Books about Evolution
As World Book Day approaches, we’re delighted to introduce new team member, Joy Court, and our new monthly feature, Reading with Joy.
Having a good knowledge of children’s literature is one of the best things any of us can do to raise standards in our classrooms. When teachers read children’s books they are able to to recommend books to their children, they choose inspiring books to base their lessons on and they inspire their children by reading aloud from books that they would otherwise not choose to read themselves.
This month Joy recommends books to support learning about evolution, books dealing with inclusion and representation, and a classic golden oldie about anger management (perfect for children who may be dealing with difficult emotions on the return to face-to-face teaching). I now hand over to Joy.
I am really looking forward to bringing you a selection of titles to look out for, to read and enjoy, to use in your lessons and, most importantly, ones to tempt your young readers. The books will be mainly brand new but with some golden oldies and other recent titles thrown in. My main problem will be in cutting down and selecting from so many good books and so any requests for themes or topics to cover will be most welcome!
One Smart Fish. Chris Wormell. Red Fox.2010. 32pp £7.99 PB. ISBN: 978-1862306523
Illustrated in beautiful soft watercolour, this takes a witty imaginative leap into why that first fish left the water, but what follows is a brilliantly visualised, humorous explanation of evolution up to man. A great conversation starter and introduction to the topic.
Lightning Mary. Anthea Simmons. Andersen Press. 2019. 272 pp. £6.99 PB. ISBN: 978-1783448296
A brilliantly told, inspiring story of the life of Mary Anning. At a time when women had no place in science, her fossil discoveries transformed our understanding of evolution. Her indomitable character really springs from the pages in this first-person narrative. A factual section adds to the classroom value.
Darwin’s Dragons. Lindsay Galvin. Chicken House.2021. 256 pp. £6.99 PB. ISBN:
978-1912626465
A thrilling adventure featuring Syms Covington, cabin boy on HMS Beagle. Swept away in a storm he finds himself shipwrecked on a Galapagos island and discovers yet another new creature. Every character in this enthralling book actually existed and the historical detail is superbly captured. This is a convincing imaginative story that could so easily have been true. Not only a superb support to the topic (especially with the publisher resources available here) but also with its short punchy chapters it makes a great read-aloud.
Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of the Species (Words That Changed the World) Anna Brett. Illustrated by Nicola Hayes. Laurence King Publishing. 2021.64pp. HB. £17.99
A stunning large format information text that sets out to explain Darwin’s ground-breaking theory and tell the story of the voyage of HMS Beagle. Just as Darwin did, the book uses examples of species to demonstrate and explain his theory. Needless to say, a book in a series about words has an excellent glossary and explanation of key terms. In cleverly designed and visually attractive pages, the layout of accessible bite sized chunks of text and images really aid understanding. Comprehensive and enthralling, this is an invaluable addition to school collections.
To download Joy’s full list of recommendations for March 2021, click below.
If you’re looking for planning to support learning about evolution, we have sets of Starting Points for Moth: An Evolution Story and Charles Darwin’s on the Origin of Species by Sabina Radeva available on our resources page. Just click below to find out more.
About Joy
Joy has been Reviews Editor for the School Librarian Journal, managed the Schools Library Service in Coventry where she established the Coventry Inspiration Book Awards and the Literally Coventry Book Festival. From 2008 to 2019 she managed the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals. She is also a Trustee and member of the National Council of the United Kingdom Literacy Association where she sits on the selection panel for the UKLA Book Awards and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, the Royal Society of Arts and of The English Association.