My First Book of Evolution

All life adapts to its surroundings. Fish use their gills to breathe underwater, and are the ideal shape for moving through it. The desert cactus can store large amounts of water to withstand long periods of drought. Evolution means that something changes and transforms over time to suit its environment and be able to thrive within it.

Featuring chapters on natural selection, Charles Darwin, heredity, genetic variability and speciation, this is quite a deep dive on the subject of evolution. Eduard Altarriba’s illustrations are gorgeous and their vibrant graphic style, plenty of diagrams, and helpful layouts help to make the material more digestible.

Sheddad Kaid-Salah Ferron and Altarriba take the reader through Darwin’s original theory and then look at how evolution has been influenced by human intervention in artificial selection, using the example of animal breeding. They also look ahead to the future of humanity and what influence technology might have on our bodies, minds and lives over the next thousands of years.

As with the other books in this series, there is some rather advanced information contained in My First Book of Evolution, despite the fact that it’s a picture book - meaning that it is best suited to older primary aged children.

* BookTrust *

Like all good nonfiction books, the reader is presented with information as if they are the ones discovering it and not being told it by someone else. It’s a personal journey of discovery which is about as intimate as learning can get. For those children with an interest in this subject you won’t find another book that goes into this level of detail for this age group.

...this book is the kind of book which fits well into a school library or classroom. It would also be a perfect addition to a teacher’s toolkit of reference texts for planning. ...Readers will feel like experts after working their way through each chapter. This might not just be a child’s first book about evolution, it might be their only book too.

* Just Imagine *

Showing more originality and wit than is common in graphic non-fiction illustrations.

* Nicolette Jones (Sunday Times Children's Books editor) *

Written by Sheddad Kaid-Salah Ferrón with appealing images created by Eduard Altarriba, My First Book of Evolution is an extremely clever distillation of the history of life on this planet. Questions are answered clearly and terminology is well explained. This wonderful publication would also make an excellent STEM book for schools.

* The Scotsman on Sunday *

This is the sixth book collaboration from award-winning duo, Ferrón and Altarriba, and is another fantastic investigation of a complex subject explained in an easy-to-understand way. The comprehensive contents page makes topics easy to find and the book covers a huge range to explore starting with What Is Life and followed by a dive into species, natural selection, adaptation, heredity, mutations, genetics, evolution, speciation, artificial selection and more.

It talks about who Darwin was, his journeys and discoveries and concludes with an explanation of LUCA (the last universal common ancestor) alongside questions about the possibility of extraterrestrial life. For a young person interested in evolution, this book is certain to keep them absorbed for hours. It is also an excellent introduction to the subject for those who want to discover more.

Altarriba’s background in graphic design is easy to see in the well-designed pages with their mix of fonts and layouts that make the book visually interesting and help to divide what could be a complex subject into easy to understand blocks. The pages are also packed with drawings, diagrams and maps and readers are taken step by step through various scientific theories and concepts. Aimed at 9 – 11 year olds this book also fits in perfectly with the Primary Key Stage 2 curriculum.

* Armadillo magazine *

Gr 6-8–While the “my first” construct of the title seems to reference primers for toddlers, this volume provides an excellent and expansive overview of evolution and related topics for upper elementary and middle schoolers. Altarriba and Ferrón fit an engaging and clear introductory biology course into just under 50 picture book pages, including information on how evolution works, Darwin and Mendel, cells and cell parts, DNA, heredity, and more. This is a lot for readers to process; thankfully, the effective visual layout of this title expertly uses various text features such as text size, color, speech bubbles, and more to draw readers’ attention to the main idea and most important aspects of each section. These features can also help adults scaffold the information to share the more basic concepts with younger readers if necessary.

VERDICT Perfect for students just beginning their study of evolution or for those who need a refresher, this is a worthy addition to the shelves.

-- Maria Bohan * School Library Journal *

How did we evolve? This is a popular question asked by children. This wonderful hard back first book of evolution answers this question and will provide the answers, as well as the opportunities to delve deeper into life. The cover grabs the reader to think about where life comes from. It takes you on a journey from the beginning of life through a diverse history and beyond. The importance of Charles Darwin and his passion and role in evolution makes the reader think about life all around us. Each chapter is full of fun facts and information and covers all the key vocabulary that children need to know from the science curriculum.

The diagrams, illustrations and text are easy to follow, all children would be able to take something from each chapter. This book would be a welcomed addition to any science library, or Year 2, (aged 6-7), or lower Key Stage 2, (aged 7-9), classroom. It could be used for independent research or as a teacher resource, a great starter for science lessons. Each chapter could be the starter for a series of lessons on evolution.

* The English Association *

A brilliant introduction into how evolution works with a range of eye catching graphics and visuals.

* @father_teacher_reader *

Exciting and accessible, this is a great starter book for budding scientists at home or school, as well as adults who may not have learned about the topic previously.

* Red Reading Hub *

The graphics are excellent and the colour coding subtle but helpful and this is the work of Altarriba which shows just why he won an award for his work on My first book of Quantum Physics. Although under 50 pages this hardback pulls a lot in and is definitively worth the investment and may get some enquiring minds interested in biology.

* Happy Families blog *

The title is slightly misleading on this and doesn't give justice to the depth contained in such an unsuspecting book. With the authors familiar flair for science communication, comes a celebration of life on Earth and how this has adapted and evolved over time. Far from being an ode to dinosaurs (although of course they get a nod), this delves into the depths of biology. Expect to find cell anatomy, explanation of the process behind genetic inheritance and genetic mutation, as well as the consequences of these. It definitely brought me back to my student days!

* @mini.midnight.reads *

This is such a cool book! It makes evolution engaging, fascinating and easy to understand. It breaks up the information into accessible pieces and explains concepts such as how humans evolved, how animals’ bodies have adapted to their environment, what is a family tree, how are traits inherited and more!

* @picturebookrecommendations *

This lovely book fascinates the readers with bite-size facts, clear and simple explanations, and attractive and absorbing illustrations to illuminate the mysteries of evolution. Discover all about evolution and how it works in a fun and entertaining way. The book takes me back to my childhood learning about Charles Darwin, fossils, the evolution of many species, & so much more. I like how creative the information is presented that pulls you in to learn more. It is a cute #STEM book to check out.

* @stylishmodernmotherhood *

Informatively illustrated, expertly organized/presented, and ideal for young readers ages 8-12, My First Book of Evolution with its bite-size facts, clear and simple explanations is the perfect introduction to the mysteries and wonders of evolution. This large format hardcover picture book edition of My First Book of Evolution is especially and unreservedly recommended for family, elementary school, middle school, and community library Science & Evolution collections for inquisitive children.

* Mid-West Book Revi