Darwin by Alice B McGinty

Darwin's interest in the natural word is peaked as a young boy. As he grows up he continues to explore and document his discoveries. He notices animals of the same type having different characteristics, which leads him to the theory of evolution.

It's nice to find a biography that can read as a picture book, as this does. The illustrations (as done by the Caldecott winning illustrator of Snowflake Bentley) support the feel of an 1800's world quite nicely, and excerpts from Darwin's actual notebooks and letters give an insight to the man himself.

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by Scott

Anthology for the Earth edited by Judy Allen

This is a lovely collection of images and the written word, including contributors from Isaiah to Quentin Blake. There is a wide diversity of well matched illustrations with each portion of text. Some light and comedic, some a bit heavier. Some are very short and others cover a few pages. It can be read sequentially for an overall arch, or flipped open for a quick read. There is also a wide demographic covered, from aboriginal iron mines, to a boy peeking through the hedges in his backyard.

by Scott

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Disasters: Natural and man-made catastrophies through the centuries by Brenda Guiberson

A collection of tragic events throughout history, from smallpox to hurricane Katrine. The author also explores why each disaster was so bad, and how it might have been prevented. Includes a nice diversity in the subjects covered as well as illustrations including drawings, photographs, and maps.

Arranged chronologically, each chapter deals with one tragedy. Individuals involved with more than one event are cleverly interwoven which links the time line together. Typically the author uses an individual as a focus for each event, lending a more personal feel.

Not for light readers, but very insightful and compelling.

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by Scott

Lost Worlds by John Howe

The rich illustrations by John Howe, famous for his depictions of Middle Earth, are well suited for these real and imagined civilizations that have been lost to time, but not our imaginations. With his detailed renderings and compelling summaries, John Howe provides a wonderful introduction to such cities as Troy, Pompeii, and Atlantis, as well as many others. This book will likely stimulate further investigations of these lost worlds, it certainly did for me!

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by Scott