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Life Story by Virginia Lee Burton — book cover

Life Story

by Virginia Lee Burton
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Overview



Earth takes center stage in this updated version of Virginia Lee Burton’s 1962 classic Life Story. Told through five acts, Burton’s art and text tell the history of earth from beginning to present day. Readers will gain an in-depth understanding of the planet’s history and their leading roles in it today. The book has been updated with cutting-edge science, including up-to-the-minute information on fossil records and the geologic principles. We are thrilled to provide this updated artistic and visionary work in time for the anniversary of Virginia Lee Burton's 100th birthday.

Virginia Lee Burton's unique ability to put meaning into the elusive passagesof time will give all readers a firm grasp of the history of our planet and abetter sense of their own part in it. Full color.

Synopsis

Earth takes center stage in this updated version of Virginia Lee Burton’s 1962 classic Life Story. Told through five acts, Burton’s art and text tell the history of earth from beginning to present day. Readers will gain an in-depth understanding of the planet’s history and their leading roles in it today. The book has been updated with cutting-edge science, including up-to-the-minute information on fossil records and the geologic principles. We are thrilled to provide this updated artistic and visionary work in time for the anniversary of Virginia Lee Burton's 100th birthday.

Virginia Lee Burton (1909-1968) was the talented author and illustrator of some of the most enduring books ever written for children. The winner of the 1942 Caldecott Medal for THE LITTLE HOUSE, Burton's books include heroes and happy endings, lively illustrations, and a dash of nostalgia. She lived with her two sons, Aristides and Michael, and her husband George Demetrios, the sculptor, in a section of Gloucester, Massachusetts, called Folly Cove. Here she taught a class in design and from it emerged the Folly Cove designers, a group of internationally known professional artisans. She is the author of many classic children's picture books, including MIKE MULLIGAN AND HIS STEAM SHOVEL and KATY AND THE BIG SNOW.

Publishers Weekly

``The drama of Life is a continuing story,'' says Burton in her epilogue; she amply demonstrates this in her magnificent description of the evolutionary process, with text and paintings presented as a five-act play. All ages. (Oct.)

About the Author, Virginia Lee Burton

Virginia Lee Burton (1909-1968) was the talented author and illustrator of some of the most enduring books ever written for children. The winner of the 1942 Caldecott Medal for THE LITTLE HOUSE, Burton's books include heroes and happy endings, lively illustrations, and a dash of nostalgia. She lived with her two sons, Aristides and Michael, and her husband George Demetrios, the sculptor, in a section of Gloucester, Massachusetts, called Folly Cove. Here she taught a class in design and from it emerged the Folly Cove designers, a group of internationally known professional artisans. She is the author of many classic children's picture books, including MIKE MULLIGAN AND HIS STEAM SHOVEL and KATY AND THE BIG SNOW.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

“Our sun is not the biggest star, nor is it the smallest, but to us it is the most important star of all.” Burton's 1962 exploration of the history of life on Earth, framed as a five-act play, returns in a newly updated edition that takes current scientific information into account (Pluto, for instance, is not among the planets shown orbiting the sun). Beginning with the birth of the Sun and continuing through the Earth's creation, the emergence and evolution of animal life, up to the changing seasons of the present, it's a lyrical and informative journey. Ages 8–12. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

``The drama of Life is a continuing story,'' says Burton in her epilogue; she amply demonstrates this in her magnificent description of the evolutionary process, with text and paintings presented as a five-act play. All ages. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

"Miss Burton succeeds in giving the reader a sense of his own place in the magnificent flow of time and creation." Horn Book

"Miss Burton succeeds in giving the reader a sense of his own place in the magnificent flow of time and creation." Horn Book Guide

Children's Literature - Margaret Orto

Set up as a play in five acts depicting the story of life on earth from its beginning up to now, this beautifully designed and scientifically sound book is now available in an updated edition. Burton, the 1942 winner of the Caldecott medal for The Little House as well as author and illustrator of other beloved classics, masterfully relates through well-researched text and delightful illustrations the mind-boggling concepts of the passage of time and of the creation of life. A prologue depicts how earth was formed many billions of years ago before life existed. Her first three acts move through life forms developed during the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras and cover the entire planet. Act four depicts life from the time of prehistoric humans through the beginning of recorded history and then narrows the focus from the great civilizations of the Old World to that of the New World. Act five is the most personal and depicts the author's own home and the passage of time through many seasons and finally down to a single day. An epilogue turns the story over to the reader, as Burton writes, "And now it is your Life Story and it is you who plays the leading role." Each spread of the book reveals the stage set for the particular act and scene on the right-hand page with details on the left-hand page. The circular design and flow of this book are magnificent, and the scientific details are a wonder. It is a treasure of a book to be enjoyed by all ages. Reviewer: Margaret Orto

Book Details

Published
November 1, 2009
Publisher
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages
67
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780547203591

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