Charles Darwin and evolution

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9-- A brief overview of the scientist's work and ideas that were formed by his research, especially the painstaking observations made on his around-the-world voyage on the HMS Beagle, and by the writings of thinkers such as Thomas Malthus. Parker relates Darwin's work to that of other naturalists in the main text and places it in the context of other scientific, political, and artistic events and explorations in his lifetime through the use of a time line. The last double-page chapter describes the work of Gregor Mendel in genetics and the development of neo-Darwinism, which adds the latest DNA research to the work of these two men to form the more complete theory of evolution in use today. The illustrations, mostly full-color photographs and a few drawings, help to explain some concepts, such as the formation of a coral atoll, and contibute to the book's attractiveness. --Margaret M. Hagel, Norfolk Public Library System, VA