Review by Booklist Review
The passage of time, in both the geological and biological sense, can be difficult for children to conceptualize. This compelling volume seeks to clarify hard-to-visualize periods of time and put an average life span of various organisms into an understandable context. The book is divided into five main sections, from shortest life spans to longest, and includes discussion about fungi, plants, mammals, aquatic animals, and even humans. The evolution of primates is presented through dynamic graphics, and the text is driven by engaging, full-color photographs and maps. Although plenty of commonly recognized animals are included, the facts are obscure enough to be fascinating for older children, even science buffs. Each chapter concludes with a Did You Know? page full of fun trivia, and a comprehensive glossary is provided. This book is a powerful interdisciplinary resource, encompassing lessons from biology, geography, natural history, and the social sciences.--Anderson, Erin Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Aiming to provide an "imaginative introduction to the natural world and the huge array of species that inhabit it," this work is a spectacular success. It focuses on 230 species (considering that 18,000 new ones are discovered each year, we'll give them credit for selecting the most interesting), categorizing them according to lifespan. The chapters start with "Here today...," which includes bacteria that survive for less than an hour, and close with "Time Is on My Side," which mentions champions of longevity such as the Great Barrier Reef, portions of which are 18 million years old. Spreads focusing on a life span or on species are interspersed with features highlighting biodiversity, habitats, genetics, and other influences on Earth's lifeforms. The feature spreads include a map of the world and numbered circles that link to corresponding text. The layout of these features is sometimes more confusing than the other content, with the numbered text going against the natural reading direction. But this won't disrupt the title's Guinness Book of World Records-like appeal: it includes some truly bizarre and gross facts (a vanilla flavoring used in ice cream comes from the anal glands of beavers, for example). All measurements are given in nonmetric and metric measurements. One unifying feature woven throughout the text and the vivid color photography is how many species have their lifespans adversely affected by disease and human interference (or, as in the case of the male brown antechinus, the "stress and exhaustion of mating"). Don't let this title languish in the reference stacks. Put it in circulation where it can be taken home and enjoyed.-Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA (c) Copyright 2012. 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.
