Charlie and Kiwi

April 18, 2011
When Charlie decides to research the unique kiwi bird for a school report, he is launched on a time-travel adventure that delves into the underpinnings of evolutionary theory. First stop in his makeshift time machine is 1860, to meet Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandpa Charles (Darwin, it's assumed). The two visit the first kiwis in New Zealand, then feathered dinosaurs 150 million years ago, before returning to the present. "Peering out the window, Charlie and Grandpa Charles watched the world change. There were more feathered dinosaurs in each generation. They had more feathers, longer feathers, stiffer feathers." While some plot devices are gimmicky or fall flat (Grandpa Charles's witticisms about needing dinner; Charlie's stuffed kiwi spearheading the time travel, yelling "Keee-weee! Keee-weee!"), the story's fast-paced narrative and cartoon vignettes do a commendable job of explaining how small adaptations over time lead to evolution. The book was written as a companion to an exhibit at the New York Hall of Science, and flap copy directs readers to a Web site with an animated version of the story, games, and other resources and information. Ages 4â8.

May 1, 2011

For a school report, Charlie and his stuffed kiwi travel in time to learn why a kiwi is so unlike other birds.

With Kiwi leading the way, Charlie goes back to 1860 to meet his five-times-great-grandfather, Charles. The three then journey to the New Zealand of 30 million years ago to see the early kiwi's world, then to 150 million years ago to see dinosaurs with feathers. From then, they go slowly forward in time to the point when the first true bird developed before returning to their respective times. The straightforward story line demonstrates the theory of evolution as the process of a series of small changes over generations, each of which led to ever more successful reproduction. Reynolds' cheerful cartoon-y figures think in speech bubbles; they share space with the narrative text, which is told with humor, plentiful dialogue, font sizes that vary for emphasis and attention to word choice. All this is set on generous white space, inviting and accessible to middle-grade readers and younger listeners. Produced in conjunction with a project and traveling exhibit developed by the New York Hall of Science and Reynolds' FableVision studio, an animated bilingual (Spanish and English) version of the title is available on the exhibit website.  

With appealing child and animal characters, a touch of fantasy and an adventurous narrative arc, this conveys an important scientific concept in a child-friendly package. (Informational picture book. 5-9)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

July 1, 2011

Gr 1-4-This story was written to supplement a traveling exhibit by the New York Hall of Science. Young Charlie is assigned to write a report about a bird. He selects the kiwi and sets out to learn why it has such unusual traits. The story becomes fantastic when a toy kiwi that inspired the project comes to life and invites Charlie on a time-travel adventure back to 1860. The boy meets his Great-Great-Great-Grandpa Charles Darwin, and together they travel back 30 million years to the time of the first kiwis. Darwin enlightens Charlie about his theory of natural selection by viewing the birds and their adaptations. Charlie and his grandpa then travel farther back to the days of the dinosaurs where they witness feathered reptiles. Together they arrive at the conclusion that the first birds were dinosaurs. Upon his return to the present, Charlie presents his conclusions to his classmates and Darwin has a new idea to ponder. This book would be a nice addition to units on evolution, and it has merit as a good reinforcement for the concepts introduced in the exhibition, but for general use, children might prefer to visit the exhibit online and hear the book narrated with animation. The digital-cartoon illustrations are sufficient to support the text but are not impressive.-Diane Antezzo, Ridgefield Library, CT

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2011
Grades K-3 Blending a school story, toy story, and time-travel tale, this book, put together by the New York Hall of Science, strives to make evolution easy to grasp. When Charlie is given a school project, he decides to do a presentation (inspired by a stuffed toy) on the kiwi. Bemoaning his failure to bring to life the facts about the flightless bird, he is rescued by his New Zealand souvenir, which takes him on an adventure to the past. There, Charlie meets his five-times great-grandfather (who by implication seems to be Charles Darwin). Further journeys go back eons, where kiwis are found adapting to their environment, developing long beaks, and so on. The threesome then lands in the time of dinosaurs to gather more background. Of course, with dinosaurs in it, Charlie's report is a success. Cartoonish pictures illustrate the passage of time in contained chunks, making the concepts digestible for young, evolving scientific thinkers. One historical quibble, though: the link between birds and dinosaurs is recent and would have been unknown to the real Darwin.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)