Review by Booklist Review
"This picture-book-size title offers a lighthearted look at some of the earliest life-forms on Earth. As promised in the title, the information packed into the double-page spreads starts with the oceans already teeming with primitive life and stops long before the dinosaurs appear on the scene. The passing of hundreds of millions of years can't quite be captured with a turn of the page, but a creative time line, which manages to be funny with the insertion of a few jokes, will help kids put each time period into context. Also included in the back matter are a glossary, a pronunciation guide, and a skimpy index. The suggested resources prove disappointing; only one video and a few Web sites are mentioned, along with the advice to go forth and Google. Overall, though, Bonner creates an effective and fun introduction to a complicated subject."--"Morning, Todd" Copyright 2007 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-In this companion to When Bugs Were Big, Plants Were Strange, and Tetrapods Stalked the Earth (National Geographic, 2004), Bonner explores life on Earth during the Silurian and Devonian periods. Not only did plants and bugs emerge from oceans to adapt to land, but by the late Devonian, some fish also began to make the transition. Bonner's clear, engaging writing conveys plenty of information without overwhelming readers, and her illustrations offer fascinating visual representations of unusual creatures and landscapes. Small cartoons add touches of humor. Maps of the continents today are juxtaposed with larger representations of the landmasses in the two periods. Visual time lines of Earth's history through four billion years clarify the period covered. This exemplary science book will serve report writers well and captivate casual readers.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato (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
(Intermediate, Middle School) This scientifically thorough but humorous account of prehistoric life focuses on the time between 444 and 360 million years ago during the Silurian and Devonian periods. Readers accustomed to thinking that prehistory is all about dinosaurs might be surprised to discover that intriguing developments were taking place much earlier, particularly in the seas. Bonner's friendly and engaging writing enlivens a comprehensive explanation of conceptually challenging biology at a level perfectly targeted to elementary- and middle-school readers. The science is first-rate, framing factual information within the big, important ideas of paleontology and geology. Equally effective are the multilayered cartoonlike illustrations containing cultural references for both adults and children. Most of the illustrations are not just funny but truly scientific, demonstrating the power of illustration to help make scientific ideas clearer through clever visual metaphors. Bonner even slyly pokes fun at the children's science book genre with an amusing spin on the obligatory experiment add-on (in this case a "recipe" for how to make a land plant and a land animal). Appendices, pronunciation guide, glossary, sources, and an index complete the book. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The author of When Bugs Were Big, Plants Were Strange, and Tetrapods Stalked the Earth (2003) continues her droll but dependable tour of deep prehistory, focusing here on the flora, fauna and fungi of the Silurian and Devonian Periods, approximately 360 to 44 million years ago. This was the time when larger forms of life began to emerge on land, while, among the far richer variety of marine animals, fish wriggled to the top, thanks to newly developed jaws which allowed them "to say good-bye to a monotonous diet of teensy stuff. Now fish could grab, slice and dice to their heart's content." By the end, soil, forests and, of course, feet had also appeared. Fearlessly folding in tongue-challenging names and mixing simply drawn reconstructions and maps with goofy flights of fancy--on the first spread Robin Mite and Friar Millipede are caught on a stroll through Sherwood Moss Patch, and on the last, genial nautiloid Amphicyrtoceras plugs the previous volume--Bonner serves up a second heaping course of science that will both stick to the ribs and tickle them. (index, resource lists, time line) (Nonfiction. 8-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
