The Tree of Life: A Book Depicting the Life of Charles Darwin by Peter Sis. New York, NY: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2003. ISBN 978-0-37445-6283
Annotation: Caldecott Honor Book and ALA Notable Book, Sis’ graphic biography extracts the myriad of facts and data from Darwin’s life and journals in a format to elicit reader discovery.
Media: Mixed media.
Rating: 5Q/5P.
Curricular connections: Science/Health, Biographies/Autobiographies.
School level: Middle school or junior high, High school.
NP 07/29/09
Citation: The Tree of Life by Peter Sis and Peter Sis, ill. New York: Frances Foster Books, 2003.
One of my Top 10 selections
ISBN: 9780374456283
Annotation: Sis’ masterful biography of Darwin traces his childhood, his love of botany, the voyage of the Beagle, and Darwin’s discovery of the Theory of Evolution. This is the picture book at its best because the illustrations add so much information.
Media: Pen and ink drawings with color added. Drawings based on Sis’ interpretations of Darwin’s diaries, letters, and journals. Very detailed images of Darwin diaries, a two-page foldout of The Origin of Species, and wonderful drawings of Darwin and his family. Sis mixes a cartoon style with scientific drawings, which make this an original work.
Personal Rating: 5Q/5P
Curricular Connections: This is an excellent book for teaching students about Darwin’s life, his love of botany, and the Theory of Evolution. Sis’ format is so original because the illustrations cleverly contain all kinds of information about Darwin’s personality and his original way of thinking. Students will love to look at Sis’ pictures of Darwin’s journals. Sis has used a combination of a cartoon style with scientific drawings, timelines, charts, and maps. The information is approachable because the drawings add so much information along with Sis’ witty writing style. A must for any Social Studies or Science class.
Grade Level or Age Range: Grades 5-11
By: Joanne Maher July 29th, 2009
The Tree of Life by Peter Sis. New York: Frances Foster Books, 2003.
ISBN: 0374456283
Media: Pen & ink with color
Q5/P5
From his interest in nature as a boy to his struggle to find a career. Darwin joins the Beagle and finds his calling, pursuing his research on evolution till the end.
CURRICULUM CONNECTION: 7TH – 12TH grade can be used in history and science classes
FBoggs 07/09
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