Charles Darwin (Little People, Big Dreams)
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley February 1, 2021
Author Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, illustrated by Mark Hoffmann.
Distributor: Murdoch Books
ISBN: 9780711257696
Publisher: Quarto UK Imprint: Frances Lincoln Children's
Release Date: January 2021
Website: https://www.murdochbooks.com.au
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Charles Darwin was a little boy with a massive curiosity who went on to become very famous, having places named after him, Darwin in Australia, but more importantly, discovered that after studying a particular species of bird on the Galapagos islands he realised they all had a common ancestor, even though they has vastly different habits and had adapted to eat whatever food was available. Of course this did not go down well in Victorian England as it challenged the religious beliefs of the day.
But how did a little boy from Shrewsbury who wondered about worms and why they crawled out of the earth, and had they always done this, go on to become such a famous person. He was curious and was convinced that what his teachers told him might not be right, which was also pretty radical for that time, as children were supposed to do and think what they were told to do by adults.
Charles was very lucky to be born into a family of scientists who believed in curiosity and asking questions, something he did all of his life. When he was still young he joined an expedition to Africa, South America and Australia on the HMS Beagle and there he discovered so much about birds, animals and reptiles and their habits and habitat.
He also began to realise that animal species were not all fixed as everyone thought, that they changed and adapted to their conditions. This made him even more curious and lead to him writing On the Origin of the Species which is still considered as the most important book ever written.
His legacy to the world was his curiosity which lead him to discover amazing things and his work then is still offering insights into diversity of life on this earth, which by the way includes humans.
The series Little People Big Dreams brings to life so many of the people who do amazing things in their lives, many coming from very humble beginnings and all of them going on to make a big difference to the world in which they lived, as well as the world of today.
Bright colours, an excellent choice of words and end notes presenting a brief description of Charles Darwin make the book suitable for a wide audience.