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A review by octavia_cade
The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin by Peter Sís
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
I have to admit a sneaking preference for Peter Sís' other picture book biography, the Galileo-focused Starry Messenger, primarily for the colours (as I recall, more blue-toned than sepia) but this is still excellent. Sís is one of my favourite illustrators - his work is so detailed and so layered that it's a pleasure to look at, and I'm slowly collecting all of his picture books.
Given that this is a picture book, the biography itself is fairly limited. Sís is working within the constraints of the form, after all, and there's only so much that can be fitted into 44 pages. However, it's enough to capture interest, and the focus on exploration and curiosity and hard work - as well as, let's be honest, all the animals and fossils! - is genuinely compelling. I love books like this, books that are written in the certainty that kids love science and want to learn about it, and I'm equally certain that the parents who buy this for their offspring are going to take equal pleasure in reading it for themselves. It's such a visually appealing book.
Given that this is a picture book, the biography itself is fairly limited. Sís is working within the constraints of the form, after all, and there's only so much that can be fitted into 44 pages. However, it's enough to capture interest, and the focus on exploration and curiosity and hard work - as well as, let's be honest, all the animals and fossils! - is genuinely compelling. I love books like this, books that are written in the certainty that kids love science and want to learn about it, and I'm equally certain that the parents who buy this for their offspring are going to take equal pleasure in reading it for themselves. It's such a visually appealing book.