Beginning

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Fire. Explosions. Meteorites. Chaos... Early life on Earth included all manner of freakish, alien creatures until the eventual arrival of big-brained Homo sapiens.
Peter Ackroyd brilliantly explains the beginnings of the Earth in this first title in his epic new 10-volume history of the world for children. Let the voyage begin.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

In his first book for children, Ackroyd (London: The Biography) brings a literary flair to the information-packed debut of his Voyages Through Time series, the first of 10 books planned. He opens with, "The Earth came out of fire. The Earth was fire. That fire still burns at the center of our world, to remind us of the beginning," introducing the Big Bang "some 14 billion years ago" (concluding a fact-filled description of the formation of hydrogen and helium, and their contraction into galaxies, he echoes biblical language, "Darkness gave birth to light"). Whether describing the cataclysmic cycles of growth and destruction over the epochs (a total of 54 "extinction events" in the last 500 million years) or the fascinating research into human ancestors, Ackroyd draws on up-to-date scientific discoveries and theories. A timeline at the beginning of each chapter helps pinpoint the era under discussion, and an information-rich yet crisp visual design serves the material well. The book offers a stylish blend of photographs, full-color illustrations, computer-generated representations, maps, timelines, fact-packed sidebars and the like, which, together with clever chapter titles ("Monkey Business"; "Of Ice and Men"), amplify the allure of Ackroyd's highly readable prose. Ages 8-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

Gr 7 Up-Ackroyd traces the history of life on Earth from the big bang to the emergence of Homo sapiens. Chapters are divided to reflect major eons, eras, periods, and epochs within this vast time span. While the author does not shy away from technical terms, the story of evolution is simply and beautifully laid out. The engaging text reflects the most recent research on prehistoric life-many species of dinosaur are depicted with feathers, and illustrations alternate between the traditional camouflage coloring historically thought to characterize dinosaur appearance and the brighter coloration now believed to have been part of mating rituals and other displays. Discussions involving speculation are clearly noted, and Ackroyd often offers alternate theories after stating the most accepted scientific belief. Informative sidebars and captions are succinct yet expand upon a point in the main text. Eye-catching, relevant illustrations bring the prehistoric world to life. Reference pages with extensive time lines follow the body of the book. An excellent glossary and index are included. Unfortunately, the author includes no source notes or a bibliography. Most material on this topic is geared to a younger or academic audience, so this title is still worthy of purchase.-Courtney Lewis, Wyoming Seminary Preparatory School, Kingston, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Gr. 7-10. The Beginning (2003) and Escape from Earth BKL My 1 04, the first two volumes of Ackroyd's Voyages through Time series, covered prehistoric life and space exploration. The latest installment guides readers through less familiar territory: Mesoamerica and its lost civilizations, from the Olmec mother culture to the flourishing societies of the Aztecs, Mayas, and Incas. The gory title, while a bit gratuitous, is also basically accurate; the gleefully vivid descriptions of human sacrifice, ritual flaying, and cannibalism suggest that Ackroyd's occasional apologetic asides (It is not pleasant to record these details ) may be disingenuous. But Ackroyd doesn't neglect the less lurid aspects of these rich civilizations. Extraordinary comparisons (by the early sixteenth century, the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan was the largest outside Asia) rightly place the pre-Columbian peoples on equal footing with ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. Even readers who find themselves occasionally bogged down by Ackroyd's florid style will enjoy browsing the abundant and varied visuals. Uncommonly useful end matter concludes. --Jennifer Mattson Copyright 2005 Booklist

Horn Book Review

Starting with the Big Bang, this wide-ranging, eloquently written history explains how early life forms evolved, surveys the age of the dinosaurs, addresses the mysteries of human origin, and takes readers through the last Ice Age, which ended about ten thousand years ago. Illustrated with adequate illustrations and photos, the book also includes dinosaur and mammal charts, as well as a chart of extinction events. Glos., ind. From HORN BOOK Spring 2004, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.