Due to a passing in the family a few years ago and my subsequent health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for years after the bereavement. Thank you for the opportunity.

I wish I had has this book to teach me about evolution when I was a kid. It is as thorough and comprehensive as an illustrated guide for children can be!

Amazingly illustrated little book full of "dino"-size bites of scientific knowledge that are fun facts for kids and adults of all ages. Clear and well organized.
**I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.**

Great book! I love books like this that kids can look at by themselves but still read with you (and maybe even spark a new educational interest!!). Pleasing photos and layout as well.

My children enjoyed me reading this to them so it’s a thumbs up for the targeted audience your looking for

Full of lots of bright pictures, captions and interesting information, this children’s book gives lots of information about evolution and the history of life on earth. The book is divided into 3 distinct sections with a glossary and index at the end. Each section is well laid out and the language and vocabulary used is very child-friendly and accessible.

I wouldn’t hesitate to use this book with key stage 2 when learning about animal adaptations and evolution.

Thanks to the publishers for sharing this one. It's great to see some good books on evolution for kids. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

My Thoughts
Darwin is, I think, one of my favorite scientists ever. Biology was a long-time beloved subject, and discovering Darwin was like icing on the biology cake!

This book is, in that context, delightful – like a beautiful edible cake topper. I learned something new on every page.


Mary Anning was one of those new discoveries for me (a coincidence, I discovered her right around her birthday – May 21st!). She was a fossil hunter in the 1800s (so a Darwin contemporary).

Anna Claybourne takes us on the amazing journey of evolution all the way from a basic definition of evolution to predictions of future evolutionary changes in today’s species (including us). Wesley Robbin’s gorgeously colorful and detailed illustrations enhance the reading (and learning) experience.

We learn:

how life evolved from single cells to the millions of species currently inhabiting the earth; including those weird and wonderful ones we are yet to understand – like the Brazilian treehopper
about those who started it all (!!) – Darwin, Wallace, and also Mary Anning (you go girl!)
the answer to the questions – those we always had and those we did not know we should have asked, like:
What makes a species a species?
How are we related to the cabbage? (and we are!)
Are we still evolving? How?
so much more…

One smart visual aid I loved: a colored timeline (with different colors for different eras) is first detailed in a chart and later used as a sidebar on pages with the current era highlighted (by only using that color on the timeline)

In Summary:
Using brilliantly colored and detailed illustrations, clear concise text, and smart visual and textual aids, this book takes a complex subject and presents it in a easy to understand, accessible and delightful format for its readers (young and old).

I definitely recommend this book. Buy it for yourself and/or (I know I will). An Amazing Addition to any library – home, school or your local library.

Rating: A+
Reading Level: 8 – 12 years (well, really all ages)
Reread Level: A

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Ivy Kids for the digital ARC of this book. These are my honest opinions.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

amazing story!

I really love evolution and I think this is a pretty good book if one needs to explain it to children (or adults). The art is fun and cute, and I think it is a good transition from picture-books to this slightly more involved and grown-up topic. I only have a couple small picky complaints but overall enjoyed it very much, and I will strongly consider buying this for my daughter.

Picky thing #1: On the first page I saw this line: "Evolution also explains why there used to be many other creatures, such as dinosaurs, which no longer exist." Obviously the sentiment is true, but our best evidence is that dinosaurs no longer exist due to an environmental catastrophe, not evolutionary change. Evolution is way cooler than dinosaurs being eradicated by a meteor (which is even addressed on page 11!), and creatures that don't exist now because of evolution are things like common ancestors which are super cool but probably less well known.

Picky thing #2: In the discussion on page 21 of humans being the only animal to have complex culture when we know that other species do have culture, including complex family groups and tool use. However I was very glad to see the point made that evolution doesn't have a "point" or try to reach "higher."

My only other feedback would be a request for a "for more information on evolution, check out these books/resources!" section at the end of the book. I would love to know further child-appropriate reading on the topic!

I received this arc from NetGalley for an honest review. If you are teaching your children about evolution this book is the perfect addition to the collection. Bright pictures and lots of easy to understand information makes this an enjoyable read for kids.

A wonderful graphic novel that manages to combine a compelling narrative and illustrations to create a wonderful experience for the reader.

I really enjoyed this book. The illustrations are gorgeous and engaging to look at, and the text is easy enough for kids to understand. Simple, yet it goes into a lot of detail to give kids a good scientific foundation to understand evolution. Definitely one I'd like for our library!

I have been teaching science for 18 years and teaching evolutionary concepts can be difficult. This is a wonderful book for middle grade students (I would say 4th to 8th graders) to help them understand evolution. In fact, it would be easy to turn it into the entire basis for a unit on evolution and taxonomy for those grades (adding activities to increase understanding). I plan to read it with my third grade daughter this summer to help her understand various biology concepts that she is already interested in.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this book!

A very good book on evolution for the school library, or for some home use. It doesn't cover deniers, but it does feature all you would actually want, from how the whole thing works, to coevolution, to the different ways flight evolved, what humans might come to look like, and so on. The visual element is finely judged, the readability (which includes the prevalence or not of scattering text willy-nilly in factoids across the page) is perfect, and it's pretty much the go-to book to explain the science to any primary school child. I even learnt a couple of details.

An interesting read for children and adults alike to learn more about evolution. I really enjoyed the colourful art and drawings.

Claybourne's book is a wonderful journey through evolution. Each page is filled with information and engaging images. This is sure to keep older kids interested and entice younger kids to seek out more.

😍😍 I adore the illustrations in this, and found it highly informative without being overly complicated. I think my 5.5 year old will love it and I plan to buy it for her. I liked how many different topics it covered too, I think it will work well as a spine when teaching evolution.

This book is beautiful and engaging. A brilliant educational resource for children I would recommend it for any ks1/2 classroom.

For starters, how stunning are the illustrations in this book!? They are absolutely gorgeous, bright and intricate!
This book is fantastic, it explains evolution using language that younger readers will understand, and terms that are easy for parents or teachers to explain.
It goes through evolution in ways that allow growing minds to understand the process and why it is happening.
A fantastic book for home or the classroom!