This book has some minor factual errors here and there. For example, Darwin and Wallace did not write a paper together as the book claims, rather their separate papers were presented together. It also makes the odd claim that Darwin rushed out of an operating room, "unable to stand the sight of blood". But Darwin enjoyed field sports and further on on the same page we learn of his plans to go partridge shooting. Do not bullets draw blood, even from the bodies of mere partridges?

However, the book also has some good properties. The artwork is actually clever, and where the depictions are not strictly accurate, they still convey something useful. For example, Darwin's clothes become obtrusively patched as the voyage wears on. He was probably not quite so unkempt, as he spent most of the voyage on land, and would have been in a position to purchase a new pair of pants and a coat. However, when he gets to London, and becomes suddenly the dapper young gentleman, immaculate in a claret-colored frock coat, that he has been living rough for the past five years is apparent. A few pages later he becomes the country gentleman, in tweeds and a straw hat. The people at the booksellers reading the Origin of Species are unmistakably Thomas Henry Huxley and Bishop Wilberforce. That Darwin's nose is round and Fitzroy's is an enormous beak is probably more or less to the life, and also a reference to the fact that Fitzroy thought he could read character in physiognomy and was initially quite put off by Darwin's snub nose.

Darwin and Fitzroy are presented as arguing frequently. I doubt that all these arguments happened as described, but they are a rhetorical device, to describe prevailing beliefs of the day in an immediate way that is especially suitable for children.

Far better than the other children's biographies of Darwin I have read so far. ( )

The extraordinary adventures of Charles Darwin

The blurb is unfortunate when it claims Darwin made one of the most significant discoveries...." ?áWhat he did was do a lot of field research and a lot of working out of one of the most significant theories.... ?áScience is hard work. ?áMuch more satisfying but less instantly gratifying than 'making a discovery.' ?áFortunately the text itself is more accurate

I love Lasky's dedication: "In celebration of children, whose boundless curiosity gives them a right to know their history on Earth."

This is a bit long. ?áIt's not for tots. ?áOtoh, it's ideal for schoolchildren who have to write a research paper. ?áVery interesting, with lively & appealing artwork, and a bibliography.

Thank you Kathryn Lasky, again, for yet another creatively educational and fun book." ( )

This is a book that I've been intending to read for quite a while and just haven't gotten around to. Now that I have though, I am pleased to share that I really enjoyed it. It was well written, using a couple of different literary devices that I'd like to revisit in the future including excellent use of items in a series. I think I counted that one three different times in here.
Also, it was a great biography on Darwin and filled in some details that make him, if nothing else, a more colorful, vibrant man. I would love to share it with children though I think that the length would prevent it from being a simple read-aloud. Even though it's got all the making of a good boy book with its blood and grossness in all the right places, I can't picture an elementary age child persevering through it without some ulterior motive like a school assignment to push them through.
I enjoyed it though. It was a well done biography. ( )

Since I will be teaching high school, I doubt that I would incorporate this book into any of my lessons, although the history of Charles Darwin is important in biology. The illustrations are designed for 7-12 year old, but much of the text (in my opinion), is for a more advanced reader than the age suggested. My son, who is 10, loves science and the natural environment, was very interested in the book when I showed it too him, but lost interest when it got to be too long for him. The organization was fine and simple with the sequential events taking place during Charles' life in correct order, as far as I know. The author was inaccurate when he summed up Charles' boat journey, but still got the sequence of events correct. The illustrations were colorful and detailed. I do not believe that Chrales Darwin believed in a "Creator," as the book suggests. ( )