Overview
“What came first? The chicken? The egg? Lots of stories begin with ‘once upon a time’ and so does this one; close to fourteen billion years ago, according to scientists. . .”When was the Earth created and how? And the most pressing question of all — how did humans come to be? What Came First? is a funny but scientifically sound introduction to evolution. Learn about the Big Bang, where it all started, and read vivid descriptions of a melting pot full of microscopic organisms — the very beginnings of life — to the first oceanic life forms and, with the formation of the continents, the first land mammals, all the way through to the evolution of the plant, animal, and human life that surrounds us today.
Natalini expertly guides young readers to examine the science behind the creation of life, all the while nudging them forward to find the answers that lie behind existence. Complemented by an assortment of rich and colorful illustrations as well as detailed timelines and charts, What Came First? is a welcome resource for the child who is seeking his or her own explanations the origins or our world.
Synopsis
“What came first? The chicken? The egg? Lots of stories begin with ‘once upon a time’ and so does this one; close to fourteen billion years ago, according to scientists. . .”
When was the Earth created and how? And the most pressing question of all — how did humans come to be? What Came First? is a funny but scientifically sound introduction to evolution. Learn about the Big Bang, where it all started, and read vivid descriptions of a melting pot full of microscopic organisms — the very beginnings of life — to the first oceanic life forms and, with the formation of the continents, the first land mammals, all the way through to the evolution of the plant, animal, and human life that surrounds us today.
Natalini expertly guides young readers to examine the science behind the creation of life, all the while nudging them forward to find the answers that lie behind existence. Complemented by an assortment of rich and colorful illustrations as well as detailed timelines and charts, What Came First? is a welcome resource for the child who is seeking his or her own explanations the origins or our world.
Children's Literature
In breezy text and brightly-colored, detail-filled illustrations, Natalini attempts to summarize the story of the evolution of our world from the Big Bang on. The "primordial soup" becomes filled with the earliest forms of life. A dramatic textless double foldout depicts dinosaurs followed by mammals and humans on a rock painting. An odd juxtaposition of illustrations follows these pages. This is not a basic science book, so the representations of things are products of the artist's imagination with just suggestions of the real objects. The page designs are attractive and there are unexpected comic touches throughout, such as a chicken in a small submarine surrounded by jellyfish. The continents are drawn with facial features in an illustration of their separation some millions of years ago. The final pages offer a summary of the eras and periods of earth history and, in answer to the question of why such changes have happened and are happening, explain the scientific theory as "a process we call evolution." Additional information about what we have learned over the years, why we have learned it, and from whom we have learned it is also provided in the same breezy style. A page is devoted to a display of bones and smiling skulls; the question at the top asks "Who do these bones belong to?" An illustration of two humanoids with floral g-strings eating bananas almost ends this tongue-in-cheek view. The final page encourages readers to maintain the environment for future generations, reminding us that "the world we live in is full of marvels!" The inside of the book's jacket is a poster. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz