Evolution

April 1, 2006
Gr 5-8 -An unapologetic supporter of the theory insists that there is no doubt about it providing the true explanation for the development of life on Earth. Fleisher summarizes some of the ideas about evolution before Darwin's "Origin of Species". He goes on to describe the observations Darwin made while on his famous "Beagle" voyage. A map of the ship's course accompanies this section. The author also describes the travels and observations of Alfred Russel Wallace, who came to the same conclusions as Darwin while he was compiling his ideas. Objections to Darwin's theory in the 1800s and developments and discoveries in the field since then lead to a step-by-step description of how life may have come about and changed through billions of years. The final chapter touches on how principles of evolution have been used to justify eugenics and led to the advancement of genetic engineering and cloning in recent years. Creation science and intelligent design are mentioned as religious teachings rather than scientific theories. Color photographs, charts, and maps highlight the text. Shaded sidebars provide information on such topics as how fossils are dated and the concept of coevolution. A time line and brief biographies of persons of significance are included. Stephen Webster's "The Kingfisher Book of Evolution" (2000) offers a similar scope in a more colorful, much more generously illustrated and exciting format. However, Webster does not include bibliographical references." -Ann G. Brouse, Steele Memorial Library, Elmira, NY"

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