What Mr Darwin Saw

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

In 1831, at only 22 years old, Darwin was offered the position of Naturalist on HMS Beagle's world voyage. He was set to become a clergyman but returns after five years at sea an inspired genius. This book follows the journey of HMS Beagle, showing life on-board the ship for Darwin, the captain, crew and the expedition's artist. The reader sees Darwin discovering and observing insect life in Brazil, fossils in Argentina , earthquakes in Chile and turtles in the Galapagos Islands. The reader is therefore able to follow the steps which led to Darwin's inspired theory of evolution, while also showing the adventures and escapades he had during the voyage. A fascinating and colourful story of Darwin's life, this book also introduces young readers to one of the world's most important scientists and his discoveries. It concludes with a simple explanation of the theory of evolution. Written by an outstanding team in the field of children's non-fiction, this is a book to enlighten and inspire young readers.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-6-A somewhat bug-eyed Darwin tells the story of his journey on the Beagle and the development of his theory of evolution. Journal entries make good use of quotations from his own writing, while captioned insets add information on the people, animals, places, and ideas he encountered on the historic trip. The authors make it clear that Darwin was aware of the controversial nature of his theory, quoting, "Publishing my theory felt like confessing a murder." Cartoon illustrations in pencil and watercolor aim for the gross and startling aspects of the adventure: blood spewing from a screaming man having his leg amputated without anesthetic, a seasick Darwin vomiting over the side of the Beagle, or spitting a beetle out of his mouth. In a crowded field of picture-book biographies, this title is not as strong as Kathryn Lasky's One Beetle Too Many (Candlewick), Rosalyn Schanzer's What Darwin Saw (National Geographic), or Alice B. McGinty's Darwin (Houghton, all 2009).-Ellen Heath, Easton Area Public Library, Easton, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

This large-format book traces Darwin's life from his boyhood through the publication of On the Origin of Species. A typical double-page spread features a large, horizontal illustration with smaller insets including one or more captioned pictures and a journal page carrying a first-person narrative written from Darwin's point of view. Though this text is apparently based on Darwin's writings, no sources are cited or discussed. The loose, attractive pencil drawings are brightened with watercolor washes. Thought and speech balloons add informal appeal to the illustrations while giving voice to even minor characters. The operating-room scene, in which blood spatters as a doctor saws a man's leg and a nauseated medical student (Darwin) flees, may be too graphic for some children while attracting others to the story. Appendixes include a glossary and brief biographies of three people appearing in the book, and a map indicating the route and stops of the 1831-36 voyage of the HMS Beagle appears on the endpapers.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2009 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

Joining the spate of biographies issued to mark the bicentenary of Darwin's birth, this covers the great scientist's career in snapshots. It opens with scenes of him gunning down birds and catching rats as a feckless youth and closes with a view of the white-bearded sage delivering a simple explanation of natural selection on a chalkboard-style spread. In between, readers follow him from the famous incident with the three new kinds of beetles (one in each hand, the thirdbrieflyin his mouth) to stops and discoveries during his long voyage aboard the Beagle and the furor following the publication of his magnum opus. They will get some sense of both Darwin's character and the significant observations of nature in action that he recorded. The authors convey all of this in a mix of first- and third-person captions matched to watercolors that are freely drawn but detailed enough to show, for instance, telling differences in the beaks of Galpagos finches. At the opposite end of the accessibility scale from Peter S"s's hyper-ornate Tree of Life (2003), this will provide younger readers with an accurate, if sketchy, introduction to Darwin's big ideas. (Picture book/biography. 7-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.