Tree of Life

August 1, 2004
Several titles delve into an exploration of the environment. A family tree metaphor serves as the basis of Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth by Rochelle Strauss, illus. by Margot Thompson, which presents the entirety of life on Earth, incorporating branches devoted to Monera (bacteria), Fungi and more. Strauss explains the traits of the different divisions, dissects them further (e.g., animals to vertebrates to amphibians to frogs, salamanders, etc.) and offers unique facts about particular species. Thompson's "crackled" illustrations depict species as the leaves on the Tree of Life. .

December 1, 2004
Gr. 3-6. This useful, attractive, oversize volume uses its height well, employing a tree metaphor to show the earth's biodiversity and how all living things, from bacteria to the largest mammals, are related. Each spread covers one branch of the animal kingdom. To make the enormity of species understandable, Strauss equates individual species (e.g., 10,000 bacteria) with one leaf on the tree. Since only a couple of paragraphs are devoted to each species (a bit more information appears in captions), this is strictly an overview. But the eye-catching, painterly artwork, with various life-forms painted into the tree, invites children to look more closely than they might have otherwise. Concluding spreads consider the disappearance of some species and how readers can become stewards of the earth. A final two-page note, directed to parents and teachers, provides a more complex introduction to biodiversity.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)