Abstract

Reviewed by: Charles Darwin Elizabeth Bush Krull, Kathleen. Charles Darwin; illus. by Boris Kulikov. Viking, 2010. 144p. (Giants of Science) ISBN 978-0-670-06335-2 $15.99 R Gr. 5-8. Did you think you were done collecting Darwin books by the end of 2009? Make room on the shelf for the latest entry in the Giants of Science series, which focuses this time on, as Krull frequently reminds her readers, a really all-around nice guy. Sans wild hair, bizarre personality traits, or even a conspicuous air of genius, Darwin has little to recommend him in the quirkiness department apart from a large nose (of which he was embarrassed) and chronic stomach problems. Krull therefore wisely plays his strong suits here—keen observation; patient, deliberative thought; engaging, accessible writing; respect for fellow scientists; devotion to his family—and succeeds in portraying, well, a really all-around nice guy whose affability and humility never hobbled his dogged pursuit of truth, wherever it led. And it led, famously, to the controversial On the Origin of Species, which generated uproar that segued rather speedily into the fundamental theory of the mechanism of evolution. Kulikov once again ably supports Krull's text, offering playful illustrations that lightheartedly illuminate some corner of Darwin's life or create a symbolic image that impresses a concept into the reader's memory, e.g., Darwin scratching in his notebook while perched on a limb of his Tree of Life. Readers who favor the flow of a novel in nonfiction works but aren't quite up to Deborah Heiligman's Charles and Emma (BCCB 2/09) will find this quick read as easygoing as its subject. Copyright © 2011 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

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