The Story of Life on Earth - Hardcover

Munro, Margaret

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 088899401X ISBN 13: 9780888994011

Publisher: Groundwood Books, 2000

Synopsis

A handsomely illustrated picture book simply and clearly chronicles the story of life, from its beginnings to the arrival of humans, incorporating the most recent findings.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 2-4-Using full-color, realistically rendered double-page spreads, this title successfully depicts the Earth's formation and transformation over the past 4.6 billion years, and the evolving of life-forms up to the present day. The accompanying text appears in superimposed block inserts, placed differently in each spread. In trying to include so much information in a brief format, concepts are necessarily introduced but not explored, and the pace leaves readers a bit breathless. Munro's unembellished, economical text is suitable for reading aloud. The writing has a pleasing cadence, and is almost lyrical at times. The bold pastel paintings offer dramatic vistas, geological formations, and a diverse array of land and marine plants and animals. There is no index, but the final spread and the endpapers provide a time line and a guide to the different eras. Like an overture to a play, this story will leave readers ready to look elsewhere to flesh out the details.
Corinne Camarata, Port Washington Public Library, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Gr. 3-5. Canadian writer Munro takes readers on a quick tour of Earth's history, with several pages exploring the Azoic (prelife), Proterozoic (first life), Paleozoic (early life), Mesozoic (middle life), and Cenozoic (rise of mammals) periods. Broad double-page spreads carry large-scale illustrations, accompanied by boxes of text. Each contains one, two, or three paragraphs related to the picture and describing conditions on Earth, geological events, or plant and animal life during that age. Karen Reczuch's artwork, which appears to be thickly applied pastels, creates believable and sometimes beautiful scenes of what Earth may have looked like during different periods. An informative introduction to the evolution of life on Earth. -Carolyn Phelan Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Groundwood Books
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 088899401X
• ISBN 13: 9780888994011
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 64
• Illustrator: Reczuch Karen