Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be

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Overview

Evolution is the process that created the terrible teeth of Tyrannosaurus rex and the complex human brain, clever enough to understand the workings of nature. Young readers will learn how a British naturalist named Charles Darwin studied nature and developed his now-famous concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest. And how modern-day science has added to our understanding of the theory of evolution. Can something as complex and wondrous as the natural world be explained by a simple theory? The ...
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Overview

Evolution is the process that created the terrible teeth of Tyrannosaurus rex and the complex human brain, clever enough to understand the workings of nature. Young readers will learn how a British naturalist named Charles Darwin studied nature and developed his now-famous concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest. And how modern-day science has added to our understanding of the theory of evolution. Can something as complex and wondrous as the natural world be explained by a simple theory? The answer is yes, and now Evolution explains how in a way that makes it easy to understand.
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Editorial Reviews

Quill & Quire
What could have been a dreary march through the fossil records is kept light and accessible by Loxton’s sense of humor and breezy prose style.
From the Publisher
What could have been a dreary march through the fossil records is kept light and accessible by Loxton’s sense of humor and breezy prose style.
Children's Literature - Cherie Ilg Haas
Understandable analogies, helpful illustrations, and somewhat casual text combine to teach young readers about the amazing theories on evolution in this intriguing book. It is well-organized into parts and chapters that explain the theories of evolution based on scientific evidence such as fossils as well as the living research studies conducted by Charles Darwin and other (more recent) scientists. These studies have involved observing species such as pigeons, flies, and moths evolve over time. Concepts such as this are explained in a way that young readers will be able to comprehend. Chapters in part two of the book are headed by common questions about evolution. These questions are answered frankly and completely, with supporting evidence that helps the concepts make sense. This title is a "must" for science classrooms and libraries alike. Reviewer: Cherie Ilg Haas
School Library Journal
Gr 5–8—Loxton uses a combination of Q & A and exposition in his conversational text to explore the process of evolution. He even makes reference to religion, stating that while science, exemplary in explaining the functionalism of the natural world, "can't tell us what those discoveries mean in a spiritual sense." Topics addressed include whether it is possible to see new species evolve, the evolution of flight, and the dearth of many "transitional" fossils. Other facing-page units discuss evolutionary compromises, Darwinian theory, and the fact that "survival of the fittest" may often be the "survival of the adequate." Colorful illustrations and diagrams appear on every page, and the book uses a variety of faces/heads with each "question," giving the impression they are asked by individuals. More difficult than Steve Jenkins's Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution (Houghton, 2002), almost on par with Robert Winston's Evolution Revolution (2009), and simpler than Linda Gamlin's Evolution (2009, both DK), this title will appeal to researchers.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Kirkus Reviews
A quick once-over of this hot-button topic, though strongly argued if superficial and oddly illustrated. Pointedly dismissing Intelligent Design and not even bothering to "teach the controversy," Loxton explains in nontechnical language the current understanding of how species evolve through Natural Selection-which he rightly defines as "survival of the adequate." After showing how applecart-upsetting evidence of extinct animals and the geologic scale of time led to "Darwin's Big Idea," he describes the processes of selection in answers to a series of skeptically posed questions like, "How could evolution produce something as complicated as my eyes?" However, not only does he fail to provide any source notes or links to further resources, he leaves readers largely in the dark about evolution's genetic mechanism. Furthermore, the illustrations are a patchwork jumble of color photos, sketchy diagrams, awkwardly drawn cartoon figures and uncommonly photorealistic portraits of prehistoric creatures. Better-founded introductions like Robert Winston's Evolution Revolution: From Darwin to DNA (2009) or Kristan Lawson's Darwin and Evolution for Kids: His Life and Ideas with 21 Activities (2003) will likely edge out this one in the struggle to survive. (Nonfiction. 10-13)
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781554534302
  • Publisher: Kids Can Press, Limited
  • Publication date: 2/1/2010
  • Pages: 56
  • Sales rank: 266,296
  • Age range: 8 - 13 Years
  • Product dimensions: 8.70 (w) x 11.10 (h) x 0.70 (d)

Meet the Author

Daniel Loxton is Editor of Junior Skeptic, the children's section of Skeptic magazine, a quarterly science education and science advocacy magazine published by the nonprofit Skeptics Society. Daniel is the author and illustrator of Evolution. He lives in Victoria, B.C.

Daniel Loxton is Editor of Junior Skeptic, the children's section of Skeptic magazine, a quarterly science education and science advocacy magazine published by the nonprofit Skeptics Society. Daniel is the author and illustrator of Evolution. He lives in Victoria, B.C.

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Sort by: Showing all of 4 Customer Reviews

  • Posted January 20, 2012

    Good for Kids...Good graphics

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    Posted August 28, 2010

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    Posted November 27, 2010

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    Posted February 19, 2010

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