins makes the history of evolution even more accessible by placing important events on a time-line ribbon that represents a 24-hour day. Clever, eye-catching, and extremely effective. --Stephanie Zvirin

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Grabbing the audience's attention with stunning cut- and torn-paper collage illustrations, Jenkins (The Top of the World) illuminates another corner of the science world in this cogent introduction to evolution. Here, he traces the planet's history from its fiery beginnings billions of years ago through the emergence of the first bacteria, development of such organisms as jellyfish, ferns, dinosaurs, mammals and birds, on up to humans. Posing and answering questions ("Why have so many different forms of life developed on the earth?"), Jenkins ably presents such concepts as mutation, extinction and Darwin's theory of "survival of the fittest." The information spans an impressive range; Jenkins organizes and presents it with a clarity that demonstrates his mindfulness of the audience. Spacious white backdrops allow the vigorously lifelike collage images to spring to the fore. Bright-eyed frogs appear ready to jump off the pages; a shark swims menacingly toward readers; a wooly mammoth looks soft enough to pet. Science at its most inviting. Ages 6-10. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-6-Jenkins's trademark watercolor cut-paper collages, a large format, and the careful use of both an oversized and small font are definite lures into this handsome exploration of the basics of evolution. The author has taken on the formidable task of investigating the scientific theories explaining the innumerable branchings, proliferations, and extinctions of life on planet Earth. His lucid text presents a terse chronology of life from its earliest beginnings as one-celled bacteria in the primordial ocean to the appearance of modern man. He then explains how scientists were persuaded that animal/plant classifications and geological/fossil records provided proof that animals and plants had not remained unchanged since a single moment of creation, and discusses how Charles Darwin's investigations in the Gal pagos resulted in his formulation of the theory of evolution. The discussion also includes natural selection, variation and mutation, and how these processes can produce new species and some of the possible causes of extinctions. The final graphic diagram compares Earth's 4 Y billion-year history with a 24-hour day, showing modern man popping into the scene at 11:59:58 p.m. Larger and more eye-catching than Joanna Cole's Evolution (Crowell, 1987; o.p.), and far simpler than Stephen Webster's The Kingfisher Book of Evolution (Kingfisher, 2000), Life on Earth is a polished exposition of a difficult, often controversial scientific concept. Substantial, despite its picture-book appearance.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

(Primary, Intermediate) Jenkins presents a superb introduction to evolution for younger readers, in which he marvels at the amazing diversity of life on this planet; explains in detail concepts such as natural selection, variation, and mutation; and covers some historical context for the development of the theory. His signature cut-paper illustrations placed on white backgrounds work well in this format. Although there is unfortunately no scale indicated in the pictures, the artwork clearly conveys the degrees of complexity of various organisms throughout the history of the earth. Each organism is either labeled in a helpful caption or in a guide at the end of the book. Jenkins's explanations of science concepts are comprehensive and comprehensible, making good use of his excellent illustrations. To explain natural selection, for example, he uses frogs-a standard component of elementary school curricula-to show through illustration and captions how from an initial pool of thousands of eggs only a few frogs survive to reproduce. Particularly admirable is his avoidance of any oversimplifications, despite a targeted elementary audience. The book ends with the classic portrayal of all of earth history as a single day, clearly illustrating the very recent arrival of modern humans. Suggestions for further reading and a bibliography of sources are appended. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Jenkins (Animals in Flight, 2001, etc.) makes a first-class foray into an often-neglected topic. He traces life on earth from the single-celled organisms over three-and-a-half billion years ago through trilobites, club mosses, and dinosaurs, past flightless birds, "battering ram beasts," and into the modern age of man. A time line, when set against a 24-hour day, has humans showing up at two minutes to midnight. Then he traces how scientists first learned about the earth's history and formulated the theory of evolution; he shows how species adapt to their environments and how some random mutations can cause animals to be better able to survive. Bright cut- and torn-paper collages illustrate the remarkable diversity of, say, 300,000 species of beetles (18 are shown). The pacing and the picture-to-text ratio seem off in the first few pages, but that's a very minor quibble. Because evolution is sometimes not taught in all schools, few good texts exist on it for this age. Factual and fascinating, this one belongs in every library. (Nonfiction. 7-12)

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.