- Paperback: 144 pages
- Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd (Sep 30 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1405306939
- ISBN-13: 978-1405306935
- Product Dimensions: 18.6 x 14.6 x 1.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 281 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #945,021 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up-Ackroyd traces the history of life on Earth from the big bang to the emergence of Homo sapiens. Chapters are divided to reflect major eons, eras, periods, and epochs within this vast time span. While the author does not shy away from technical terms, the story of evolution is simply and beautifully laid out. The engaging text reflects the most recent research on prehistoric life-many species of dinosaur are depicted with feathers, and illustrations alternate between the traditional camouflage coloring historically thought to characterize dinosaur appearance and the brighter coloration now believed to have been part of mating rituals and other displays. Discussions involving speculation are clearly noted, and Ackroyd often offers alternate theories after stating the most accepted scientific belief. Informative sidebars and captions are succinct yet expand upon a point in the main text. Eye-catching, relevant illustrations bring the prehistoric world to life. Reference pages with extensive time lines follow the body of the book. An excellent glossary and index are included. Unfortunately, the author includes no source notes or a bibliography. Most material on this topic is geared to a younger or academic audience, so this title is still worthy of purchase.
Courtney Lewis, Wyoming Seminary Preparatory School, Kingston, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Courtney Lewis, Wyoming Seminary Preparatory School, Kingston, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
Gr. 4-8. Dino fanatics who grab this for the menacing T. rex on its cover will come away with a broader view of Earth's prehistory than is normally transmitted by movies like Jurassic Park. Part of the new Voyages through Time series, this careful but lively exploration of life on earth (beginning with the primordial soup and ending with the appearance of Cro-Magnons) contextualizes dinosaurs--and humans--within mind-boggling expanses of time and change. Ackroyd, a two-time winner of the U.K.'s Whitbread Award, belies his roots in the adult literary world with an immense vocabulary and tendency to wax poetic (the "endless night of extinction"), but his yen for metaphor works well when applied to extinct critters; trivia-mongers will relish imagining Pliocene "armadillos as long as limousines." Digitally rendered images of creatures are eye-poppingly realistic, and the cloudier aspects of Ackroyd's narration come clear with the aid of sidebars, helpful time lines, and appendixes. An indispensable resource for budding evolutionary biologists, as well as any earthling looking for a dose of perspective on our place in the universe. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
So the world was born in the fire of galactic creation. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
So the world was born in the fire of galactic creation. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A highly stimulating educational resource,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Voyages Through Time The Beginning (Hardcover)
Peter Ackroyd's The Beginning is an informed and informative nonfiction resource for young adults which superbly organizes and presents our latest scientific understanding of how the Earth was formed, how life evolved, and showcasing an era when humans were at the mercy of the elements and their environment. Brilliant color illustrations and what the latest discoveries in astronomy and paleontology have taught us about the Earth's history fill the pages of this exciting and highly stimulating educational resource. Very highly recommended for school and community library collections, The Beginning is the first title in Peter Ackroyd's new and forthcoming "Voyages Through Time" series from DK Publishing.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews) 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A highly stimulating educational resource,
By Midwest Book Review - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Voyages Through Time The Beginning (Hardcover)
Peter Ackroyd's The Beginning is an informed and informative nonfiction resource for young adults which superbly organizes and presents our latest scientific understanding of how the Earth was formed, how life evolved, and showcasing an era when humans were at the mercy of the elements and their environment. Brilliant color illustrations and what the latest discoveries in astronomy and paleontology have taught us about the Earth's history fill the pages of this exciting and highly stimulating educational resource. Very highly recommended for school and community library collections, The Beginning is the first title in Peter Ackroyd's new and forthcoming "Voyages Through Time" series from DK Publishing.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it!,
By between these days - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Voyages Through Time The Beginning (Hardcover)
Reading through the table of contents of the book I had this sense of familiarity. The first few chapters have been titled and themed in such a way that it bring to mind the creation story found in the Bible. Granted, that's not what this book is about and I don't believe the story of creation found in the pages of Genesis is meant to be taken as literal scientific fact, however, I appreciate the sense of wonder and significance the framing gives to the beginning of time (even though, taken as is, it's not as if the beginning of our universe was lacking in wonder). Still, by borrowing a bit from the structure of the Genesis story, I think Ackroyd gives a bit of familiarity to the history and science he's sharing. Ackroyd weaves together science, a storytellers skill, easy page layout, and fascinating pictures and illustrations for a good overview of the very beginning of our planet to the final emergence of Homo sapiens.
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