Evolution

Living in a Bible-belt state, it's sometimes hard to teach Evolution, and NOT teach against the bible. Eyewitness books are always great and this one is no exception: it gives the facts without putting any implied controversy to other schools of thought. My son always loves the Eyewitness book part of our homeschool day! Thanks!

This product provides a visually interesting--though *almost* too visually busy on a few pages--introduction to evolution. Its style is somewhat stilted, and the reading level is certainly for older children. (I am not an expert on determining reading comprehension standards, but as a comparison, the reading comprehension level required by the Harry Potter novels, which I have read, is LESS advanced than that required by "Eyewitness: Evolution," though the imagery, much of photographic, will appeal to younger readers. The structure is a basically chronological arrangement of topics relating to evolution, from pre-scientific myths about creation to DNA-related topics. Each topic is covered in two pages--and graphically designed as a two-page spread--with the primary block of text relating to the topic on the left-hand page under a large title heading. The amount of text is more significant than you might suppose, given the book's many images, since sidebars or captions with word counts nearly as large as the aforementioned primary textual block accompany most images. Admirably, the book places Charles Darwin is a larger context of biological and geological ideas made in the 1700s and 1800s; it also looks at genetics-related discoveries after Darwin's death. However, the 1993 book needs some (but arguably surprisingly little) updating in light of additional discoveries and insights provided by science in the 1990s and 2000s, including the Human Genome Project, data on the Cambrian Explosion and catastrophes, and more. Though the book wisely left out some sub-topics trendy at the time of writing: it does laudably stick to the established basics, and has keep the book remarkably solid as an introduction to evolution even after more than 15 years. Its 2-page spread on "Science and belief" is above par in that it lays out the basics of the scientific method itself (evidence, peer review, etc.).

With a wealth of drawings, pictures, and photographs, this book explains the basics of natural selection and the evolution of life on earth. The authors also do a good job of confronting issues that have little to do with science but which may nevertheless be raised by some in connection with this branch of human knowledge. References to certain mythological beliefs are done in a straight-forward and non-offensive way, with reasoned explanations of why people may have thought the way they did (or do). This book is highly recommended for children in Middle School who are confronted with class-mates who do not understand evolution or who for some reason have been taught that it is not 'true.' But the main strength of this book is a strong presentation of the evidence for natural selection that is found in nature. By combining many interesting facts about fascinating animals with a small dose of hard science this book is a perfect introduction to areas of science such as geology and anthropology. As such it also provides much information that will complement Middle School science classes. This book should be in every educated family's library.

I was looking for a book on evolution to give to a child who was asking questions about the subject. I found this book in eyewitness fashion to be low on text but told its story through many engaging interesting pictures. The book sensitively dealt with questions of creation and biblic questions relating to evolution, answering them with scientific and historical information. It also provided multicultural references and included creation stories from non-western cultures as well. This book is a must for high school or even junior high science teachers who are faced with justifying teaching their subject matter to parents, board members and community members. Not to mention, its a beautiful descriptive book that is a welcome addition to any general level scientific book collection.