The Tree of Life: A Book Depicting the Life of Charles Darwin- Naturalist, Geologist & Thinker

This is a wonderful book. Great illustrations with much detail about Darwin's life (all of it, family, career, adventures) including "pages" from his diary. I bought it for my son who really liked it. We read it together the first time, then he explored it on his own. He used it for a 4th grade school project and got an A. I enjoyed it, too.

If you are at all familiar with Peter Sis, then you linger under the incorrect impression that you know what to expect from him. Carefully researched subjects. Illustrations containing infinitesimally small people, places, and things. Engaging and entertaining plots. I tell you now, ladies and gents, "Tree of Life" takes all of this and multiplies it. Quadruples it. You have never seen a picture book like this before. When you are dealing with a book that cares to discuss the origins of life itself, you need an author/illustrator comfortable with details. In this, Sis is your man. This is a summarization and encapsulation of the life of Mr. Charles Robert Darwin. The book begins like so: "Charles Darwin opens his eyes for the first time! He has no idea that he will (a) start a revolution when he grows up, (b) sail around the world on a five-year voyage, (c) spend many years studying nature, and (d) write a book that will change the world". From here on in we watch Darwin learn and grow. The text is separated, initially, into two parts. One portion is in bold and discusses the facts of Darwin's life. An italicized portion below this talks about Charles's passions and desires. Up above we see little images and factoids strewn about the page willy-nilly, giving us a better sense of the times and people involved in the naturalist's life. This form and style goes out the window when Darwin joins up with the Beagle. Suddenly the pages become drawings of creatures and sights. There is a magnificent two-page spread of boxes, each one carrying an interesting fact, animal, moment, or image that Darwin encountered. It's as if his very experiences have been cataloged for the reader's viewing pleasure. Eventually Darwin returns and as he does so the pages themselves return to the previous layout. Now, however, Darwin's life has been divided into three different parts. He has a public life, a private life, and a secret (read evolutionary) life. Every individual life is outlined on each page and as we read on we understand how a single person's dreams can be affected by their personal and private triumphs and catastrophies. When, "On the Origin of the Species" is published we find a full pull-out four page spread encompassing the enormity of this publication. Images on the pages become less straightforward and more dreamlike. At long last, accompanying a vision of a solitary Magritte-like Darwin surrounded by a clan of death's head hawk moths are the words, "Charles Darwin died on April 19, 1882, and was buried in Westminster Abbey". According to the book's author/illustrator, Darwin was, himself, unable to draw. So rather than sketch the wonders he saw while on the Beagle, the naturalist would describe his visions with great detail. In this way, Sis has become Darwin's right hand. It is impossible to flip through this book and not be amazed at the intricacy of the project. Sis is almost a pointillist at times, his Seurat-like d

Although this book targets elementary school libraries, adults of all ages and persuasions will find it riveting. Tree of Life recounts Darwin's childhood from two points of view: his own and his father's. Terrific art work of various media take readers from the naturalist's youth to his long years of travel aboard the Beagle, where his then revolutionary ideas about the origin of species took root. He knew early on that publication of his theories would create a maelstrom. The unique pictorial presentation of this material is nearly as revolutionary as Darwin's thought processes. Though chronologically linear, it feels bold and sweeping in the process of presenting so much information in so small a space. It's a spectacular, visually exciting intro to Darwin's ideas of the natural world. You feel as though you're inside the great man's brain.

Tree Of Life is the complex biography of Charles Darwin will reach ages 8 and up: those with good reading skills attracted to pictures. From views of Darwin as a schoolboy to reviews of his naturalist theories, this uses many intricate drawings to cover Darwin's achievements - no bright colors here, just facts and images paired with solid text.

Naturalist student Charles Darwin spent five-years exploring remote locales in the Pacific as part of the voyage of the Beagle. Darwin kept detailed notes that documented all he saw. However, though his writings about the trek are incredible in scope, no drawings accompanied Darwin's wealth of material. Peter Sis fills the void by providing a stunning pictorial of Darwin's diary, journal, and other writings that will leave the audience in awe while taking hours to look at one overwhelmingly detailed page at a time.This reviewer and her spouse spent an hour a day over the past few weeks fascinated by this tribute. Though intended for the elementary school crowd readers of all ages will appreciate THE TREE OF LIFE: CHARLES DARWIN as a powerful introduction to one of the most influential individuals of the last two centuries. This tome makes the perfect family gathering as adults and children can share the fascination as Mr. Sis shows a picture is worth a thousand words (and $18.00). Harriet Klausner