Book Review of A Brief History of Life on Earth
The Children’s Book Review
A Brief History of Life on Earth
Written and Illustrated by Clemence Dupont
Ages 6+ | 76 Pages
Publisher: Prestel | ISBN: 978-3791373737
What to expect: Dinosaurs, Prehistoric History, Non-Fiction, Infographic
The Earth is pretty old – more than 4.6 billion years old! Clemence Dupont’s A Brief History of Life on Earth celebrates the significant geological periods throughout time and shows where we fit within that. Fun fact – we’re a lot more recent than kids might think!
Children can travel back in time and get a glimpse of what the Earth was like from the beginning to the present day. This fantastically illustrated book has an accordion-style pull-out artwork that measures 26 feet in total length, and it all begins in the Hadean period. Aptly named after Hades, this time in our Earth’s history was filled with liquid magma and fire! Children will then blast through time at an incredible pace—the Cambrian period and its tiny lifeforms wiggling around the ocean, to the Carboniferous Period with its giant insects (that’s right, giant centipedes!) and plants that will become today’s coal deposits.
We can’t forget everyone’s favorite dinosaurs, and each infographic about the different periods gives an exciting glimpse into that time. We can see that no matter what Hollywood might think, all of the dinosaurs didn’t live together, and in fact, lived millions of years apart.
Dupont’s imaginative yet realistic illustrations light up history, and each time period’s description is to-the-point and entertaining. And guess who finally shows up just at the very end? Humans! Children will delight in seeing that we are just a tiny spec in the Earth’s timeline. The reverse of the fascinating fold-out has a more straightforward timeline and speaks to humans’ drastic changes in the Earth’s environment, even for our short time on the planet. This foldout could be an excellent addition to a classroom wall or one lucky child’s bedroom.
A Brief History of Life on Earth provides an interesting starting place and several talking points for children about environmental impact, history, and our place in the cosmos. This book would also make an impressive gift!
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About the Author and Illustrator
Clémence Dupont is an illustrator living in Strasbourg, France. This is her first book.
More Books That Celebrate Life On Earth
The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth, by Rachel Ignotofsky
If You Come to Earth, by Sophie Blackall
Footprints Across the Planet, by Jennifer Swanson
Denise Mealy reviewed A Brief History of Life on Earth. Discover more books like A Brief History of Life on Earth by reading our reviews and articles tagged with Dinosaurs, Prehistoric History, and Non-Fiction.